Stable isotope analysis reveals lower-order river dissolved inorganic carbon pools are highly dynamic.
River systems draining peaty catchments are considered a source of atmospheric CO2,thus understanding the behavior of the dissolved inorganic carbon pool (DIC) is valuable. The carbon isotopic composition, delta13C(DIC), and concentration, [DIC], of fluvial samples collected diurnally, over 14 months, reveal the DIC pools to be dynamic in range (-22 to -4.9% per hundred, 0.012 to 0.468 mmol L(-1) C), responding predictably to environmental influences such as changing hydrologic conditions or increased levels of primary production. delta(18)O of dissolved oxygen (DO) corroborates the delta(13)C(DIC) interpretation. A nested catchment sampling matrix reveals that similar processes affect the DIC pool and thus delta(13)C(DIC) across catchment sizes. Not so with [DIC]: at high flow, the DIC export converges across catchment size, but at low flow catchments diverge in their DIC load. Contextualizing delta(13)C with discharge reveals that organic soil-waters and groundwaters comprise end-member sources, which in varying proportions constitute the fluvial DIC pool. Discharge and pH describe well [DIC] and delta(13)C(DIC), allowing carbon to be apportioned to each end-member from continuous profiles, demonstrated here for the hydrological year 2003-2004. This approach is powerful for assessing whether the dynamic response exhibited here is ubiquitous in other fluvial systems at the terrestrial-aquatic interface or in larger catchments.
Waldron
Susan
S
Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, East Kilbride G75 0QF, United Kingdom, Department of Statistics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom. Susan.Waldron@ges.gla.ac.uk
Scott
E Marian
EM
Soulsby
Chris
C
D017554:Carbon Compounds, Inorganic / Q000032:analysis*; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013997:Time Factors; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
D017554:Carbon Compounds, Inorganic; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D014873:Water Pollutants; D010100:Oxygen