Articles | Volume 22, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1369-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1369-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
12 Mar 2025
Research article |
| 12 Mar 2025
| 12 Mar 2025
Shifts in organic matter character and microbial assemblages from glacial headwaters to downstream reaches in the Canadian Rocky Mountains
Hayley F. Drapeau
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2R3, Canada
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2R3, Canada
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2R3, Canada
Maria A. Cavaco
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2R3, Canada
Jessica A. Serbu
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2R3, Canada
Vincent L. St. Louis
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2R3, Canada
Maya P. Bhatia
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2R3, Canada
deceased
Related authors
No articles found.
Liam Heffernan, Maria A. Cavaco, Maya P. Bhatia, Cristian Estop-Aragonés, Klaus-Holger Knorr, and David Olefeldt
Biogeosciences, 19, 3051–3071, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3051-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3051-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Permafrost thaw in peatlands leads to waterlogged conditions, a favourable environment for microbes producing methane (CH4) and high CH4 emissions. High CH4 emissions in the initial decades following thaw are due to a vegetation community that produces suitable organic matter to fuel CH4-producing microbes, along with warm and wet conditions. High CH4 emissions after thaw persist for up to 100 years, after which environmental conditions are less favourable for microbes and high CH4 emissions.
Sarah Shakil, Suzanne E. Tank, Jorien E. Vonk, and Scott Zolkos
Biogeosciences, 19, 1871–1890, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1871-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1871-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Permafrost thaw-driven landslides in the western Arctic are increasing organic carbon delivered to headwaters of drainage networks in the western Canadian Arctic by orders of magnitude. Through a series of laboratory experiments, we show that less than 10 % of this organic carbon is likely to be mineralized to greenhouse gases during transport in these networks. Rather most of the organic carbon is likely destined for burial and sequestration for centuries to millennia.
David Olefeldt, Mikael Hovemyr, McKenzie A. Kuhn, David Bastviken, Theodore J. Bohn, John Connolly, Patrick Crill, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Sarah A. Finkelstein, Hélène Genet, Guido Grosse, Lorna I. Harris, Liam Heffernan, Manuel Helbig, Gustaf Hugelius, Ryan Hutchins, Sari Juutinen, Mark J. Lara, Avni Malhotra, Kristen Manies, A. David McGuire, Susan M. Natali, Jonathan A. O'Donnell, Frans-Jan W. Parmentier, Aleksi Räsänen, Christina Schädel, Oliver Sonnentag, Maria Strack, Suzanne E. Tank, Claire Treat, Ruth K. Varner, Tarmo Virtanen, Rebecca K. Warren, and Jennifer D. Watts
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 5127–5149, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5127-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5127-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Wetlands, lakes, and rivers are important sources of the greenhouse gas methane to the atmosphere. To understand current and future methane emissions from northern regions, we need maps that show the extent and distribution of specific types of wetlands, lakes, and rivers. The Boreal–Arctic Wetland and Lake Dataset (BAWLD) provides maps of five wetland types, seven lake types, and three river types for northern regions and will improve our ability to predict future methane emissions.
Steven V. Kokelj, Justin Kokoszka, Jurjen van der Sluijs, Ashley C. A. Rudy, Jon Tunnicliffe, Sarah Shakil, Suzanne E. Tank, and Scott Zolkos
The Cryosphere, 15, 3059–3081, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3059-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3059-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Climate-driven landslides are transforming glacially conditioned permafrost terrain, coupling slopes with aquatic systems, and triggering a cascade of downstream effects. Nonlinear intensification of thawing slopes is primarily affecting headwater systems where slope sediment yields overwhelm stream transport capacity. The propagation of effects across watershed scales indicates that western Arctic Canada will be an interconnected hotspot of thaw-driven change through the coming millennia.
Kyra A. St. Pierre, Brian P. V. Hunt, Suzanne E. Tank, Ian Giesbrecht, Maartje C. Korver, William C. Floyd, Allison A. Oliver, and Kenneth P. Lertzman
Biogeosciences, 18, 3029–3052, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3029-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3029-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Using 4 years of paired freshwater and marine water chemistry from the Central Coast of British Columbia (Canada), we show that coastal temperate rainforest streams are sources of organic nitrogen, iron, and carbon to the Pacific Ocean but not the inorganic nutrients easily used by marine phytoplankton. This distinction may have important implications for coastal food webs and highlights the need to sample all nutrients in fresh and marine waters year-round to fully understand coastal dynamics.
Scott Zolkos, Suzanne E. Tank, Robert G. Striegl, Steven V. Kokelj, Justin Kokoszka, Cristian Estop-Aragonés, and David Olefeldt
Biogeosciences, 17, 5163–5182, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5163-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5163-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
High-latitude warming thaws permafrost, exposing minerals to weathering and fluvial transport. We studied the effects of abrupt thaw and associated weathering on carbon cycling in western Canada. Permafrost collapse affected < 1 % of the landscape yet enabled carbonate weathering associated with CO2 degassing in headwaters and increased bicarbonate export across watershed scales. Weathering may become a driver of carbon cycling in ice- and mineral-rich permafrost terrain across the Arctic.
Katheryn Burd, Suzanne E. Tank, Nicole Dion, William L. Quinton, Christopher Spence, Andrew J. Tanentzap, and David Olefeldt
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 4455–4472, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4455-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4455-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
In this study we investigated whether climate change and wildfires are likely to alter water quality of streams in western boreal Canada, a region that contains large permafrost-affected peatlands. We monitored stream discharge and water quality from early snowmelt to fall in two streams, one of which drained a recently burned landscape. Wildfire increased the stream delivery of phosphorous and possibly increased the release of old natural organic matter previously stored in permafrost soils.
Cara A. Littlefair, Suzanne E. Tank, and Steven V. Kokelj
Biogeosciences, 14, 5487–5505, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5487-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5487-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This study is the first to examine how permafrost slumping affects dissolved organic carbon (DOC) mobilization in landscapes dominated by glacial tills. Unlike in previous studies, we find that slumping is associated with decreased DOC concentrations in downstream systems – an effect that appears to occur via adsorption to fine-grained sediments. This work adds significantly to our understanding of varying effects of permafrost thaw on organic carbon mobilization across diverse Arctic regions.
Allison A. Oliver, Suzanne E. Tank, Ian Giesbrecht, Maartje C. Korver, William C. Floyd, Paul Sanborn, Chuck Bulmer, and Ken P. Lertzman
Biogeosciences, 14, 3743–3762, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3743-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3743-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Rivers draining small watersheds of the outer coastal Pacific temperate rainforest export some of the highest yields of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the world directly to the ocean. This DOC is largely derived from soils and terrestrial plants. Rainfall, temperature, and watershed characteristics such as wetlands and lakes are important controls on DOC export. This region may be significant for carbon export and linking terrestrial carbon to marine ecosystems.
J. E. Vonk, S. E. Tank, W. B. Bowden, I. Laurion, W. F. Vincent, P. Alekseychik, M. Amyot, M. F. Billet, J. Canário, R. M. Cory, B. N. Deshpande, M. Helbig, M. Jammet, J. Karlsson, J. Larouche, G. MacMillan, M. Rautio, K. M. Walter Anthony, and K. P. Wickland
Biogeosciences, 12, 7129–7167, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-7129-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-7129-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
In this review, we give an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding how permafrost thaw affects aquatic systems. We describe the general impacts of thaw on aquatic ecosystems, pathways of organic matter and contaminant release and degradation, resulting emissions and burial, and effects on ecosystem structure and functioning. We conclude with an overview of potential climate effects and recommendations for future research.
J. E. Vonk, S. E. Tank, P. J. Mann, R. G. M. Spencer, C. C. Treat, R. G. Striegl, B. W. Abbott, and K. P. Wickland
Biogeosciences, 12, 6915–6930, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-6915-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-6915-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We found that dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in arctic soils and aquatic systems is increasingly degradable with increasing permafrost extent. Also, DOC seems less degradable when moving down the fluvial network in continuous permafrost regions, i.e. from streams to large rivers, suggesting that highly bioavailable DOC is lost in headwater streams. We also recommend a standardized DOC incubation protocol to facilitate future comparison on processing and transport of DOC in a changing Arctic.
