Dicarboxylic and Oxocarboxylic Acids in the Arctic Coastal Ocean (Beaufort Sea-Mackenzie Margin)

Richard Sempéré (1) , Mickael Vaïtilingom (1) , Bruno Charrière (2, 1) , Kimitaka Kawamura , Christos Panagiotopoulos (1)

1 MIO - Institut méditerranéen d'océanologie
2 UPVD - Université de Perpignan Via Domitia

The distribution of bifunctional carboxylic acids (BCAs) is largely reported as primary or secondary organic aerosols. However, sparse studies describe the distribution of these organic compounds in fluvial and marine environments. In the context of a global warming, we present the first results of a study of the distribution of BCAs in a surface Arctic coastal area near the mouth of the Mackenzie River. These results showed that the Beaufort Sea is an area with elevated BCA content among which glyoxylic acid is predominant, in contrast to low concentrations and predominance of oxalic acid in aerosols reported elsewhere. The carbon fraction of BCAs represents 1.8% to 4.5% of dissolved organic carbon pool in Arctic Ocean. This study reinforces the hypothesis that aquatic biological processes govern the molecular distribution of BCA in marine/river waters, whereas photochemical oxidation reactions regulate their molecular distribution in rain and aerosols. Our results indicate that the Mackenzie River is an important source of BCAs in the Arctic Ocean during July-October period, with a first estimate of 35 × 10³ tons of BCAs including 12 × 10³ tons of diacids and 23 × 10³ tons of oxoacids.

Mots clés: Arctic Ocean; Mackenzie River; bifunctional carboxylic acids; anthropogenic signatures; organic matter; Arctic Ocean

Domaines: Planète et Univers [physics]

Richard Sempéré, Mickael Vaïtilingom, Bruno Charrière, Kimitaka Kawamura, Christos Panagiotopoulos. Dicarboxylic and Oxocarboxylic Acids in the Arctic Coastal Ocean (Beaufort Sea-Mackenzie Margin). Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 2019, 33, pp.927-940. ⟨10.1029/2018GB006165⟩. ⟨insu-03668091⟩