scholarly journals Temperature controls production but hydrology controls export of dissolved organic carbon at the catchment scale

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hang Wen ◽  
Julia Perdrial ◽  
Susana Bernal ◽  
Benjamin W. Abbott ◽  
Rémi Dupas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Flow Regime ◽  
Production Rate ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Seasonal Temperature ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Doc Export ◽  
Doc Production

Abstract. Lateral carbon flux through river networks is an important and poorly-understood component of the global carbon budget. This work investigates how temperature and hydrology control the production and export of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory in Pennsylvania, USA. We applied the catchment-scale hydro-biogeochemical reactive transport model BioRT-Flux-PIHM to simulate the DOC dynamics. We estimated the daily DOC production rate (Rp; the sum of local DOC production rates in individual modeling grid cell) and the daily DOC export rate (Re; the product of concentration and discharge at the stream outlet) to downstream ecosystems. Simulations showed that Rp varied by less than an order of magnitude and primarily hinged on seasonal temperature change. In contrast, Re varied by more than three orders of magnitude with a strong dependence on discharge and hydrological connectivity. During summer, high temperatures led to high atmospheric water demand (and evapotranspiration) that dried and disconnected hillslope to stream. Rp reached its maximum but Re was at its minimum. The stream only exported DOC from the organic-poor groundwater and from soil water in the narrow organic-rich swales with enriched DOC such that DOC accumulated in the catchment. During the wet period (winter and spring), Rp reached its minimum but Re peaked because the stream was re-connected to a greater uphill area, flushing out the stored DOC. The model reproduced the observed concentration discharge (C–Q) relationship characterized by a flushing-dilution pattern with a rise in concentrations to a maximum (flushing) at a threshold discharge and then followed a general dilution with concentrations decreasing with discharge. This pattern was explained by the comparable contribution of organic-poor deeper groundwater and soil water from organic-rich swales at the minimum flow, maximized percentage contribution of soil water from organic-rich swales at the low flow regime, and increased contribution of uphill soil water interflow from uphill with less DOC at the high flow regime. This pattern persisted regardless of DOC production rate as long as the contribution of deeper groundwater flow remained low ( 18 %, the flushing-dilution C–Q pattern shifted towards a flushing-only pattern with DOC concentrations increasing with discharge. This study illustrates the temporal asynchrony of DOC production, mostly controlled by temperature, and DOC export, primarily governed by hydrological flow paths at the catchment scale. The occurrence of warmer and more extreme hydrological events in the future could accentuate this asynchrony, with major lateral export of DOC dominated by a few major storm events whereas DOC is produced and stored in the catchment in the prolonged drought periods.

scholarly journals Temperature controls production but hydrology regulates export of dissolved organic carbon at the catchment scale

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 945-966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hang Wen ◽  
Julia Perdrial ◽  
Benjamin W. Abbott ◽  
Susana Bernal ◽  
Rémi Dupas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Groundwater Flow ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Reactive Transport ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
High Discharge ◽  
Doc Production ◽  
Doc Concentration

Abstract. Lateral carbon flux through river networks is an important and poorly understood component of the global carbon budget. This work investigates how temperature and hydrology control the production and export of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory in Pennsylvania, USA. Using field measurements of daily stream discharge, evapotranspiration, and stream DOC concentration, we calibrated the catchment-scale biogeochemical reactive transport model BioRT-Flux-PIHM (Biogeochemical Reactive Transport–Flux–Penn State Integrated Hydrologic Model, BFP), which met the satisfactory standard of a Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) value greater than 0.5. We used the calibrated model to estimate and compare the daily DOC production rates (Rp; the sum of the local DOC production rates in individual grid cells) and export rate (Re; the product of the concentration and discharge at the stream outlet, or load). Results showed that daily Rp varied by less than an order of magnitude, primarily depending on seasonal temperature. In contrast, daily Re varied by more than 3 orders of magnitude and was strongly associated with variation in discharge and hydrological connectivity. In summer, high temperature and evapotranspiration dried and disconnected hillslopes from the stream, driving Rp to its maximum but Re to its minimum. During this period, the stream only exported DOC from the organic-poor groundwater and from organic-rich soil water in the swales bordering the stream. The DOC produced accumulated in hillslopes and was later flushed out during the wet and cold period (winter and spring) when Re peaked as the stream reconnected with uphill and Rp reached its minimum. The model reproduced the observed concentration–discharge (C–Q) relationship characterized by an unusual flushing–dilution pattern with maximum concentrations at intermediate discharge, indicating three end-members of source waters. A sensitivity analysis indicated that this nonlinearity was caused by shifts in the relative contribution of different source waters to the stream under different flow conditions. At low discharge, stream water reflected the chemistry of organic-poor groundwater; at intermediate discharge, stream water was dominated by the organic-rich soil water from swales; at high discharge, the stream reflected uphill soil water with an intermediate DOC concentration. This pattern persisted regardless of the DOC production rate as long as the contribution of deeper groundwater flow remained low (<18 % of the streamflow). When groundwater flow increased above 18 %, comparable amounts of groundwater and swale soil water mixed in the stream and masked the high DOC concentration from swales. In that case, the C–Q patterns switched to a flushing-only pattern with increasing DOC concentration at high discharge. These results depict a conceptual model that the catchment serves as a producer and storage reservoir for DOC under hot and dry conditions and transitions into a DOC exporter under wet and cold conditions. This study also illustrates how different controls on DOC production and export – temperature and hydrological flow paths, respectively – can create temporal asynchrony at the catchment scale. Future warming and increasing hydrological extremes could accentuate this asynchrony, with DOC production occurring primarily during dry periods and lateral export of DOC dominating in major storm events.