Related subject area
Biogeochemistry: Rivers & Streams
Molecular-level characterization of supraglacial dissolved and water-extractable organic matter along a hydrological flow path in a Greenland Ice Sheet micro-catchment
Seasonal and spatial pattern of dissolved organic matter biodegradation and photodegradation in boreal humic waters
The role of nitrogen and iron biogeochemical cycles in the production and export of dissolved organic matter in agricultural headwater catchments
From Iron Curtain to green belt: shift from heterotrophic to autotrophic nitrogen retention in the Elbe River over 35 years of passive restoration
The influence of burn severity on dissolved organic carbon concentrations across a stream network differs based on seasonal wetness conditions
Temporal dynamics and environmental controls of carbon dioxide and methane fluxes measured by the eddy covariance method over a boreal river
Seasonal particulate organic carbon dynamics of the Kolyma River tributaries, Siberia
Geomorphologic controls and anthropogenic impacts on dissolved organic carbon from mountainous rivers: insights from optical properties and carbon isotopes
Alkalinity generation from carbonate weathering in a silicate-dominated headwater catchment at Iskorasfjellet, northern Norway
Physical and stoichiometric controls on stream respiration in a headwater stream
Local processes with a global impact: unraveling the dynamics of gas evasion in a step-and-pool configuration
Complex dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the roof of the world – Tibetan DOM molecular characteristics indicate sources, land use effects, and processing along the fluvial–limnic continuum
Maximum respiration rates in hyporheic zone sediments are primarily constrained by organic carbon concentration and secondarily by organic matter chemistry
Glacier loss and vegetation expansion alter organic and inorganic carbon dynamics in high-mountain streams
Particulate organic matter in the Lena River and its delta: from the permafrost catchment to the Arctic Ocean
Stable isotopic evidence for the excess leaching of unprocessed atmospheric nitrate from forested catchments under high nitrogen saturation
Nitrogen isotopes reveal a particulate-matter-driven biogeochemical reactor in a temperate estuary
High-resolution vertical biogeochemical profiles in the hyporheic zone reveal insights into microbial methane cycling
Organic matter transformations are disconnected between surface water and the hyporheic zone
CO2 emissions from peat-draining rivers regulated by water pH
Effects of peatland management on aquatic carbon concentrations and fluxes
Resistance and resilience of stream metabolism to high flow disturbances
Enhanced bioavailability of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in human-disturbed streams in Alpine fluvial networks
Spatial and temporal variability of pCO2 and CO2 emissions from the Dong River in south China
Fluvial carbon dioxide emission from the Lena River basin during the spring flood
Diel patterns in stream nitrate concentration produced by in-stream processes
Complex interactions of in-stream dissolved organic matter and nutrient spiralling unravelled by Bayesian regression analysis
Spatial–temporal variations in riverine carbon strongly influenced by local hydrological events in an alpine catchment
Rapid soil organic carbon decomposition in river systems: effects of the aquatic microbial community and hydrodynamical disturbance
Increased carbon capture by a silicate-treated forested watershed affected by acid deposition
Thermokarst amplifies fluvial inorganic carbon cycling and export across watershed scales on the Peel Plateau, Canada
Temporary and net sinks of atmospheric CO2 due to chemical weathering in subtropical catchment with mixing carbonate and silicate lithology
From canals to the coast: dissolved organic matter and trace metal composition in rivers draining degraded tropical peatlands in Indonesia
Distribution and flux of dissolved iron in the peatland-draining rivers and estuaries of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo
Comparisons of dissolved organic matter and its optical characteristics in small low and high Arctic catchments
High-frequency measurements explain quantity and quality of dissolved organic carbon mobilization in a headwater catchment
Dissolved inorganic nitrogen in a tropical estuary in Malaysia: transport and transformation
Behaviour of Dissolved Phosphorus with the associated nutrients in relation to phytoplankton biomass of the Rajang River-South China Sea continuum
Synchrony in catchment stream colour levels is driven by both local and regional climate
The post-monsoon carbon biogeochemistry of the Hooghly–Sundarbans estuarine system under different levels of anthropogenic impacts
Riverine particulate C and N generated at the permafrost thaw front: case study of western Siberian rivers across a 1700 km latitudinal transect
Geochemistry of the dissolved loads during high-flow season of rivers in the southeastern coastal region of China: anthropogenic impact on chemical weathering and carbon sequestration
CO2 partial pressure and CO2 emission along the lower Red River (Vietnam)
Stable isotopes of nitrate reveal different nitrogen processing mechanisms in streams across a land use gradient during wet and dry periods
Riverine carbon export in the arid to semiarid Wuding River catchment on the Chinese Loess Plateau
Use of argon to measure gas exchange in turbulent mountain streams
Reviews and syntheses: Anthropogenic perturbations to carbon fluxes in Asian river systems – concepts, emerging trends, and research challenges
Shifts in stream hydrochemistry in responses to typhoon and non-typhoon precipitation
QUAL-NET, a high temporal-resolution eutrophication model for large hydrographic networks
Diel fluctuations of viscosity-driven riparian inflow affect streamflow DOC concentration
Eva L. Doting, Ian T. Stevens, Anne M. Kellerman, Pamela E. Rossel, Runa Antony, Amy M. McKenna, Martyn Tranter, Liane G. Benning, Robert G. M. Spencer, Jon R. Hawkings, and Alexandre M. Anesio
Biogeosciences, 22, 41–53, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-41-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-41-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study provides the first evidence for biogeochemical cycling of supraglacial dissolved organic matter (DOM) in meltwater flowing through the porous crust of weathering ice that covers glacier ice surfaces during the melt season. Movement of water through the weathering crust is slow, allowing microbes and solar radiation to alter the DOM in glacial meltwaters. This is important as supraglacial meltwaters deliver DOM to downstream aquatic environments.
Artem V. Chupakov, Natalia V. Neverova, Anna A. Chupakova, Svetlana A. Zabelina, Liudmila S. Shirokova, Taissia Ya. Vorobyeva, and Oleg S. Pokrovsky
Biogeosciences, 21, 5725–5743, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5725-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5725-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In the boreal humic waters of a forest lake and bog, the rate of dissolved organic matter photodegradation is 4 times higher than that of biodegradation. However, given the shallow, light-penetrating layer, the biodegradation provides the largest contribution to CO2 emissions from water surfaces. Trace metals were partially removed (1–10 %) during photodegradation and biodegradation via precipitation of Fe(III) hydroxides after destabilization of organoferric colloids and organic complexes.
Thibault Lambert, Rémi Dupas, and Patrick Durand
Biogeosciences, 21, 4533–4547, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4533-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4533-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates dissolved organic carbon (DOC) export in headwater catchments. Results show small links between DOC, nitrates, and the iron cycle throughout the year, calling into question our current conceptualization of DOC export at the catchment scale. Indeed, this study evidences that the winter period, referred as a non-productive period in our current conceptual model, acts as an active period for DOC production in riparian soils and DOC export toward stream waters.
Alexander Wachholz, James W. Jawitz, and Dietrich Borchardt
Biogeosciences, 21, 3537–3550, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3537-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3537-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Human activities are rivers' main source of nitrogen, causing eutrophication and other hazards. However, rivers can serve as a natural defense mechanism against this by retaining nitrogen. We show that the Elbe River retains more nitrogen during times of high pollution. With improvements in water quality, less nitrogen is retained. We explain this with changed algal and bacterial activities, which correspond to pollution and have many implications for the river and adjacent ecosystems.
Katie A. Wampler, Kevin D. Bladon, and Allison N. Myers-Pigg
Biogeosciences, 21, 3093–3120, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3093-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3093-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Following a high-severity wildfire, we sampled 129 sites during four different times of the year across a stream network to quantify dissolved organic carbon. The results from our study suggested that dissolved organic carbon may decrease with increasing burn severity. They also suggest that landscape characteristics can override wildfire impacts, with the seasonal timing of sampling influencing the observed response of dissolved organic carbon concentrations to wildfire.
Aki Vähä, Timo Vesala, Sofya Guseva, Anders Lindroth, Andreas Lorke, Sally MacIntyre, and Ivan Mammarella
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1644, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1644, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Boreal rivers are significant sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) to the atmosphere but the controls of these emissions are uncertain. We measured four months of CO2 and CH4 exchange between a regulated boreal river and the atmosphere with eddy covariance. We found statistical relationships between the gas exchange and several environmental variables, the most important of which were dissolved CO2 partial pressure in water, wind speed, and water temperature.
Kirsi H. Keskitalo, Lisa Bröder, Tommaso Tesi, Paul J. Mann, Dirk J. Jong, Sergio Bulte Garcia, Anna Davydova, Sergei Davydov, Nikita Zimov, Negar Haghipour, Timothy I. Eglinton, and Jorien E. Vonk
Biogeosciences, 21, 357–379, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-357-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-357-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Permafrost thaw releases organic carbon into waterways. Decomposition of this carbon pool emits greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, enhancing climate warming. We show that Arctic river carbon and water chemistry are different between the spring ice breakup and summer and that primary production is initiated in small Arctic rivers right after ice breakup, in contrast to in large rivers. This may have implications for fluvial carbon dynamics and greenhouse gas uptake and emission balance.
Shuai Chen, Jun Zhong, Lishan Ran, Yuanbi Yi, Wanfa Wang, Zelong Yan, Si-liang Li, and Khan M. G. Mostofa
Biogeosciences, 20, 4949–4967, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4949-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4949-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study found the source of dissolved organic carbon and its optical properties (e.g., aromaticity, humification) are related to human land use and catchment slope in anthropogenically impacted subtropical mountainous rivers. The study highlights that the combination of dual carbon isotopes and optical properties represents a useful tool in tracing the origin of dissolved organic carbon and its in-stream processes.
Nele Lehmann, Hugues Lantuit, Michael Ernst Böttcher, Jens Hartmann, Antje Eulenburg, and Helmuth Thomas
Biogeosciences, 20, 3459–3479, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3459-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3459-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Riverine alkalinity in the silicate-dominated headwater catchment at subarctic Iskorasfjellet, northern Norway, was almost entirely derived from weathering of minor carbonate occurrences in the riparian zone. The uphill catchment appeared limited by insufficient contact time of weathering agents and weatherable material. Further, alkalinity increased with decreasing permafrost extent. Thus, with climate change, alkalinity generation is expected to increase in this permafrost-degrading landscape.
Jancoba Dorley, Joel Singley, Tim Covino, Kamini Singha, Michael Gooseff, David Van Horn, and Ricardo González-Pinzón
Biogeosciences, 20, 3353–3366, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3353-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3353-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We quantified how microbial respiration is controlled by discharge and the supply of C, N, and P in a stream. We ran two rounds of experiments adding a conservative tracer, an indicator of aerobic respiration, and nutrient treatments: a) N, b) N+C, c) N+P, and d) C+N+P. Microbial respiration remained similar between rounds and across nutrient treatments. This suggests that complex interactions between hydrology, resource supply, and biological community drive in-stream respiration.
Paolo Peruzzo, Matteo Cappozzo, Nicola Durighetto, and Gianluca Botter
Biogeosciences, 20, 3261–3271, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3261-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3261-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Small cascades greatly enhance mountain stream gas emissions through the turbulent energy dissipation rate and air bubbles entrained into the water. We numerically studied the local contribution of these mechanisms driving gas transfer velocity used to quantify the outgassing. The gas evasion is primarily due to bubbles concentrated in irregular spots of limited area. Consequently, the gas exchange velocity is scale-dependent and unpredictable, posing concerns about its use in similar scenarios.
