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Dissolved organic carbon leaching flux in a mixed agriculture and forest watershed in Rwanda

Rizinjirabake, Fabien LU ; Pilesjö, Petter LU and Tenenbaum, David E. LU (2019) In Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 26.
Abstract

Study region: Rukarara River Watershed (RRW), Rwanda. Study focus: DOC leaching has important environmental consequences for both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This paper measures leached dissolved organic carbon (LDOC) and the factors controlling its variation in the RRW, a mixed agriculture and forest watershed in Rwanda. The study describes the relationship of LDOC with land use/land cover (LULC), soil properties, rainfall characteristics, and stream DOC using linear regression and linear mixed effects models. New hydrological insights: The annual LDOC flux from topsoil to deeper soil horizons was 13.62 tonnes of carbon for the study area. This annual LDOC flux represents approximately 2% of the net primary productivity and... (More)

Study region: Rukarara River Watershed (RRW), Rwanda. Study focus: DOC leaching has important environmental consequences for both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This paper measures leached dissolved organic carbon (LDOC) and the factors controlling its variation in the RRW, a mixed agriculture and forest watershed in Rwanda. The study describes the relationship of LDOC with land use/land cover (LULC), soil properties, rainfall characteristics, and stream DOC using linear regression and linear mixed effects models. New hydrological insights: The annual LDOC flux from topsoil to deeper soil horizons was 13.62 tonnes of carbon for the study area. This annual LDOC flux represents approximately 2% of the net primary productivity and 0.02% of the soil carbon stock. The plantation forest and natural forest sites showed higher LDOC fluxes than other LULC classes. Soil TOC, TN, rainfall intensity and amount positively affected LDOC flux (7 ≤ R2 ≤ 30%) in the RRW. Cation exchange capacity, runoff, and rainfall storage negatively affected the RRW (7 ≤ R2 ≤ 23%). LDOC flux explained 14% of the variation of stream DOC in the RRW. Our results imply that, under ongoing climate and LULC changes, an increase of the proportion of plantation forest and rainfall intensity throughout the watershed will increase LDOC flux, and will have a weak positive effect on stream DOC.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Dissolved organic carbon, Land cover, Leaching, Linear models, Rainfall characteristics, Soil properties, Watershed
in
Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
volume
26
article number
100633
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85074513625
ISSN
2214-5818
DOI
10.1016/j.ejrh.2019.100633
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
7a0ad95d-b23f-4bae-8263-41dad3268c1a
date added to LUP
2019-11-15 13:50:37
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:19:44
@article{7a0ad95d-b23f-4bae-8263-41dad3268c1a,
  abstract     = {{<p>Study region: Rukarara River Watershed (RRW), Rwanda. Study focus: DOC leaching has important environmental consequences for both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This paper measures leached dissolved organic carbon (LDOC) and the factors controlling its variation in the RRW, a mixed agriculture and forest watershed in Rwanda. The study describes the relationship of LDOC with land use/land cover (LULC), soil properties, rainfall characteristics, and stream DOC using linear regression and linear mixed effects models. New hydrological insights: The annual LDOC flux from topsoil to deeper soil horizons was 13.62 tonnes of carbon for the study area. This annual LDOC flux represents approximately 2% of the net primary productivity and 0.02% of the soil carbon stock. The plantation forest and natural forest sites showed higher LDOC fluxes than other LULC classes. Soil TOC, TN, rainfall intensity and amount positively affected LDOC flux (7 ≤ R<sup>2</sup> ≤ 30%) in the RRW. Cation exchange capacity, runoff, and rainfall storage negatively affected the RRW (7 ≤ R<sup>2</sup> ≤ 23%). LDOC flux explained 14% of the variation of stream DOC in the RRW. Our results imply that, under ongoing climate and LULC changes, an increase of the proportion of plantation forest and rainfall intensity throughout the watershed will increase LDOC flux, and will have a weak positive effect on stream DOC.</p>}},
  author       = {{Rizinjirabake, Fabien and Pilesjö, Petter and Tenenbaum, David E.}},
  issn         = {{2214-5818}},
  keywords     = {{Dissolved organic carbon; Land cover; Leaching; Linear models; Rainfall characteristics; Soil properties; Watershed}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies}},
  title        = {{Dissolved organic carbon leaching flux in a mixed agriculture and forest watershed in Rwanda}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2019.100633}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.ejrh.2019.100633}},
  volume       = {{26}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}