The dataset includes processed flow discharge data from Neu Darchau gauging station (Elbe-km 536.4) that provided hydrological information for calculating alkalinity transport potential. The monthly sums were calculated from daily mean discharge measurements from Neu Darchau (station number: 6340110) available from the Global Runoff Data Centre (https://grdc.bafg.de/).
This dataset provides carbonate chemistry and hydrological measurements supporting the analysis of the stability of alkalinity and carbon transport potential in the Elbe Estuary, northern Germany. It includes (1) results from laboratory incubation experiments using water samples from the Elbe conducted in 2023, (2) historical water chemistry monitoring records from multiple stations, and (3) monthly flow discharge measurements from the Neu Darchau gauging station. Experimental data were collected from the experiments varying salinity and seasonal conditions, and parameters measured include pH, temperature, and total alkalinity. Major ion concentrations (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl-, SO42-) were reconstructed from stoichiometry. The saturation states of calcite and aragonite, as well as pCO2, were calculated using the phreeqpython geochemical package. Historical data, covering carbonate chemistry and major ions at several stations and over multiple years, were collected from digitized sources and FGG Elbe. Together, this dataset facilitates the investigation of long-term trends in the carbonate system and carbon transport in the land ocean transition zone of the Elbe River.
Long-term water-chemistry measurements from multiple Elbe River monitoring stations establish a baseline for carbonate-system variability and were used to assess the alkalinity transport potential. The dataset from 1959 to 1977 was digitized from handwritten notes provided by Dr. Mewius (Kempe 1982). The water chemistry data from 1984 to 2017 (e.g., pH, water temperature, and major ions) was obtained from the Fachinformationssystem (FIS) der FGG Elbe (data source: www.fgg-elbe.de, accessed on 2021-02-26).To generate a single river chemistry time series, data from (Zollenspieker (Strom-km 598,7), Geesthacht (Strom-km 585,9), Schnackenburg (Strom-km 474,5), Boizenburg (Strom-km 559,0), Doemitz (Strom-km 505,0), and Hamburg Waterworks (Strom-km ~623,1) were used. Saturation state of calcite and aragonite were calculated using phreeqpython, a Python wrapper of the PhreeqC engine (Vitens 2021) with pH, water temperature, total alkalinity, and major ions as major input, and phreeqc.dat as database for the thermodynamic data (Parkhurst and Appelo 2013).
This dataset comprises key carbonate chemistry parameters measured and calculated in incubation experiments under different experimental conditions. pH, water temperature, and salinity were measured with a WTW multimeter (MultiLine® Multi 3630 IDS). Total alkalinity was determined by open-cell titration with an 888 Titrando (Metrohm). Saturation state of calcite and aragonite were calculated using phreeqpython, a Python wrapper of the PhreeqC engine (Vitens 2021) with pH, water temperature, total alkalinity, and major ions as major input, and phreeqc.dat as database for the thermodynamic data (Parkhurst and Appelo 2013). As the original Elbe water was supersaturated with carbon dioxide (CO2) with respect to the atmosphere, its partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) level decreased during the incubation period with open flasks, which caused an adjustment of calcite saturation state (ΩC) for ambient air conditions. To adapt for the impact of pCO2 variations during the experiment, saturation state of calcite and aragonite was calculated assuming an equilibrium with an atmospheric pCO2 of 415 ppm (normalized ΩC and normalized aragonite sautration state ΩA). Since ion concentrations were measured for only a small number of samples, the ion concentrations of the remaining samples were reconstructed using stoichiometry based on the initial solution composition and total alkalinity. The concentrations of conservative ions (Na+, K+, Cl-, SO42-) were assumed remain constant, while ions related to carbonate precipitation (Ca2+, Mg2+) were calculated based on changes in measured alkalinity (see Figure 5 of the associated paper). Detailed analysis and calculation procedures are described in the Method section of the associated paper.