scholarly journals An integrated Dissolved Organic Carbon Dynamics Model (DOCDM 1.0): model development and a case study in the Alaskan Yukon River Basin

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 10411-10454 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Lu ◽  
Q. Zhuang
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Carbon Dynamics ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Dynamics Model ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Doc Export ◽  
Doc Production

Abstract. Quantitative understanding of the variation in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is important to studying the terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycle. This study presents a process-based, dissolved organic carbon dynamics model (DOCDM 1.0) that couples the soil heat conduction, water flow, DOC production, mineralization and transport in both surface and subsurface of soil profile to quantify DOC dynamics in boreal terrestrial ecosystems. The model is first evaluated and then applied for a watershed in Alaska to investigate its DOC production and transport. We find that 42 and 27 % of precipitation infiltrates to soils in 2004, a warmer year, and in 1976, a colder year, respectively. Under warming conditions, DOC transported via overland flow does not show the expected decrease trend while the overland DOC yield shows a 4 % increase. The horizontal subsurface flow only accounts for 1–2 % of total water flux, but transports 30–50 % of DOC into rivers. Water flush due to water infiltration controls DOC transport. Snowmelt plays a noticeable role in DOC flush-out and DOC transport significantly depends on flowpaths in the study region. High soil temperature stimulates DOC production. The overland DOC export does not necessarily follow the DOC downward trend in surface water transport. Overall, this study shows that DOC export behavior is complex under changing temperature and hydrological conditions in cold-region watersheds. To adequately quantify DOC dynamics in northern high latitudes, more DOC and hydrological data are needed to better parameterize and test the developed model before extrapolating it to the region.

scholarly journals Regulation of stream water dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations during snowmelt; the role of discharge, winter climate and memory effects

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 2901-2913 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Ågren ◽  
M. Haei ◽  
S. J. Köhler ◽  
K. Bishop ◽  
H. Laudon
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Memory Effects ◽  
Winter Climate ◽  
Snowmelt Period ◽  
Doc Export

Abstract. Using a 15 year stream record from a northern boreal catchment, we demonstrate that the inter-annual variation in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations during snowmelt was related to discharge, winter climate and previous DOC export. A short and intense snowmelt gave higher stream water DOC concentrations, as did long winters, while a high previous DOC export during the antecedent summer and autumn resulted in lower concentrations during the following spring. By removing the effect of discharge we could detect that the length of winter affected the modeled soil water DOC concentrations during the following snowmelt period, which in turn affected the concentrations in the stream. Winter climate explained more of the stream water DOC variations than previous DOC export during the antecedent summer and autumn.

scholarly journals Landscape controls on riverine export of dissolved organic carbon from Great Britain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Williamson ◽  
Andrew Tye ◽  
Dan J. Lapworth ◽  
Don Monteith ◽  
Richard Sanders ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
River Systems ◽  
C Cycle ◽  
Global Land ◽  
Doc Export

AbstractThe dissolved organic carbon (DOC) export from land to ocean via rivers is a significant term in the global C cycle, and has been modified in many areas by human activity. DOC exports from large global rivers are fairly well quantified, but those from smaller river systems, including those draining oceanic regions, are generally under-represented in global syntheses. Given that these regions typically have high runoff and high peat cover, they may exert a disproportionate influence on the global land–ocean DOC export. Here we describe a comprehensive new assessment of the annual riverine DOC export to estuaries across the island of Great Britain (GB), which spans the latitude range 50–60° N with strong spatial gradients of topography, soils, rainfall, land use and population density. DOC yields (export per unit area) were positively related to and best predicted by rainfall, peat extent and forest cover, but relatively insensitive to population density or agricultural development. Based on an empirical relationship with land use and rainfall we estimate that the DOC export from the GB land area to the freshwater-seawater interface was 1.15 Tg C year−1 in 2017. The average yield for GB rivers is 5.04 g C m−2 year−1, higher than most of the world’s major rivers, including those of the humid tropics and Arctic, supporting the conclusion that under-representation of smaller river systems draining peat-rich areas could lead to under-estimation of the global land–ocean DOC export. The main anthropogenic factor influencing the spatial distribution of GB DOC exports appears to be upland conifer plantation forestry, which is estimated to have raised the overall DOC export by 0.168 Tg C year−1. This is equivalent to 15% of the estimated current rate of net CO2 uptake by British forests. With the UK and many other countries seeking to expand plantation forest cover for climate change mitigation, this ‘leak in the ecosystem’ should be incorporated in future assessments of the CO2 sequestration potential of forest planting strategies.