Philipp Maurischat, Michael Seidel, Thorsten Dittmar, and Georg Guggenberger
Biogeosciences, 20, 3011–3026, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3011-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3011-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Production and consumption of organic matter (OM) on the Tibetan Plateau are important for this sensitive ecosystem. We investigated the chemical composition of dissolved organic matter and the most mobile fraction of OM in glaciers, wetlands, and groundwater as well as in the rivers and a large terminal lake. Our data show that the sources differ in the molecular composition of OM, that the stream is influenced by agriculture, and that the lake strongly changes the inflowing organic matter.
James C. Stegen, Vanessa A. Garayburu-Caruso, Robert E. Danczak, Amy E. Goldman, Lupita Renteria, Joshua M. Torgeson, and Jacqueline Hager
Biogeosciences, 20, 2857–2867, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2857-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2857-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Chemical reactions in river sediments influence how clean the water is and how much greenhouse gas comes out of a river. Our study investigates why some sediments have higher rates of chemical reactions than others. We find that to achieve high rates, sediments need to have two things: only a few different kinds of molecules, but a lot of them. This result spans about 80 rivers such that it could be a general rule, helpful for predicting the future of rivers and our planet.
Andrew L. Robison, Nicola Deluigi, Camille Rolland, Nicolas Manetti, and Tom Battin
Biogeosciences, 20, 2301–2316, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2301-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2301-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Climate change is affecting mountain ecosystems intensely, including the loss of glaciers and the uphill migration of plants. How these changes will affect the streams draining these landscapes is unclear. We sampled streams across a gradient of glacier and vegetation cover in Switzerland and found glacier loss reduced the carbon dioxide sink from weathering, while vegetation cover increased dissolved organic carbon in the stream. These changes are important to consider for mountains globally.
Olga Ogneva, Gesine Mollenhauer, Bennet Juhls, Tina Sanders, Juri Palmtag, Matthias Fuchs, Hendrik Grotheer, Paul J. Mann, and Jens Strauss
Biogeosciences, 20, 1423–1441, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1423-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1423-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Arctic warming accelerates permafrost thaw and release of terrestrial organic matter (OM) via rivers to the Arctic Ocean. We compared particulate organic carbon (POC), total suspended matter, and C isotopes (δ13C and Δ14C of POC) in the Lena delta and Lena River along a ~1600 km transect. We show that the Lena delta, as an interface between the Lena River and the Arctic Ocean, plays a crucial role in determining the qualitative and quantitative composition of OM discharged into the Arctic Ocean.
Weitian Ding, Urumu Tsunogai, Fumiko Nakagawa, Takashi Sambuichi, Masaaki Chiwa, Tamao Kasahara, and Ken'ichi Shinozuka
Biogeosciences, 20, 753–766, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-753-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-753-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
By monitoring the concentration and Δ17O of stream nitrate in three forested streams, the new nitrogen saturation index of forested catchments (Matm/Datm ratio) was estimated. We found that (1) the unprocessed atmospheric nitrate in our studied forested stream (FK1 catchment) was the highest ever reported in forested streams; (2) the Matm/Datm ratio can be used as a robust index for evaluating nitrogen saturation in forested catchments as the Matm/Datm ratio is independent of the precipitation.
Kirstin Dähnke, Tina Sanders, Yoana Voynova, and Scott D. Wankel
Biogeosciences, 19, 5879–5891, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5879-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5879-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrogen is an important macronutrient that fuels algal production in rivers and coastal regions. We investigated the production and removal of nitrogen-bearing compounds in the freshwater section of the tidal Elbe Estuary and found that particles in the water column are key for the production and removal of water column nitrate. Using a stable isotope approach, we pinpointed regions where additional removal of nitrate or input from sediments plays an important role in estuarine biogeochemistry.
Tamara Michaelis, Anja Wunderlich, Ömer K. Coskun, William Orsi, Thomas Baumann, and Florian Einsiedl
Biogeosciences, 19, 4551–4569, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4551-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4551-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The greenhouse gas methane (CH4) drives climate change. Microorganisms in river sediments produce CH4 when degrading organic matter, but the contribution of rivers to atmospheric CH4 concentrations is uncertain. To better understand riverine CH4 cycling, we measured concentration profiles of CH4 and relevant reactants that might influence the CH4 cycle. We found substantial CH4 production, especially in fine, organic-rich sediments during summer and signs of microbial CH4 consumption.
James C. Stegen, Sarah J. Fansler, Malak M. Tfaily, Vanessa A. Garayburu-Caruso, Amy E. Goldman, Robert E. Danczak, Rosalie K. Chu, Lupita Renteria, Jerry Tagestad, and Jason Toyoda
Biogeosciences, 19, 3099–3110, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3099-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3099-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Rivers are vital to Earth, and in rivers, organic matter (OM) is an energy source for microbes that make greenhouse gas and remove contaminants. Predicting Earth’s future requires understanding how and why river OM is transformed. Our results help meet this need. We found that the processes influencing OM transformations diverge between river water and riverbed sediments. This can be used to build new models for predicting the future of rivers and, in turn, the Earth system.
Alexandra Klemme, Tim Rixen, Denise Müller-Dum, Moritz Müller, Justus Notholt, and Thorsten Warneke
Biogeosciences, 19, 2855–2880, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2855-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2855-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Tropical peat-draining rivers contain high amounts of carbon. Surprisingly, measured carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from those rivers are comparatively moderate. We compiled data from 10 Southeast Asian rivers and found that CO2 production within these rivers is hampered by low water pH, providing a natural threshold for CO2 emissions. Furthermore, we find that enhanced carbonate input, e.g. caused by human activities, suspends this natural threshold and causes increased CO2 emissions.
Amy E. Pickard, Marcella Branagan, Mike F. Billett, Roxane Andersen, and Kerry J. Dinsmore
Biogeosciences, 19, 1321–1334, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1321-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1321-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Peatlands have been subject to a range of land management regimes over the past century. This has affected the amount of carbon that drains into surrounding streams and rivers. In our study, we measured carbon concentrations in streams draining from drained, non-drained, and restored areas of the Flow Country blanket bog in N Scotland. We found that drained peatland had higher concentrations and fluxes of carbon relative to non-drained areas. Restored peatland areas were highly variable.
Brynn O'Donnell and Erin R. Hotchkiss
Biogeosciences, 19, 1111–1134, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1111-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1111-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A stream is defined by flowing water, but higher flow from storms is also a frequent disturbance. This paper tests how higher flow changes stream metabolism (respiration and photosynthesis, R and P). P was less resistant to changes in flow compared to R, and P took longer to recover from storms than R (2.2 versus 0.6 d). Further work on metabolic responses to flow disturbance is critical given projected increases in storms and the influence of higher flows on ecosystem health and functioning.
Thibault Lambert, Pascal Perolo, Nicolas Escoffier, and Marie-Elodie Perga
Biogeosciences, 19, 187–200, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-187-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-187-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The bacterial mineralization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in inland waters contributes to CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. Human activities affect DOM sources. However, the implications on DOM mineralization are poorly known. Combining sampling and incubations, we showed that higher bacterial respiration in agro-urban streams related to a labile pool from aquatic origin. Therefore, human activities may have a limited impact on the net carbon exchanges between inland waters and atmosphere.
Boyi Liu, Mingyang Tian, Kaimin Shih, Chun Ngai Chan, Xiankun Yang, and Lishan Ran
Biogeosciences, 18, 5231–5245, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5231-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5231-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Spatial and temporal patterns of pCO2 in the subtropical Dong River basin were mainly affected by C inputs and in-stream metabolism, both of which varied due to differential catchment settings, land cover, and hydrological conditions. CO2 fluxes in the wet season were 2-fold larger than in the dry season due to high pCO2 and turbulence caused by high flow velocity. The absence of high CO2 fluxes in small rivers could be associated with the depletion effect caused by abundant precipitation.
Sergey N. Vorobyev, Jan Karlsson, Yuri Y. Kolesnichenko, Mikhail A. Korets, and Oleg S. Pokrovsky
Biogeosciences, 18, 4919–4936, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4919-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4919-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In order to quantify riverine carbon (C) exchange with the atmosphere in permafrost regions, we report a first assessment of CO2 and CH4 concentration and fluxes of the largest permafrost-affected river, the Lena River, during the peak of spring flow. The results allowed identification of environmental factors controlling GHG concentrations and emission in the Lena River watershed; this new knowledge can be used for foreseeing future changes in C balance in permafrost-affected Arctic rivers.
Jan Greiwe, Markus Weiler, and Jens Lange
Biogeosciences, 18, 4705–4715, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4705-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4705-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We analyzed variability in diel nitrate patterns at three locations in a lowland stream. Comparison of time lags between monitoring sites with water travel time indicated that diel patterns were created by in-stream processes rather than transported downstream from an upstream point of origin. Most of the patterns (70 %) could be explained by assimilatory nitrate uptake. The remaining patterns suggest seasonally varying dominance and synchronicity of different biochemical processes.
Matthias Pucher, Peter Flödl, Daniel Graeber, Klaus Felsenstein, Thomas Hein, and Gabriele Weigelhofer
Biogeosciences, 18, 3103–3122, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3103-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3103-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Dissolved organic matter is an important carbon source in aquatic ecosystems, yet the uptake processes are not totally understood. We found evidence for the release of degradation products, efficiency loss in the uptake with higher concentrations, stimulating effects, and quality-dependent influences from the benthic zone. To conduct this analysis, we included interactions in the equations of the nutrient spiralling concept and solve it with a Bayesian non-linear fitting algorithm.
Xin Wang, Ting Liu, Liang Wang, Zongguang Liu, Erxiong Zhu, Simin Wang, Yue Cai, Shanshan Zhu, and Xiaojuan Feng
Biogeosciences, 18, 3015–3028, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3015-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3015-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We show a comprehensive monitoring dataset on the discharge and carbon transport in a small alpine river on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, where riverine carbon increased downstream in the pre-monsoon season due to an increasing contribution of organic matter derived from seasonal permafrost thaw while it fluctuated in the monsoon season induced by sporadic precipitation. These results indicate a high sensitivity of riverine carbon in alpine headwater catchments to local hydrological events.
