From Soil to Surface Water: a Meta-Analysis of Catchment-Scale Organic Matter Production and Transport

Abstract:

Organic matter plays a fundamental role in the ecology and biogeochemistry of many ecosystems, from soils to headwater streams to oceans. In most catchments, the terrestrial environment is the dominant source of organic matter for the aquatic system, and thus DOM represents a fundamental linkage between soil and surface water. With trends of increasing DOC concentrations observed in many areas of the world, there is growing interest in identifying which factors drive DOM concentration and chemistry. Studies of systems ranging from tropical rainforests to boreal landscapes have identified many catchment characteristics that co-vary with DOM concentration and chemistry. These include climate elements such as solar radiation and precipitation patterns, chemical measurements such as sulfate or chloride concentration, and land use impacts such as percent agriculture. The question of which catchment characteristics actually control DOM can be broken down into two parts: which factors control the production of mobile DOM and what drives DOM transport from the terrestrial to the aquatic system.

Here we review studies covering a range of ecosystems, scales, and measurement techniques, to categorize the major state factors that drive catchment controls of aquatic organic matter. Specifically, we identify three major transport vectors that vary both in their timing of DOM transport to surface water and the propensity for DOM originating from terrestrial source areas to be modified during transport. We use this three vector conceptual model of transport to group catchments and identify reproducible signatures of DOM export with varying levels of disturbance.

By developing a generalized conceptual model of catchment-scale controls on aquatic organic matter, we can predict how dissolved organic matter will respond to environmental change. This knowledge can then help guide best management practices.