{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/95521"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/95521","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Spatial and temporal dynamics of biogeochemical processes in the Fraser River, Canada : a coupled organic-inorganic perspective","abstract":"The great geologic and climatic diversity of the Fraser River basin in southwestern Canada render it an excellent location for understanding biogeochemical cycling of sediments and terrigenous organic carbon in a relatively pristine, large, temperate watershed. Sediments delivered by all tributaries have the potential to reach the ocean due to a lack of main stem lakes or impoundments, a unique feature for a river of its size. This study documents the concentrations of a suite of dissolved and particulate organic and inorganic constituents, which elucidate spatial and temporal variations in chemical weathering (including carbonate weathering in certain areas) as well as organic carbon mobilization, export, and biogeochemical transformation. Radiogenic strontium isotopes are employed as a tracer of sediment provenance based on the wide variation in bedrock age and lithology in the Fraser basin. The influence of sediments derived from the headwaters is detectable at the river mouth, however more downstream sediment sources predominate, particularly during high discharge conditions. Bulk radiocarbon analyses are used to quantify terrestrial storage timescales of organic carbon and distinguish between petrogenic and biospheric organic carbon, which is critical to assessing the role of rivers in long-term atmospheric CO2 consumption. The estimated terrestrial residence time of biospheric organic carbon in the Fraser basin is 650 years, which is relatively short compared to other larger rivers (Amazon, Ganges-Brahmaputra) in which this assessment has been performed, and is likely related to the limited floodplain storage capacity and non-steady-state post-glacial erosion state of the Fraser River. A large portion of the dissolved inorganic carbon load of the Fraser River (>80%) is estimated to derive from remineralization of dissolved organic carbon, particularly during the annual spring freshet when organic carbon concentrations increase rapidly. This thesis establishes a baseline for carbon cycling in a largely unperturbed modern mid-latitude river system and establishes a framework for future process studies on the mechanisms of organic carbon turnover and organic matter-mineral associations in river systems.","abstract_html":"The great geologic and climatic diversity of the Fraser River basin in southwestern Canada render it an excellent location for understanding biogeochemical cycling of sediments and terrigenous organic carbon in a relatively pristine, large, temperate watershed. Sediments delivered by all tributaries have the potential to reach the ocean due to a lack of main stem lakes or impoundments, a unique feature for a river of its size. This study documents the concentrations of a suite of dissolved and particulate organic and inorganic constituents, which elucidate spatial and temporal variations in chemical weathering (including carbonate weathering in certain areas) as well as organic carbon mobilization, export, and biogeochemical transformation. Radiogenic strontium isotopes are employed as a tracer of sediment provenance based on the wide variation in bedrock age and lithology in the Fraser basin. The influence of sediments derived from the headwaters is detectable at the river mouth, however more downstream sediment sources predominate, particularly during high discharge conditions. Bulk radiocarbon analyses are used to quantify terrestrial storage timescales of organic carbon and distinguish between petrogenic and biospheric organic carbon, which is critical to assessing the role of rivers in long-term atmospheric CO2 consumption. The estimated terrestrial residence time of biospheric organic carbon in the Fraser basin is 650 years, which is relatively short compared to other larger rivers (Amazon, Ganges-Brahmaputra) in which this assessment has been performed, and is likely related to the limited floodplain storage capacity and non-steady-state post-glacial erosion state of the Fraser River. A large portion of the dissolved inorganic carbon load of the Fraser River (>80%) is estimated to derive from remineralization of dissolved organic carbon, particularly during the annual spring freshet when organic carbon concentrations increase rapidly. This thesis establishes a baseline for carbon cycling in a largely unperturbed modern mid-latitude river system and establishes a framework for future process studies on the mechanisms of organic carbon turnover and organic matter-mineral associations in river systems.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Voss, Britta Marie"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Joint Program in Chemical Oceanography","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Bernhard Peucker and Timothy I. Eglinton."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014","date_published":"2014","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:19Z","subjects":["Joint Program in Chemical Oceanography.","Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.","Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution."],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."],"rights_urls":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/95521","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Bernhard Peucker and Timothy I. Eglinton."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Joint Program in Chemical Oceanography","Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.","Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.","Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.other","label":"Dc Contributor Other","values":["Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Voss, Britta Marie"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2015-02-25T16:43:23Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2015-02-25T16:43:23Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2014"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Joint Program in Chemical Oceanography.","Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.","Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution."]