Controls, contribution, and consequences of submarine groundwater discharge in the global ocean

Submarine groundwater discharge is a weakly constrained and often overlooked flow to the sea. It can consist of terrestrial freshwater and recirculated seawater. While its contributions to coastal ecosystems at the local scale have been documented at several locations, wider implications to marine chemistry are still very unconstrained. After explaining the process itself, I will outline controls on submarine groundwater discharge, provide estimates of its contributions to marine chemical budgets and show examples of its consequences for marine ecosystems at the local scale. The aim of the talk will be to to foster interdisciplinary discussion on the significance of groundwater–ocean interactions in shaping coastal and open-ocean processes.