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Morphometric Control on Dissolved Organic Carbon in Subarctic Streams

Mzobe, P. LU ; Yan, Y. LU ; Berggren, M. LU ; Pilesjö, P. LU ; Olefeldt, David ; Lundin, E. ; Roulet, N. T. and Persson, A. LU (2020) In Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences 125(9).
Abstract
Climate change has the potential to alter hydrological regimes and to expand saturated areas in permafrost environments, which are important sources of organic carbon. The sources, transfer zones, and delivery mechanisms of carbon into the stream network are controlled by the morphometric properties of the catchment; however, the utility and limitations of these properties as predictors of dissolved organic carbon concentrations have rarely been systematically evaluated. This study tested the relationships between 18 morphometric indicators and observed dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in the Stordalen catchment, Sweden. Geospatial and explorative statistics were combined to assess the topographical, areal, and linear... (More)
Climate change has the potential to alter hydrological regimes and to expand saturated areas in permafrost environments, which are important sources of organic carbon. The sources, transfer zones, and delivery mechanisms of carbon into the stream network are controlled by the morphometric properties of the catchment; however, the utility and limitations of these properties as predictors of dissolved organic carbon concentrations have rarely been systematically evaluated. This study tested the relationships between 18 morphometric indicators and observed dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in the Stordalen catchment, Sweden. Geospatial and explorative statistics were combined to assess the topographical, areal, and linear indicators influencing the distribution of DOC in the catchment. The results suggest that catchment morphometric indicators can be used as proxies to predict DOC concentrations along a longitudinal continuum in subarctic climate regions (R2 up to 0.52). Morphometry indicators that best served as predictors of DOC concentration in the model were as follows: relief, slope length and steepness factor (LS‐factor), sediment transport capacity, and catchment area. Due to the influence that catchment form exerts in DOC spatial patterns and processing, a morphometric approach can serve as a first approximation of DOC spatial patterns within a catchment. The initial step in identifying carbon sources based on the catchment topography has the potential to allow for quick and multilevel comparison within and between catchments. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences
volume
125
issue
9
article number
e2019JG005348
pages
16 pages
publisher
Wiley
external identifiers
  • scopus:85091415935
ISSN
2169-8953
DOI
10.1029/2019JG005348
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f1b59062-1ffc-4688-94ca-07218ff7f156
alternative location
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2019JG005348
date added to LUP
2020-09-23 14:46:27
date last changed
2023-10-08 12:34:59
@article{f1b59062-1ffc-4688-94ca-07218ff7f156,
  abstract     = {{Climate change has the potential to alter hydrological regimes and to expand saturated areas in permafrost environments, which are important sources of organic carbon. The sources, transfer zones, and delivery mechanisms of carbon into the stream network are controlled by the morphometric properties of the catchment; however, the utility and limitations of these properties as predictors of dissolved organic carbon concentrations have rarely been systematically evaluated. This study tested the relationships between 18 morphometric indicators and observed dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in the Stordalen catchment, Sweden. Geospatial and explorative statistics were combined to assess the topographical, areal, and linear indicators influencing the distribution of DOC in the catchment. The results suggest that catchment morphometric indicators can be used as proxies to predict DOC concentrations along a longitudinal continuum in subarctic climate regions (R2 up to 0.52). Morphometry indicators that best served as predictors of DOC concentration in the model were as follows: relief, slope length and steepness factor (LS‐factor), sediment transport capacity, and catchment area. Due to the influence that catchment form exerts in DOC spatial patterns and processing, a morphometric approach can serve as a first approximation of DOC spatial patterns within a catchment. The initial step in identifying carbon sources based on the catchment topography has the potential to allow for quick and multilevel comparison within and between catchments.}},
  author       = {{Mzobe, P. and Yan, Y. and Berggren, M. and Pilesjö, P. and Olefeldt, David and Lundin, E. and Roulet, N. T. and Persson, A.}},
  issn         = {{2169-8953}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{09}},
  number       = {{9}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley}},
  series       = {{Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences}},
  title        = {{Morphometric Control on Dissolved Organic Carbon in Subarctic Streams}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005348}},
  doi          = {{10.1029/2019JG005348}},
  volume       = {{125}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}