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/95521"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Thesis: Ph. D., Joint Program in Chemical Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2014.","This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.","Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The great geologic and climatic diversity of the Fraser River basin in southwestern Canada render it an excellent location for understanding biogeochemical cycling of sediments and terrigenous organic carbon in a relatively pristine, large, temperate watershed. Sediments delivered by all tributaries have the potential to reach the ocean due to a lack of main stem lakes or impoundments, a unique feature for a river of its size. This study documents the concentrations of a suite of dissolved and particulate organic and inorganic constituents, which elucidate spatial and temporal variations in chemical weathering (including carbonate weathering in certain areas) as well as organic carbon mobilization, export, and biogeochemical transformation. Radiogenic strontium isotopes are employed as a tracer of sediment provenance based on the wide variation in bedrock age and lithology in the Fraser basin. The influence of sediments derived from the headwaters is detectable at the river mouth, however more downstream sediment sources predominate, particularly during high discharge conditions. Bulk radiocarbon analyses are used to quantify terrestrial storage timescales of organic carbon and distinguish between petrogenic and biospheric organic carbon, which is critical to assessing the role of rivers in long-term atmospheric CO2 consumption. The estimated terrestrial residence time of biospheric organic carbon in the Fraser basin is 650 years, which is relatively short compared to other larger rivers (Amazon, Ganges-Brahmaputra) in which this assessment has been performed, and is likely related to the limited floodplain storage capacity and non-steady-state post-glacial erosion state of the Fraser River. A large portion of the dissolved inorganic carbon load of the Fraser River (>80%) is estimated to derive from remineralization of dissolved organic carbon, particularly during the annual spring freshet when organic carbon concentrations increase rapidly. This thesis establishes a baseline for carbon cycling in a largely unperturbed modern mid-latitude river system and establishes a framework for future process studies on the mechanisms of organic carbon turnover and organic matter-mineral associations in river systems."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Ph. D."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Spatial and temporal dynamics of biogeochemical processes in the Fraser River, Canada : a coupled organic-inorganic perspective"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Bernhard Peucker and Timothy I. Eglinton."],"dc:contributor.department":["Joint Program in Chemical Oceanography","Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.","Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.","Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences"],"dc:contributor.other":["Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution."],"dc:creator":["Voss, Britta Marie"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2015-02-25T16:43:23Z"],"dc:date.available":["2015-02-25T16:43:23Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2014"],"dc:description":["Thesis: Ph. D., Joint Program in Chemical Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2014.","This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.","Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references."],"dc:description.abstract":["The great geologic and climatic diversity of the Fraser River basin in southwestern Canada render it an excellent location for understanding biogeochemical cycling of sediments and terrigenous organic carbon in a relatively pristine, large, temperate watershed. Sediments delivered by all tributaries have the potential to reach the ocean due to a lack of main stem lakes or impoundments, a unique feature for a river of its size. This study documents the concentrations of a suite of dissolved and particulate organic and inorganic constituents, which elucidate spatial and temporal variations in chemical weathering (including carbonate weathering in certain areas) as well as organic carbon mobilization, export, and biogeochemical transformation. Radiogenic strontium isotopes are employed as a tracer of sediment provenance based on the wide variation in bedrock age and lithology in the Fraser basin. The influence of sediments derived from the headwaters is detectable at the river mouth, however more downstream sediment sources predominate, particularly during high discharge conditions. Bulk radiocarbon analyses are used to quantify terrestrial storage timescales of organic carbon and distinguish between petrogenic and biospheric organic carbon, which is critical to assessing the role of rivers in long-term atmospheric CO2 consumption. The estimated terrestrial residence time of biospheric organic carbon in the Fraser basin is 650 years, which is relatively short compared to other larger rivers (Amazon, Ganges-Brahmaputra) in which this assessment has been performed, and is likely related to the limited floodplain storage capacity and non-steady-state post-glacial erosion state of the Fraser River. A large portion of the dissolved inorganic carbon load of the Fraser River (>80%) is estimated to derive from remineralization of dissolved organic carbon, particularly during the annual spring freshet when organic carbon concentrations increase rapidly. This thesis establishes a baseline for carbon cycling in a largely unperturbed modern mid-latitude river system and establishes a framework for future process studies on the mechanisms of organic carbon turnover and organic matter-mineral associations in river systems."],"dc:description.degree":["Ph. D."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/95521"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."],"dc:rights.uri":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"dc:subject":["Joint Program in Chemical Oceanography.","Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.","Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution."],"dc:title":["Spatial and temporal dynamics of biogeochemical processes in the Fraser River, Canada : a coupled organic-inorganic perspective"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:19Z"}