scholarly journals Fine-scale temporal characterization of trends in soil water dissolved organic carbon and potential drivers

2016 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. 36-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Sawicka ◽  
D.T. Monteith ◽  
E.I. Vanguelova ◽  
A.J. Wade ◽  
J.M. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Fine Scale

Application of Dissolved Organic Carbon Runoff Model Considering Soil Infiltration and River Runoff Processes in Multiple Forested Watersheds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazunori Ebata ◽  
Yutaka Ichikawa ◽  
Hiroshi Ishidaira ◽  
Yoshitaka Matsumoto ◽  
Kei Nishida
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Subsurface Water ◽  
Short Time Scale ◽  
Seasonal Temperature ◽  
Soil System ◽  
System A ◽  
Monsoon Area ◽  
Doc Load

&lt;p&gt;Estimation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) runoff load in forested watershed is important for the assessment of the global carbon cycle as well as for the control of regional water environments. A few process-based models have been proposed to estimate the DOC load to water environments, which assume DOC source in topsoil and transport processes to the river, however, these models exhibited difficulties with the availability of input data and applicability to short time-scale rainfall-runoff processes in the Asian monsoon area. This study presents a new process-based model that consists of two separate systems for determining DOC load enforced by DOC Source Area (DSA) concept. For the runoff system, a semi-distributed hydrological modelling unit (&amp;#8216;modified-TOPMODEL&amp;#8217;) was installed, by which surface and subsurface water flows, representing for DSA, were sequentially simulated. For the soil system, a wet-dry cycle was successfully simulated by an advection-diffusion and dissolution formulation as well as seasonal temperature effect. The model is first evaluated upstream (98ha) and downstream (1798ha) in the Mizugaki Watershed, Yamanashi, Japan and then applied for a Miuchi (203ha) watershed, Aichi, Japan during 2014 to 2018. The results of cumulative DOC load at baseflow and stormflow periods that the model performed well between the simulations and observations for both study sites. Considering the stormflow periods, from 25.2% to 32.0%, and 31.1% of high flows contributed to 50% of the total DOC load at Mizugaki and Miuchi watershed, respectively. Overall, the proposed model successfully simulated DOC load under different geochemical and hydrological condition by capturing the DSA variability.&lt;/p&gt;

Elucidating sources and pathways of dissolved organic carbon in a small, forested catchment – A qualitative assessment of stream, soil and shallow groundwater

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Blaurock ◽  
Phil Garthen ◽  
Benjamin S. Gilfedder ◽  
Jan H. Fleckenstein ◽  
Stefan Peiffer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Riparian Zone ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Drinking Water Treatment ◽  
Base Flow ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Fluorescence Characteristics

&lt;p&gt;Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) constitutes the biggest portion of carbon that is exported from soils. During the last decades, widespread increases in DOC concentrations of surface waters have been observed, affecting ecosystem functioning and drinking water treatment. However, the hydrological controls on DOC mobilization are still not completely understood.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We sampled two different topographical positions within a headwater catchment in the Bavarian Forest National Park: at a steep hillslope (880 m.a.s.l.) and in a flat and wide riparian zone (770 m.a.s.l.). By using piezometers, pore water samplers (peepers) and in-stream spectrometric devices we measured DOC concentrations as well as DOC absorbance (A&lt;sub&gt;254&lt;/sub&gt;/A&lt;sub&gt;365&lt;/sub&gt; and SUVA&lt;sub&gt;254&lt;/sub&gt;) and fluorescence characteristics (fluorescence and freshness indices) in soil water, shallow ground water and stream water in order to gain insights into the DOC source areas during base-flow and during precipitation events.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;High DOC concentrations (up to 80 mg L&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;) were found in soil water from cascading sequences of small ponds in the flat downstream part of the catchment that fill up temporarily. The increase of in-stream DOC concentrations during events was accompanied by changing DOC characteristics at both locations, for example increasing freshness index values. As the freshness index values were approaching the values found in the DOC-rich ponds in the riparian zone, these ponds seem to be important DOC sources during events. Our preliminary results point to a change of flow pathways during events.&lt;/p&gt;

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