Man Zhao, Liesbet Jacobs, Steven Bouillon, and Gerard Govers
Biogeosciences, 18, 1511–1523, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1511-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1511-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the relative importance of two individual factors (hydrodynamical disturbance and aquatic microbial community) that possibly control SOC decomposition rates in river systems. We found aquatic microbial organisms led to rapid SOC decomposition, while effect of mechanical disturbance is relative minor. We propose a simple conceptual model: hydrodynamic disturbance is only important when soil aggregates are strong enough to withstand the disruptive forces imposed by water immersions.
Lyla L. Taylor, Charles T. Driscoll, Peter M. Groffman, Greg H. Rau, Joel D. Blum, and David J. Beerling
Biogeosciences, 18, 169–188, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-169-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-169-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy involving soil amendments with silicate rock dust. Over 15 years, a small silicate application led to net CDR of 8.5–11.5 t CO2/ha in an acid-rain-impacted New Hampshire forest. We accounted for the total carbon cost of treatment and compared effects with an adjacent, untreated forest. Our results suggest ERW can improve the greenhouse gas balance of similar forests in addition to mitigating acid rain effects.
Scott Zolkos, Suzanne E. Tank, Robert G. Striegl, Steven V. Kokelj, Justin Kokoszka, Cristian Estop-Aragonés, and David Olefeldt
Biogeosciences, 17, 5163–5182, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5163-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5163-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
High-latitude warming thaws permafrost, exposing minerals to weathering and fluvial transport. We studied the effects of abrupt thaw and associated weathering on carbon cycling in western Canada. Permafrost collapse affected < 1 % of the landscape yet enabled carbonate weathering associated with CO2 degassing in headwaters and increased bicarbonate export across watershed scales. Weathering may become a driver of carbon cycling in ice- and mineral-rich permafrost terrain across the Arctic.
Yingjie Cao, Yingxue Xuan, Changyuan Tang, Shuai Guan, and Yisheng Peng
Biogeosciences, 17, 3875–3890, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3875-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3875-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
About half of the global CO2 sequestration due to chemical weathering occurs in warm and high-runoff regions. To evaluate the temporary and net sinks of atmospheric CO2 due to chemical weathering, we selected a typical subtropical catchment as our study area and did fieldwork to sample surface water along the main channel and major tributaries in 1 hydrological year. The result of mass balance calculation showed that human activities dramatically decreased the CO2 net sink.
Laure Gandois, Alison M. Hoyt, Stéphane Mounier, Gaël Le Roux, Charles F. Harvey, Adrien Claustres, Mohammed Nuriman, and Gusti Anshari
Biogeosciences, 17, 1897–1909, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1897-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1897-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Worldwide, peatlands are important sources of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and trace metals (TMs) to surface waters, and these fluxes may increase with peatland degradation. In Southeast Asia, tropical peatlands are being rapidly deforested and drained. This work aims to address the fate of organic carbon and its role as a trace metal carrier in drained peatlands of Indonesia.
Xiaohui Zhang, Moritz Müller, Shan Jiang, Ying Wu, Xunchi Zhu, Aazani Mujahid, Zhuoyi Zhu, Mohd Fakharuddin Muhamad, Edwin Sien Aun Sia, Faddrine Holt Ajon Jang, and Jing Zhang
Biogeosciences, 17, 1805–1819, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1805-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1805-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This study offered detailed information on dFe concentrations, distribution and the magnitude of yield in the Rajang River, the largest river in Malaysia. Three blackwater rivers, draining from peatlands, were also included in our study. Compared with the Rajang River, the dFe concentrations and yield from three blackwater rivers were much higher. The precipitation and agricultural activities, such as palm oil plantations, may markedly increase the concentration dFe in these tropical rivers.
Caroline Coch, Bennet Juhls, Scott F. Lamoureux, Melissa J. Lafrenière, Michael Fritz, Birgit Heim, and Hugues Lantuit
Biogeosciences, 16, 4535–4553, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4535-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4535-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Climate change affects Arctic ecosystems. This includes thawing of permafrost (ground below 0 °C) and an increase in rainfall. Both have substantial impacts on the chemical composition of river water. We compared the composition of small rivers in the low and high Arctic with the large Arctic rivers. In comparison, dissolved organic matter in the small rivers is more susceptible to degradation; thus, it could potentially increase carbon dioxide emissions. Rainfall events have a similar effect.
Benedikt J. Werner, Andreas Musolff, Oliver J. Lechtenfeld, Gerrit H. de Rooij, Marieke R. Oosterwoud, and Jan H. Fleckenstein
Biogeosciences, 16, 4497–4516, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4497-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4497-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Increased dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration in streams can pose a threat to downstream water resources. Analyzing data from an in-stream probe we found that hydroclimatic and hydrological drivers can describe up to 72 % of the observed DOC concentration and composition variability. Variability was found to be highest during discharge events with warm and dry preconditions. The findings suggest an impact of climate change on DOC exports and thus also on downstream water quality.
Shan Jiang, Moritz Müller, Jie Jin, Ying Wu, Kun Zhu, Guosen Zhang, Aazani Mujahid, Tim Rixen, Mohd Fakharuddin Muhamad, Edwin Sien Aun Sia, Faddrine Holt Ajon Jang, and Jing Zhang
Biogeosciences, 16, 2821–2836, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2821-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2821-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Three cruises were conducted in the Rajang River estuary, Malaysia. The results revealed that the decomposition of terrestrial organic matter and the subsequent soil leaching were the main sources of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in the fresh river water. Porewater exchange and ammonification enhanced DIN concentrations in the estuary water, while intensities of DIN addition varied between seasons. The riverine DIN flux could reach 101.5 ton(N) / d, supporting the coastal primary producers.
Edwin Sien Aun Sia, Jing Zhang, Shan Jiang, Zhuoyi Zhu, Gonzalo Carrasco, Faddrine Holt Jang, Aazani Mujahid, and Moritz Müller
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-219, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-219, 2019
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Nutrient loads carried by large rivers and discharged into the continental shelf and coastal waters are vital to support primary production. Our knowledge of tropical river systems is fragmented with very few seasonal studies available for Southeast Asia (SEA). We present data from three sampling campaigns on the longest river in Malaysia, the Rajang river. Our results show the generalization of SEA as a nutrient hotspot might not hold true for all regions and requires further investigation.
Brian C. Doyle, Elvira de Eyto, Mary Dillane, Russell Poole, Valerie McCarthy, Elizabeth Ryder, and Eleanor Jennings
Biogeosciences, 16, 1053–1071, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1053-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1053-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores the drivers of variation in the water colour of rivers, and hence organic carbon export, in a blanket peatland catchment. We used 6 years of weekly river water colour data (2011 to 2016) from three proximate river sub-catchments in western Ireland. in tandem with a range of topographical, hydrological and climate data, to discover the principle environmental drivers controlling changes in colour concentration in the rivers.
Manab Kumar Dutta, Sanjeev Kumar, Rupa Mukherjee, Prasun Sanyal, and Sandip Kumar Mukhopadhyay
Biogeosciences, 16, 289–307, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-289-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-289-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The study focused on understanding C biogeochemistry of two adjacently located estuaries undergoing different levels of anthropogenic stresses. Different parameters related to C cycling were measured in an anthropogenically influenced and a mangrove-dominated estuary. Although the entire estuarine system acted as a source of carbon dioxide to the regional atmosphere, emission approximately 17 times higher was noticed from the anthropogenically affected estuary compared to mangrove-dominated one.
Ivan V. Krickov, Artem G. Lim, Rinat M. Manasypov, Sergey V. Loiko, Liudmila S. Shirokova, Sergey N. Kirpotin, Jan Karlsson, and Oleg S. Pokrovsky
Biogeosciences, 15, 6867–6884, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6867-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6867-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We tested the effect of climate, permafrost and physio-geographical landscape parameters on particulate C, N and P concentrations in small- and medium- sized rivers in the Western Siberian Lowland (WSL). We discovered a maximum of particulate C and N concentrations at the beginning of the permafrost appearance. A northward shift of permafrost boundaries may increase the particulate C and N export by WSL rivers to the Arctic Ocean by a factor of 2.
Wenjing Liu, Zhifang Xu, Huiguo Sun, Tong Zhao, Chao Shi, and Taoze Liu
Biogeosciences, 15, 4955–4971, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4955-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4955-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The southeastern coastal region is the top acid-rain-impacted area in China. It is worth evaluating the acid deposition impacts on chemical weathering and CO2 consumption there. River water geochemistry evidenced an overestimation of CO2 sequestration if H2SO4/HNO3 involvement was ignored, which accounted for 33.6 % of the total flux by silicate weathering in this area. This study quantitatively highlights the anthropogenic acid effects on chemical weathering and associated CO2 consumption.
Thi Phuong Quynh Le, Cyril Marchand, Cuong Tu Ho, Nhu Da Le, Thi Thuy Duong, XiXi Lu, Phuong Kieu Doan, Trung Kien Nguyen, Thi Mai Huong Nguyen, and Duy An Vu
Biogeosciences, 15, 4799–4814, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4799-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4799-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The Red River is a typical south-east Asian river, strongly affected by climate and human activity. This study showed the spatial and seasonal variability of CO2 emissions at the water–air interface of the lower part of this river due to natural conditions (meteo-hydrological-geomorphological characteristics) and human activities (dam impoundment, population, land use). The Red River water was supersaturated with CO2, providing a mean water–air CO2 flux of 530 ± 17 mmol m−2 d−1.
Wei Wen Wong, Jesse Pottage, Fiona Y. Warry, Paul Reich, Keryn L. Roberts, Michael R. Grace, and Perran L. M. Cook
Biogeosciences, 15, 3953–3965, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3953-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3953-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Over-enrichment of nitrate can pose substantial risk to the quality of freshwater ecosystems. Hence, understanding the dynamics of nitrate is the key to better management of waterways. This study evaluates the relationship between the effects of land use and rainfall on the major sources and processing of nitrate within and between five streams in five catchments spanning an agricultural land use gradient. We found that rainfall exerted significant control over the fate of nitrate.
