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A Unique Diel Pattern in Carbonate Chemistry in the Seagrass Meadows of Dongsha Island: implications for ocean acidification buffering
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  • Wen-Chen Chou,
  • Lan-Feng Fan,
  • Chang-Chang Yang,
  • Ying-Hsuan Chen,
  • Chin-Chang Hung,
  • Wei-Jen Huang,
  • Yung-Yen Shih,
  • Keryea Soong,
  • Hsiao-Chun Tseng,
  • Gwo-Ching Gong,
  • Hung-Yu Chen,
  • Cheng-Kuan Su
Wen-Chen Chou
National Taiwan Ocean University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Lan-Feng Fan
National Taiwan Ocean University
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Chang-Chang Yang
National Taiwan Ocean University
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Ying-Hsuan Chen
National Taiwan Ocean University
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Chin-Chang Hung
National Sun Yat-sen University
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Wei-Jen Huang
National Sun Yat-sen University
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Yung-Yen Shih
ROC Naval Academy
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Keryea Soong
National Sun Yat-sen University
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Hsiao-Chun Tseng
National Taiwan Ocean University
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Gwo-Ching Gong
Institute of Marine Environment and Ecology
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Hung-Yu Chen
National Taiwan Ocean University
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Cheng-Kuan Su
National Chung Hsin University
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Abstract

In contrast to most seagrass meadows where seawater carbonate chemistry generally shows strong diel variations with a higher pH during the daytime and a lower pH during nighttime due to the alternation in photosynthesis and respiration, the seagrass meadows of the inner lagoon on Dongsha Island had a unique diel pattern with an extremely high pH across a diel cycle. We suggest that this distinct diel pattern in pH was a result of a combination of total alkalinity (TA) production through the coupling of aerobic/anaerobic respiration and carbonate dissolution in the sediments and dissolved inorganic carbon consumption through the high productivity of seagrasses in overlying seawaters. The confinement of the semienclosed inner lagoon may hamper water exchange and seagrass detritus export to the adjacent open ocean, which may provide an ideal scenario for sedimentary TA production and accumulation, thereby forming a strong capacity for seagrass meadows to buffer ocean acidification.