Dissolved organic carbon in coastal waters: Global patterns, stocks and environmental physical controls

Lønborg, Christian ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8380-0238; Fuentes‐Santos, Isabel ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3298-9648; Carreira, Cátia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1520-9320; Amaral, Valentina ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1088-1484; Arístegui, Javier ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7526-7741; Bhadury, Punyasloke ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8714-7475; Bif, Mariana Bernardi ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2148-4556; Calleja, Maria Ll. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5992-2013; Chen, Qi ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8320-5997; Cotovicz, Luiz C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3914-8155; Cozzi, Stefano ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0116-742X; Eyre, Bradley D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5502-0680; Garcia-Martin, E. Elena ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4807-3287; Giani, Michele ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3306-7725; Gonçalves‐Araujo, Rafael ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8344-8326; Gruber, Renee ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8788-6910; Hansell, Dennis A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9275-3445; Holding, Johnna M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7364-0055; Hunter, William ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8801-7947; Ibánhez, J. Severino P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6093-3054; Ibello, Valeria ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1067-0425; Kowalczuk, Piotr ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6016-0610; Maggioni, Federica ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7109-4257; Magni, Paolo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5955-6829; Martin, Patrick ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8008-5558; McCallister, S. Leigh ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9041-9512; Morán, Xosé Anxelu G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9823-5339; Oakes, Joanne M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9287-2652; Osterholz, Helena ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2858-9799; Park, Hyekyung ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4743-5883; Rueda‐Roa, Digna ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4621-009X; Shan, Jiang ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1121-6080; Teira, Eva ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4333-0101; Ward, Nicholas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6174-5581; Yamashita, Youhei ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9415-8743; Yang, Liyang ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8767-8698; Zheng, Qiang ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6836-2310; Álvarez‐Salgado, Xosé Antón ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2387-9201. 2025 Dissolved organic carbon in coastal waters: Global patterns, stocks and environmental physical controls. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 39 (5). 10.1029/2024GB008407

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Text © 2025. The Author(s).This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Global Biogeochemical Cycles - 2025 - Lønborg - Dissolved Organic Carbon in Coastal Waters Global Patterns Stocks and.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (4MB) | Preview

Abstract/Summary

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in coastal waters is integral to biogeochemical cycling, but global and regional drivers of DOC are still uncertain. In this study we explored spatial and temporal differences in DOC concentrations and stocks across the global coastal ocean, and how these relate to temperature and salinity. We estimated a global median coastal DOC stock of 3.15 Pg C (interquartile range (IQR) = 0.85 Pg C), with median DOC concentrations being 2.2 times higher than in open ocean surface waters. Globally and seasonally, salinity was the main driver of DOC with concentrations correlated negatively with salinity, without a clear relationship to temperature. DOC concentrations and stocks varied with region and season and this pattern is likely driven by riverine inputs of DOC and nutrients that stimulate coastal phytoplankton production. Temporally, high DOC concentrations occurred mainly in months with high freshwater input, with some exceptions such as in Eastern Boundary Current margins where peaks are related to primary production stimulated by nutrients upwelled from the adjacent ocean. No spatial trend between DOC and temperature was apparent, but many regions (19 out of 25) had aligned peaks of seasonal temperature and DOC, related to increased phytoplankton production and vertical stratification at high temperatures. Links of coastal DOC with salinity and temperature highlight the potential for anthropogenic impacts to alter coastal DOC concentration and composition, and thereby ecosystem status.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1029/2024GB008407
ISSN:	0886-6236
Additional Keywords:	dissolved organic carbon (DOC), regional, seasonal, carbon stocks, environmental drivers, coastal ocean
Date made live:	04 Jun 2025 21:51 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/539530

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