Lishan Ran, Mingyang Tian, Nufang Fang, Suiji Wang, Xixi Lu, Xiankun Yang, and Frankie Cho
Biogeosciences, 15, 3857–3871, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3857-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3857-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We systematically assessed the transport and fate of riverine carbon in the moderate-sized Wuding catchment on the Chinese Loess Plateau by constructing a riverine carbon budget and further relating it to terrestrial ecosystem productivity. The riverine carbon export accounted for 16 % of the catchment's net ecosystem production (NEP). It seems that a significant fraction of terrestrial NEP in this catchment is laterally transported from the terrestrial biosphere to the drainage network.
Robert O. Hall Jr. and Hilary L. Madinger
Biogeosciences, 15, 3085–3092, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3085-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3085-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Streams exchange oxygen with the atmosphere, but this rate is difficult to measure. We added argon to small mountain streams to estimate gas exchange. We compared these rates with sulfur hexafluoride, an intense greenhouse gas. Argon worked well to measure gas exchange, but had higher-than-predicted rates than sulfur hexafluoride. Argon exchange is more likely to represent that for oxygen because they share similar physical properties. We suggest argon to measure gas exchange in small streams.
Ji-Hyung Park, Omme K. Nayna, Most S. Begum, Eliyan Chea, Jens Hartmann, Richard G. Keil, Sanjeev Kumar, Xixi Lu, Lishan Ran, Jeffrey E. Richey, Vedula V. S. S. Sarma, Shafi M. Tareq, Do Thi Xuan, and Ruihong Yu
Biogeosciences, 15, 3049–3069, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3049-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3049-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Human activities are drastically altering water and material flows in river systems across Asia. This review provides a conceptual framework for assessing the human impacts on Asian river C fluxes and an update on anthropogenic alterations of riverine C fluxes, focusing on the impacts of water pollution and river impoundments on CO2 outgassing from the rivers draining South, Southeast, and East Asian regions that account for the largest fraction of river discharge and C exports from Asia.
Chung-Te Chang, Jr-Chuan Huang, Lixin Wang, Yu-Ting Shih, and Teng-Chiu Lin
Biogeosciences, 15, 2379–2391, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2379-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2379-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Our analysis of ion input–output budget illustrates that hydrochemical responses to typhoon storms are distinctly different from those of regular storms. In addition, even mild land use change may have large impacts on nutrient exports/losses. We propose that hydrological models should separate hydrochemical processes into regular and extreme conditions to better capture the whole spectrum of hydrochemical responses to a variety of climate conditions.
Camille Minaudo, Florence Curie, Yann Jullian, Nathalie Gassama, and Florentina Moatar
Biogeosciences, 15, 2251–2269, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2251-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2251-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We developed the model QUALity-NETwork (QUAL-NET) to simulate water quality variations in large drainage networks. This model is accurate enough to represent processes occurring over short periods of time such as storm events and helps to fully understand water quality variations in stream networks in the context of climate change and varying human pressures. It was tested on the Loire River and provided good performances and a new understanding of the functioning of the river.
Michael P. Schwab, Julian Klaus, Laurent Pfister, and Markus Weiler
Biogeosciences, 15, 2177–2188, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2177-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2177-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We studied the diel fluctuations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in a small stream in Luxembourg. We identified an increased proportion of DOC from terrestrial sources as responsible for the peaks in DOC in the afternoon. Warmer water temperatures in the riparian zone in the afternoon increased the amount of water flowing towards the stream. Consequently, an increased amount of DOC-rich water from the riparian zone was entering the stream.
Cited articles
Anderson, S. and Radić, V.: Identification of local water resource vulnerability to rapid deglaciation in Alberta, Nat. Clim. Change, 10, 933–938, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0863-4, 2020.
Anesio, A. M., Lutz, S., Chrismas, N. A. M., and Benning, L. G.: The microbiome of glaciers and ice sheets, npj Biofilms Microbiomes, 3, 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-017-0019-0, 2017.
Arendt, C. A.: The Hydrologic Evolution of Glacial Meltwater: Insights and Implications from Alpine and Arctic Glaciers, PhD thesis, University of Michigan, 176 pp., 2015.
Arendt, C. A., Stevenson, E. I., and Aciego, S. M.: Hydrologic controls on radiogenic Sr in meltwater from an alpine glacier system: Athabasca Glacier, Canada, Appl. Geochem., 69, 42–49, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2016.04.002, 2016.
Aubry-Wake, C., Bertoncini, A., and Pomeroy, J. W.: Fire and Ice: The Impact of Wildfire-Affected Albedo and Irradiance on Glacier Melt, Earth's Future, 10, e2022EF002685, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002685, 2022.
Bates, D., Mächler, M., Bolker, B., and Walker, S.: Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4, J. Stat. Softw., 67, 1–48, https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v067.i01, 2015.
Beck, D. A. C., McTaggart, T. L., Setboonsarng, U., Vorobev, A., Kalyuzhnaya, M. G., Ivanova, N., Goodwin, L., Woyke, T., Lidstrom, M. E., and Chistoserdova, L.: The Expanded Diversity of Methylophilaceae from Lake Washington through Cultivation and Genomic Sequencing of Novel Ecotypes, PLOS ONE, 9, e102458, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102458, 2014.
Bengtsson, M. M., Attermeyer, K., and Catalán, N.: Interactive effects on organic matter processing from soils to the ocean: are priming effects relevant in aquatic ecosystems?, Hydrobiologia, 822, 1–17, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3672-2, 2018.
Bernhardt, E. S., Savoy, P., Vlah, M. J., Appling, A. P., Koenig, L. E., Hall, R. O., Arroita, M., Blaszczak, J. R., Carter, A. M., Cohen, M., Harvey, J. W., Heffernan, J. B., Helton, A. M., Hosen, J. D., Kirk, L., McDowell, W. H., Stanley, E. H., Yackulic, C. B., and Grimm, N. B.: Light and flow regimes regulate the metabolism of rivers, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 119, e2121976119, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2121976119, 2022.
Bershaw, J. and Lechler, A. R.: The isotopic composition of meteoric water along altitudinal transects in the Tian Shan of Central Asia, Chem. Geol., 516, 68–78, 2019.
Bershaw, J., Hansen, D. D., and Schauer, A. J.: Deuterium excess and 17O-excess variability in meteoric water across the Pacific Northwest, USA, Tellus B, 72, 1–17, https://doi.org/10.1080/16000889.2020.1773722, 2020.
Bhatia, M., Sharp, M., and Foght, J.: Distinct Bacterial Communities Exist beneath a High Arctic Polythermal Glacier, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 72, 5838–5845, https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00595-06, 2006.
Bhatia, M. P., Das, S. B., Longnecker, K., Charette, M. A., and Kujawinski, E. B.: Molecular characterization of dissolved organic matter associated with the Greenland ice sheet, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 74, 3768–3784, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2010.03.035, 2010.
Bhatia, M. P., Das, S. B., Xu, L., Charette, M. A., Wadham, J. L., and Kujawinski, E. B.: Organic carbon export from the Greenland ice sheet, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 109, 329–344, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2013.02.006, 2013.
Bingeman, C. W., Varner, J. E., and Martin, W. P.: The Effect of the Addition of Organic Materials on the Decomposition of an Organic Soil, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 17, 34–38, https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1953.03615995001700010008x, 1953.
BioProject: Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information, Accession No. PR-JNA995204, Shifts in organic matter character and microbial community dynamics from glacier headwaters to downstream rivers in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/?term=995204 (last access: 5- July 2023), 1988.
Boetius, A., Anesio, A. M., Deming, J. W., Mikucki, J. A., and Rapp, J. Z.: Microbial ecology of the cryosphere: sea ice and glacial habitats, Nat. Rev. Microbiol., 13, 677–690, https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro3522, 2015.
Bolch, T., Menounos, B., and Wheate, R.: Landsat-based inventory of glaciers in western Canada, 1985–2005, Remote Sens. Environ., 114, 127–137, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2009.08.015, 2010.
Boral, S., Sen, I. S., Ghosal, D., Peucker-Ehrenbrink, B., and Hemingway, J. D.: Stable water isotope modeling reveals spatio-temporal variability of glacier meltwater contributions to Ganges River headwaters, J. Hydrol., 577, 123983, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.123983, 2019.
Bourquin, M., Busi, S. B., Fodelianakis, S., Peter, H., Washburne, A., Kohler, T. J., Ezzat, L., Michoud, G., Wilmes, P., and Battin, T. J.: The microbiome of cryospheric ecosystems, Nat. Commun., 13, 3087, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30816-4, 2022.
Brandani, J., Peter, H., Fodelianakis, S., Kohler, T. J., Bourquin, M., Michoud, G., Busi, S. B., Ezzat, L., Lane, S., and Battin, T. J.: Homogeneous Environmental Selection Structures the Bacterial Communities of Benthic Biofilms in Proglacial Floodplain Streams, Appl. Environ. Microb., 89, e0201022, https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.02010-22, 2023.
Brett, M. T., Bunn, S. E., Chandra, S., Galloway, A. W. E., Guo, F., Kainz, M. J., Kankaala, P., Lau, D. C. P., Moulton, T. P., Power, M. E., Rasmussen, J. B., Taipale, S. J., Thorp, J. H., and Wehr, J. D.: How important are terrestrial organic carbon inputs for secondary production in freshwater ecosystems?, Freshwater Biol., 62, 833–853, https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12909, 2017.
Cáceres, M. D. and Legendre, P.: Associations between species and groups of sites: indices and statistical inference, Ecology, 90, 3566–3574, https://doi.org/10.1890/08-1823.1, 2009.
