Meléndez-Oyola, Melissa

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Dynamics of seawater carbonate chemistry in a tropical coastal coral reef environment
(2013) Meléndez-Oyola, Melissa; Corredor, Jorge E.; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; Morell, Julio M.; Ramirez, Wilson; Kubaryk, John; Department of Marine Sciences; Grove, Kurt
Diverse forcing such as biogenic and abiogenic calcification, carbonate sediment dissolution or precipitation, and climate-related processes modulate seawater carbonate equilibrium and Ca2+ and Mg2+ proportions in near coastal coral reef environments. To this end, we characterized seasonal and inter-annual carbonate dynamics from 2009 to 2012 in the coral reef ecosystem of La Parguera, Puerto Rico. Additionally, we implemented a method for the quantification of seawater Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations using High Performance Chelation Ion Chromatography. The new method, as implemented, achieves a precision of 2 %. Although we have not yet achieved the chromatographic precision required for seawater calcification applications, the method was applied to marine sediment porewaters where acid dissolution results in excess Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations. Carbonate saturation state at the reef showed seasonal depressions. Differential total inorganic carbon and total alkalinity indicate that calcification and photosynthesis are thus the major processes controlling carbonate chemistry at Enrique reef.