Callahan, B. J., Wong, J., Heiner, C., Oh, S., Theriot, C. M., Gulati, A. S., McGill, S. K., and Dougherty, M. K.: High-throughput amplicon sequencing of the full-length 16S rRNA gene with single-nucleotide resolution, Nucl. Acid. Res., 47, e103–e103, https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkz569, 2019.
Campbell, D. H., Clow, D. W., Ingersoll, G. P., Mast, M. A., Spahr, N. E., and Turk, J. T.: Processes Controlling the Chemistry of Two Snowmelt-Dominated Streams in the Rocky Mountains, Water Resour. Res., 31, 2811–2821, https://doi.org/10.1029/95WR02037, 1995.
Clarke, G. K. C., Jarosch, A. H., Anslow, F. S., Radić, V., and Menounos, B.: Projected deglaciation of western Canada in the twenty-first century, Nat. Geosci., 8, 372–377, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2407, 2015.
Coble, P. G.: Characterization of marine and terrestrial DOM in seawater using excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy, Mar. Chem., 51, 325–346, https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4203(95)00062-3, 1996.
Crump, B. C., Adams, H. E., Hobbie, J. E., and Kling, G. W.: Biogeography of Bacterioplankton in Lakes and Streams of an Arctic Tundra Catchment, Ecology, 88, 1365–1378, https://doi.org/10.1890/06-0387, 2007.
Cui, X., Bianchi, T. S., Jaeger, J. M., and Smith, R. W.: Biospheric and petrogenic organic carbon flux along southeast Alaska, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 452, 238–246, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.08.002, 2016.
D'Amico, S., Collins, T., Marx, J.-C., Feller, G., and Gerday, C.: Psychrophilic microorganisms: challenges for life, EMBO Rep., 7, 385–389, https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.embor.7400662, 2006.
D'Andrilli, J., Cooper, W. T., Foreman, C. M., and Marshall, A. G.: An ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry index to estimate natural organic matter lability, Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom., 29, 2385–2401, https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.7400, 2015.
Davis, N. M., Proctor, D. M., Holmes, S. P., Relman, D. A., and Callahan, B. J.: Simple statistical identification and removal of contaminant sequences in marker-gene and metagenomics data, 6, 226, https://doi.org/10.1101/221499, 2018.
Drapeau, H., Tank, S. E., Cavaco, M., Serbu, J. A., St. Louis, V. L., and Bhatia, M. P.: Organic carbon concentration, absorbance and fluorescent characteristics, and isotopic composition of river water sourced from four glacially-fed rivers in the Canadian Rocky Mountains (2019–2021), PANGAEA [data set], https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.975984, 2025.
Dubnick, A., Barker, J., Sharp, M., Wadham, J., Grzegorz, L., Telling, J., Fitzsimons, S., and Jackson, M.: Characterization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from glacial environments using total fluorescence spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis, Ann. Glaciol., 51, 111–122, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756411795931912, 2010.
Dubnick, A., Kazemi, S., Sharp, M., Wadham, J., Hawkings, J., Beaton, A., and Lanoil, B.: Hydrological controls on glacially exported microbial assemblages, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 122, 1049–1061, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JG003685, 2017.
Dufrêne, M. and Legendre, P.: Species Assemblages and Indicator Species:the Need for a Flexible Asymmetrical Approach, Ecol. Monogr., 67, 345–366, https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9615(1997)067[0345:SAAIST]2.0.CO;2, 1997.
Elser, J. J., Wu, C., González, A. L., Shain, D. H., Smith, H. J., Sommaruga, R., Williamson, C. E., Brahney, J., Hotaling, S., Vanderwall, J., Yu, J., Aizen, V., Aizen, E., Battin, T. J., Camassa, R., Feng, X., Jiang, H., Lu, L., Qu, J. J., Ren, Z., Wen, J., Wen, L., Woods, H. A., Xiong, X., Xu, J., Yu, G., Harper, J. T., and Saros, J. E.: Key rules of life and the fading cryosphere: Impacts in alpine lakes and streams, Glob. Change Biol., 26, 6644–6656, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15362, 2020.
Evans, S., Martiny, J. B. H., and Allison, S. D.: Effects of dispersal and selection on stochastic assembly in microbial communities, ISME J., 11, 176–185, https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2016.96, 2017.
Fasching, C., Ulseth, A. J., Schelker, J., Steniczka, G., and Battin, T. J.: Hydrology controls dissolved organic matter export and composition in an Alpine stream and its hyporheic zone, Limnol. Oceanogr., 61, 558–571, https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10232, 2016.
Felden, J., Möller, L., Schindler, U., Huber, R., Schumacher, S., Koppe, R., Diepenbroek, M., and Glöckner, F. O.: PANGAEA – Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science, Sci. Data, 10, 347, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02269-x, 2023.
Fellman, J. B., Hood, E., Raymond, P. A., Hudson, J., Bozeman, M., and Arimitsu, M.: Evidence for the assimilation of ancient glacier organic carbon in a proglacial stream food web, Limnol. Oceanogr., 60, 1118–1128, https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10088, 2015.
Fierer, N. and Jackson, R. B.: The diversity and biogeography of soil bacterial communities, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 103, 626–631, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0507535103, 2006.
Fox, J. and Weisberg, S.: An R Companion to Applied Regression, Third edition, Sage, Thousand Oaks CA, Publications Inc., 2019.
Guenet, B., Danger, M., Abbadie, L., and Lacroix, G.: Priming effect: bridging the gap between terrestrial and aquatic ecology, Ecology, 91, 2850–2861, https://doi.org/10.1890/09-1968.1, 2010.
Guo, X., Yan, Q., Wang, F., Wang, W., Zhang, Z., Liu, Y., and Liu, K.: Habitat-specific patterns of bacterial communities in a glacier-fed lake on the Tibetan Plateau, FEMS Microbiol. Ecol., 100, fiae018, https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiae018, 2024.
Hallbeck, L. and Pedersen, K.: The Family Gallionellaceae, in: The Prokaryotes: Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria, edited by: Rosenberg, E., DeLong, E. F., Lory, S., Stackebrandt, E., and Thompson, F., Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 853–858, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30197-1_398, 2014.
Helms, J. R., Stubbins, A., Ritchie, J. D., Minor, E. C., Kieber, D. J., and Mopper, K.: Absorption spectral slopes and slope ratios as indicators of molecular weight, source, and photobleaching of chromophoric dissolved organic matter, Limnol. Oceanogr., 53, 955–969, https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2008.53.3.0955, 2008.
Hill, M. O.: Diversity and Evenness: A Unifying Notation and Its Consequences, Ecology, 54, 427–432, https://doi.org/10.2307/1934352, 1973.
Hinton, M. J., Schiff, S. L., and English, M. C.: The significance of storms for the concentration and export of dissolved organic carbon from two Precambrian Shield catchments, Biogeochemistry, 36, 67–88, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005779711821, 1997.
Hinton, M. J., Schiff, S. L., and English, M. C.: Sources and flowpaths of dissolved organic carbon during storms in two forested watersheds of the Precambrian Shield, Biogeochemistry, 41, 175–197, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005903428956, 1998.
Hood, E., Fellman, J., Spencer, R. G. M., Hernes, P. J., Edwards, R., D'Amore, D., and Scott, D.: Glaciers as a source of ancient and labile organic matter to the marine environment, Nature, 462, 1044–1047, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08580, 2009.
Hood, E., Battin, T. J., Fellman, J., O'Neel, S., and Spencer, R. G. M.: Storage and release of organic carbon from glaciers and ice sheets, Nat. Geosci., 8, 91–96, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2331, 2015.
Hood, E., Fellman, J. B., and Spencer, R. G. M.: Glacier Loss Impacts Riverine Organic Carbon Transport to the Ocean, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2020GL089804, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL089804, 2020.
Hotaling, S., Hood, E., and Hamilton, T. L.: Microbial ecology of mountain glacier ecosystems: biodiversity, ecological connections and implications of a warming climate, Environ. Microbiol., 19, 2935–2948, https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13766, 2017.
Hotaling, S., Foley, M. E., Zeglin, L. H., Finn, D. S., Tronstad, L. M., Giersch, J. J., Muhlfeld, C. C., and Weisrock, D. W.: Microbial assemblages reflect environmental heterogeneity in alpine streams, Glob. Change Biol., 25, 2576–2590, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14683, 2019.
Huguet, A., Vacher, L., Relexans, S., Saubusse, S., Froidefond, J.-M., and Parlanti, E.: Properties of Fluorescent Dissolved Organic Matter in the Gironde Estuary, Org. Geochem., 40, 706–719, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2009.03.002, 2008.
Judd, K. E., Crump, B. C., and Kling, G. W.: Variation in Dissolved Organic Matter Controls Bacterial Production and Community Composition, Ecology, 87, 2068–2079, https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2006)87[2068:VIDOMC]2.0.CO;2, 2006.
Karstens, L., Asquith, M., Davin, S., Fair, D., Gregory, W. T., Wolfe, A. J., Braun, J., and McWeeney, S.: Controlling for Contaminants in Low-Biomass 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing Experiments, mSystems, 4, e00290-19, https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00290-19, 2019.
Kellerman, A. M., Hawkings, J. R., Wadham, J. L., Kohler, T. J., Stibal, M., Grater, E., Marshall, M., Hatton, J. E., Beaton, A., and Spencer, R. G. M.: Glacier Outflow Dissolved Organic Matter as a Window Into Seasonally Changing Carbon Sources: Leverett Glacier, Greenland, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 125, e2019JG005161, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005161, 2020.
Kellerman, A. M., Vonk, J., McColaugh, S., Podgorski, D. C., van Winden, E., Hawkings, J. R., Johnston, S. E., Humayun, M., and Spencer, R. G. M.: Molecular Signatures of Glacial Dissolved Organic Matter From Svalbard and Greenland, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 35, e2020GB006709, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GB006709, 2021.
Kellogg, C. T. E. and Deming, J. W.: Particle-associated extracellular enzyme activity and bacterial community composition across the Canadian Arctic Ocean, FEMS Microbiol. Ecol., 89, 360–375, https://doi.org/10.1111/1574-6941.12330, 2014.
Kohler, T. J., Vinšová, P., Falteisek, L., Žárský, J. D., Yde, J. C., Hatton, J. E., Hawkings, J. R., Lamarche-Gagnon, G., Hood, E., Cameron, K. A., and Stibal, M.: Patterns in Microbial Assemblages Exported From the Meltwater of Arctic and Sub-Arctic Glaciers, Front. Microbiol., 11, 669, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.00669, 2020.
Kujawinski, E. B.: The Impact of Microbial Metabolism on Marine Dissolved Organic Matter, Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci., 3, 567–599, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-120308-081003, 2011.
Lafrenière, M. J. and Sharp, M. J.: The Concentration and Fluorescence of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) in Glacial and Nonglacial Catchments: Interpreting Hydrological Flow Routing and DOC Sources, Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res., 36, 156–165, https://doi.org/10.1657/1523-0430(2004)036[0156:TCAFOD]2.0.CO;2, 2004.
Legendre, P. and Gallagher, E. D.: Ecologically meaningful transformations for ordination of species data, Oecologia, 129, 271–280, https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420100716, 2001.
Leibold, M. A., Holyoak, M., Mouquet, N., Amarasekare, P., Chase, J. M., Hoopes, M. F., Holt, R. D., Shurin, J. B., Law, R., Tilman, D., Loreau, M., and Gonzalez, A.: The metacommunity concept: a framework for multi-scale community ecology, Ecol. Lett., 7, 601–613, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00608.x, 2004.
Lenth, R.: emmeans: Estimated Marginal Means, aka Least-Squares Means. R package version 1.10.2.090003, https://rvlenth.github.io/emmeans/ (last access: July 2024), 2024.
Liu, Y., Shen, L., Zeng, Y., Xing, T., Xu, B., and Wang, N.: Genomic Insights of Cryobacterium Isolated From Ice Core Reveal Genome Dynamics for Adaptation in Glacier, Front. Microbiol., 11, 1530, 2020.
Logue, J. B. and Lindström, E. S.: Species sorting affects bacterioplankton community composition as determined by 16S rDNA and 16S rRNA fingerprints, ISME J., 4, 729–738, https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2009.156, 2010.
Luckman, B. H., Sperling, B. J. R., and Osborn, G. D.: The Holocene history of the Columbia Icefield, Canada, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 242, 106436, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106436, 2020.
Mann, P. J., Spencer, R. G. M., Hernes, P. J., Six, J., Aiken, G. R., Tank, S. E., McClelland, J. W., Butler, K. D., Dyda, R. Y., and Holmes, R. M.: Pan-Arctic Trends in Terrestrial Dissolved Organic Matter from Optical Measurements, Front. Earth Sci., 4, 25, 2016.
Marcus, W. A., Roberts, K., Harvey, L., and Tackman, G.: An Evaluation of Methods for Estimating Manning's n in Small Mountain Streams, Mt. Res. Dev., 12, 227–239, https://doi.org/10.2307/3673667, 1992.
Margesin, R., Zacke, G., and Schinner, F.: Characterization of Heterotrophic Microorganisms in Alpine Glacier Cryoconite, Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res., 34, 88–93, https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2002.12003472, 2002.
McCrimmon, D. O., Bizimis, M., Holland, A., and Ziolkowski, L. A.: Supraglacial microbes use young carbon and not aged cryoconite carbon, Org. Geochem., 118, 63–72, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2017.12.002, 2018.
McKnight, D. M., Boyer, E. W., Westerhoff, P. K., Doran, P. T., Kulbe, T., and Andersen, D. T.: Spectrofluorometric characterization of dissolved organic matter for indication of precursor organic material and aromaticity, Limnol. Oceanogr., 46, 38–48, https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2001.46.1.0038, 2001a.
McKnight, D. M., Boyer, E. W., Westerhoff, P. K., Doran, P. T., Kulbe, T., and Andersen, D. T.: Spectrofluorometric characterization of dissolved organic matter for indication of precursor organic material and aromaticity, Limnol. Oceanogr., 46, 38–48, https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2001.46.1.0038, 2001b.
Milner, A. M., Khamis, K., Battin, T. J., Brittain, J. E., Barrand, N. E., Füreder, L., Cauvy-Fraunié, S., Gíslason, G. M., Jacobsen, D., Hannah, D. M., Hodson, A. J., Hood, E., Lencioni, V., Ólafsson, J. S., Robinson, C. T., Tranter, M., and Brown, L. E.: Glacier shrinkage driving global changes in downstream systems, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 114, 9770–9778, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1619807114, 2017.
Moran, M. A. and Zepp, R. G.: Role of photoreactions in the formation of biologically labile compounds from dissolved organic matter, Limnol. Oceanogr., 42, 1307–1316, https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1997.42.6.1307, 1997.
Murphy, K. R., Stedmon, C. A., Graeber, D., and Bro, R.: Fluorescence spectroscopy and multi-way techniques. PARAFAC, Anal. Methods, 5, 6557–6566, https://doi.org/10.1039/C3AY41160E, 2013.
Murphy, K. R., Stedmon, C. A., Wenig, P., and Bro, R.: OpenFluor – an online spectral library of auto-fluorescence by organic compounds in the environment, Anal. Methods, 6, 658–661, https://doi.org/10.1039/C3AY41935E, 2014.
Musilova, M., Tranter, M., Wadham, J., Telling, J., Tedstone, A., and Anesio, A. M.: Microbially driven export of labile organic carbon from the Greenland ice sheet, Nat. Geosci., 10, 360–365, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2920, 2017.
Nienow, P., Sharp, M., and Willis, I.: Seasonal changes in the morphology of the subglacial drainage system, Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 23, 825–843, https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1096-9837(199809)23:9<825::AID-ESP893>3.0.CO;2-2, 1998.
Nizam, S., Sen, I. S., Vinoj, V., Galy, V., Selby, D., Azam, M. F., Pandey, S. K., Creaser, R. A., Agarwal, A. K., Singh, A. P., and Bizimis, M.: Biomass-Derived Provenance Dominates Glacial Surface Organic Carbon in the Western Himalaya, Environ. Sci. Technol., 54, 8612–8621, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c02710, 2020.
Oksanen, J.: Vegan: community ecology package, R package version 1.8-5, http://www.cran.r-project.org (last access: June 2023), 2007.
Ommanney, C. S. L.: Glaciers of the Canadian Rockies, in: Glaciers of North America, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1386-J, 2002.
Pain, A. J., Martin, J. B., Martin, E. E., Rahman, S., and Ackermann, P.: Differences in the Quantity and Quality of Organic Matter Exported From Greenlandic Glacial and Deglaciated Watersheds, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 34, e2020GB006614, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GB006614, 2020.
Pandit, S. N., Kolasa, J., and Cottenie, K.: Contrasts between habitat generalists and specialists: an empirical extension to the basic metacommunity framework, Ecology, 90, 2253–2262, https://doi.org/10.1890/08-0851.1, 2009.
Parada, A. E., Needham, D. M., and Fuhrman, J. A.: Every base matters: assessing small subunit rRNA primers for marine microbiomes with mock communities, time series and global field samples, Environ. Microbiol., 18, 1403–1414, https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13023, 2016.
Patriarca, C., Sedano-Núñez, V. T., Garcia, S. L., Bergquist, J., Bertilsson, S., Sjöberg, P. J. R., Tranvik, L. J., and Hawkes, J. A.: Character and environmental lability of cyanobacteria-derived dissolved organic matter, Limnol. Oceanogr., 66, 496–509, https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11619, 2021.
Peres-Neto, P. R., Legendre, P., Dray, S., and Borcard, D.: Variation partitioning of species data matrices: Estimation and comparison of fractions, Ecology, 87, 2614–2625, https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2006)87[2614:VPOSDM]2.0.CO;2, 2006.
Pontiller, B., Martínez-García, S., Lundin, D., and Pinhassi, J.: Labile Dissolved Organic Matter Compound Characteristics Select for Divergence in Marine Bacterial Activity and Transcription, Front. Microbiol., 11, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.588778, 2020.
Pradhananga, D. and Pomeroy, J. W.: Recent hydrological response of glaciers in the Canadian Rockies to changing climate and glacier configuration, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 2605–2616, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2605-2022, 2022.
Pucher, M., Wünsch, U., Weigelhofer, G., Murphy, K., Hein, T., and Graeber, D.: staRdom: Versatile Software for Analyzing Spectroscopic Data of Dissolved Organic Matter in R, Water, 11, 2366, https://doi.org/10.3390/w11112366, 2019.
Quast, C., Pruesse, E., Yilmaz, P., Gerken, J., Schweer, T., Yarza, P., Peplies, J., and Glöckner, F. O.: The SILVA ribosomal RNA gene database project: improved data processing and web-based tools, Nucl. Acid. Res., 41, D590–D596, https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gks1219, 2012.
R Core Team: R: A language and environment for statistical computing, R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria, https://www.r-project.org (last access: July 2024), 2022.
Ramette, A.: Multivariate analyses in microbial ecology, FEMS Microbiol. Ecol., 62, 142–160, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2007.00375.x, 2007.
Raymond, P. A. and Bauer, J. E.: Use of 14C and 13C natural abundances for evaluating riverine, estuarine, and coastal DOC and POC sources and cycling: a review and synthesis, Org. Geochem., 32, 469–485, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0146-6380(00)00190-X, 2001.
Serbu, J., St. Louis, V., Emmerton, C., Tank, S., Criscitiello, A., Sillins, U., Bhatia, M. P., Cavaco, M., Christenson, C., Cooke, C., Drapeau, H., Enns, S., Flett, J., Holland, K., Lavallee-Whiffen, J., Ma, M., Muir, C., Poesch, M., and Shin, J.: Physicochemical, particulate matter, temperature, and hydrological datasets collected from climate-threatened glacial river headwaters on the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains (2019–2021), PANGAEA [data set], https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.963863, 2023.
Serbu, J. A., St. Louis, V. L., Emmerton, C. A., Tank, S. E., Criscitiello, A. S., Silins, U., Bhatia, M. P., Cavaco, M. A., Christenson, C., Cooke, C. A., Drapeau, H. F., Enns, S. J. A., Flett, J. E., Holland, K. M., Lavallee-Whiffen, J., Ma, M., Muir, C. E., Poesch, M., and Shin, J.: A Comprehensive Biogeochemical Assessment of Climate-Threatened Glacial River Headwaters on the Eastern Slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 129, e2023JG007745, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JG007745, 2024.
Shi, Z., Allison, S. D., He, Y., Levine, P. A., Hoyt, A. M., Beem-Miller, J., Zhu, Q., Wieder, W. R., Trumbore, S., and Randerson, J. T.: The age distribution of global soil carbon inferred from radiocarbon measurements, Nat. Geosci., 13, 555–559, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-020-0596-z, 2020.
Singer, G. A., Fasching, C., Wilhelm, L., Niggemann, J., Steier, P., Dittmar, T., and Battin, T. J.: Biogeochemically diverse organic matter in Alpine glaciers and its downstream fate, Nat. Geosci., 5, 710–714, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1581, 2012.
Smith, H. J., Foster, R. A., McKnight, D. M., Lisle, J. T., Littmann, S., Kuypers, M. M. M., and Foreman, C. M.: Microbial formation of labile organic carbon in Antarctic glacial environments, Nat. Geosci., 10, 356–359, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2925, 2017.
Souchez, R., Vandenschrick, G., Lorrain, R., and Tison, J.-L.: Basal ice formation and deformation in central greenland: a review of existing and new ice core data, in: Deformation of Glacial Materials, edited by: Maltman, A. J., Hubbard, B., and Hambrey, M. J., Geological Society of London, 176, 13–22, https://doi.org/10.1144/gsl.Sp.2000.176.01.02, 2000.
Spencer, R. G. M., Guo, W., Raymond, P. A., Dittmar, T., Hood, E., Fellman, J., and Stubbins, A.: Source and biolability of ancient dissolved organic matter in glacier and lake ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 142, 64–74, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2014.08.006, 2014a.
Spencer, R. G. M., Vermilyea, A., Fellman, J., Raymond, P., Stubbins, A., Scott, D., and Hood, E.: Seasonal variability of organic matter composition in an Alaskan glacier outflow: insights into glacier carbon sources, Environ. Res. Lett., 9, 055005, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/9/5/055005, 2014b.
Stevens, I. T., Irvine-Fynn, T. D. L., Edwards, A., Mitchell, A. C., Cook, J. M., Porter, P. R., Holt, T. O., Huss, M., Fettweis, X., Moorman, B. J., Sattler, B., and Hodson, A. J.: Spatially consistent microbial biomass and future cellular carbon release from melting Northern Hemisphere glacier surfaces, Commun. Earth Environ., 3, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00609-0, 2022.
Stibal, M., Šabacká, M., and Žárský, J.: Biological processes on glacier and ice sheet surfaces, Nat. Geosci., 5, 771–774, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1611, 2012.
Stubbins, A., Hood, E., Raymond, P. A., Aiken, G. R., Sleighter, R. L., Hernes, P. J., Butman, D., Hatcher, P. G., Striegl, R. G., Schuster, P., Abdulla, H. A. N., Vermilyea, A. W., Scott, D. T., and Spencer, R. G. M.: Anthropogenic aerosols as a source of ancient dissolved organic matter in glaciers, Nat. Geosci., 5, 198–201, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1403, 2012.
Tamames, J., Abellán, J. J., Pignatelli, M., Camacho, A., and Moya, A.: Environmental distribution of prokaryotic taxa, BMC Microbiol., 10, 85, https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2180-10-85, 2010.
Tanentzap, A. J., Szkokan-Emilson, E. J., Kielstra, B. W., Arts, M. T., Yan, N. D., and Gunn, J. M.: Forests fuel fish growth in freshwater deltas, Nat. Commun., 5, 4077, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5077, 2014.
Tennant, C. and Menounos, B.: Glacier change of the Columbia Icefield, Canadian Rocky Mountains, 1919–2009, J. Glaciol., 59, 671–686, https://doi.org/10.3189/2013JoG12J135, 2013.
Tonkin, J. D., Altermatt, F., Finn, D. S., Heino, J., Olden, J. D., Pauls, S. U., and Lytle, D. A.: The role of dispersal in river network metacommunities: Patterns, processes, and pathways, Freshw. Biol., 63, 141–163, https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.13037, 2018.
Van der Gucht, K., Cottenie, K., Muylaert, K., Vloemans, N., Cousin, S., Declerck, S., Jeppesen, E., Conde-Porcuna, J.-M., Schwenk, K., Zwart, G., Degans, H., Vyverman, W., and De Meester, L.: The power of species sorting: Local factors drive bacterial community composition over a wide range of spatial scales, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 104, 20404–20409, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0707200104, 2007.
Wadham, J. L., Hawkings, J. R., Tarasov, L., Gregoire, L. J., Spencer, R. G. M., Gutjahr, M., Ridgwell, A., and Kohfeld, K. E.: Ice sheets matter for the global carbon cycle, Nat. Commun., 10, 3567, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11394-4, 2019.
Weishaar, J. L., Aiken, G. R., Bergamaschi, B. A., Fram, M. S., Fujii, R., and Mopper, K.: Evaluation of Specific Ultraviolet Absorbance as an Indicator of the Chemical Composition and Reactivity of Dissolved Organic Carbon, Environ. Sci. Technol., 37, 4702–4708, https://doi.org/10.1021/es030360x, 2003.
Whiteside, J. H., Olsen, P. E., Eglinton, T. I., Cornet, B., McDonald, N. G., and Huber, P.: Pangean great lake paleoecology on the cusp of the end-Triassic extinction, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocl., 301, 1–17, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2010.11.025, 2011.
Wickham, H.: ggplot2, Springer International Publishing, Cham, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24277-4, 2016.
Wickham, H., François, R., Henry, L., Müller, K., and Vaughan, D.: dplyr: A Grammar of Data Manipulation, R package version 1.1.4, https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=dplyr (last access: July 2024), 2023.
Wilhelm, L., Singer, G. A., Fasching, C., Battin, T. J., and Besemer, K.: Microbial biodiversity in glacier-fed streams, ISME J., 7, 1651–1660, https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2013.44, 2013.
Yilmaz, P., Parfrey, L. W., Yarza, P., Gerken, J., Pruesse, E., Quast, C., Schweer, T., Peplies, J., Ludwig, W., and Glöckner, F. O.: The SILVA and “All-species Living Tree Project (LTP)” taxonomic frameworks, Nucl. Acid. Res., 42, D643–D648, https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkt1209, 2014.
Zeglin, L. H.: Stream microbial diversity in response to environmental changes: review and synthesis of existing research, Front. Microbiol., 6, 454, 2015.
Zemp, M., Frey, H., Gärtner-Roer, I., Nussbaumer, S. U., Hoelzle, M., Paul, F., Haeberli, W., Denzinger, F., Ahlstrøm, A. P., Anderson, B., Bajracharya, S., Baroni, C., Braun, L. N., Cáceres, B. E., Casassa, G., Cobos, G., Dávila, L. R., Granados, H. D., Demuth, M. N., Espizua, L., Fischer, A., Fujita, K., Gadek, B., Ghazanfar, A., Hagen, J. O., Holmlund, P., Karimi, N., Li, Z., Pelto, M., Pitte, P., Popovnin, V. V., Portocarrero, C. A., Prinz, R., Sangewar, C. V., Severskiy, I., Sigurđsson, O., Soruco, A., Usubaliev, R., and Vincent, C.: Historically unprecedented global glacier decline in the early 21st century, J. Glaciol., 61, 745–762, https://doi.org/10.3189/2015JoG15J017, 2015.
Zhang, Y., Kang, S., Li, G., Gao, T., Chen, P., Li, X., Liu, Y., Hu, Z., Sun, S., Guo, J., Wang, K., Chen, X., and Sillanpää, M.: Dissolved organic carbon in glaciers of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau: Insights into concentrations and possible sources, PLOS ONE, 13, e0205414, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0205414, 2018.
Zheng, Q., Lu, J., Wang, Y., and Jiao, N.: Genomic reconstructions and potential metabolic strategies of generalist and specialist heterotrophic bacteria associated with an estuary Synechococcus culture, FEMS Microbiol. Ecol., 95, fiz017, https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiz017, 2019.
Zhou, L., Zhou, Y., Hu, Y., Cai, J., Liu, X., Bai, C., Tang, X., Zhang, Y., Jang, K.-S., Spencer, R. G. M., and Jeppesen, E.: Microbial production and consumption of dissolved organic matter in glacial ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau, Water Res., 160, 18–28, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2019.05.048, 2019a.
Zhou, Y., Zhou, L., He, X., Jang, K.-S., Yao, X., Hu, Y., Zhang, Y., Li, X., Spencer, R. G. M., Brookes, J. D., and Jeppesen, E.: Variability in Dissolved Organic Matter Composition and Biolability across Gradients of Glacial Coverage and Distance from Glacial Terminus on the Tibetan Plateau, Environ. Sci. Technol., 53, 12207–12217, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b03348, 2019b.
Short summary
From glacial headwaters to 100 km downstream, we found clear organic matter gradients in Canadian Rocky Mountain rivers. In contrast, microbial communities exhibited overall cohesion, indicating that species dispersal may be an over-riding control on community dynamics in these connected rivers. Identification of glacial-specific microbes suggests that glaciers seed headwater microbial assemblages; these findings show the importance of glacial waters and microbiomes in changing mountain systems.
From glacial headwaters to 100 km downstream, we found clear organic matter gradients in...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint