Soil Aggregates as a Source of Dissolved Organic Carbon to Streams: An Experimental Study on the Effect of Solution Chemistry on Water Extractable Carbon

Cincotta, Malayika; Perdrial, Julia; Shavitz, Aaron; Libenson, Arianna J; Landsman-Gerjoi, Maxwell; Perdrial, Nicolas; Armfield, Jesse; Adler, Thomas; Shanley, James B.

doi:10.3389/fenvs.2019.00172

Cited by 41 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…The increase in organic matter solubility in the O horizon has been attributed to increased pH [26], but may be more a function of decreased ionic strength, which has also occurred with decreased deposition levels. In that process, pH increases in the lower pH soils could be driven by increased H + consumption by weak organic anions exposed as organic matter disaggregated [49]. In essence, the relationships of initial O horizon pH to pH and exAl recovery indices are coupled, based on chemical changes in this horizon resulting from reduced deposition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reversal of Forest Soil Acidification in the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada: Site and Soil Factors Contributing to Recovery

et al. 2020

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As acidic deposition has decreased across Eastern North America, forest soils at some sites are beginning to show reversal of soil acidification. However, the degree of recovery appears to vary and is not fully explained by deposition declines alone. To assess if other site and soil factors can help to explain degree of recovery from acid deposition, soil resampling chemistry data (8- to 24-year time interval) from 23 sites in the United States and Canada, located across 25° longitude from Eastern Maine to Western Ontario, were explored. Site and soil factors included recovery years, sulfate (SO42−) deposition history, SO42− reduction rate, C horizon pH and exchangeable calcium (Ca), O and B horizon pH, base saturation, and exchangeable Ca and aluminum (Al) at the time of the initial sampling. We found that O and B horizons that were initially acidified to a greater degree showed greater recovery and B horizon recovery was further associated with an increase in recovery years and lower initial SO42− deposition. Forest soils that seemingly have low buffering capacity and a reduced potential for recovery have the resilience to recover from the effects of previous high levels of acidic deposition. This suggests, that predictions of where forest soils acidification reversal will occur across the landscape should be refined to acknowledge the importance of upper soil profile horizon chemistry rather than the more traditional approach using only parent material characteristics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reversal of Forest Soil Acidification in the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada: Site and Soil Factors Contributing to Recovery

et al. 2020

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“…SOC decomposition and DOC production have been studied extensively (Abbott et al, 2015;Hale et al, 2015;Humbert et al, 2015;Lambert et al, 2013;Neff and Asner, 2001), yet the interactions between SOC and DOC and their response to climate change at catchments or larger scales remain unresolved (Laudon et al, 2012;Clark et al, 2010). Some regions have experienced long-term increases in DOC, potentially due to recovery from acid rain or climate-induced changes in temperature (T ) and hydrological flow (Laudon et al, 2012;Perdrial et al, 2014;Evans et al, 2012;Monteith et al, 2007), whereas others have observed decreases or no change (Skjelkvale et al, 2005;Worrall et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temperature controls production but hydrology regulates export of dissolved organic carbon at the catchment scale

Wen

Perdrial

Abbott

et al. 2020

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Lateral carbon flux through river networks is an important and poorly understood component of the global carbon budget. This work investigates how temperature and hydrology control the production and export of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory in Pennsylvania, USA. Using field measurements of daily stream discharge, evapotranspiration, and stream DOC concentration, we calibrated the catchment-scale biogeochemical reactive transport model BioRT-Flux-PIHM (Biogeochemical Reactive Transport–Flux–Penn State Integrated Hydrologic Model, BFP), which met the satisfactory standard of a Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) value greater than 0.5. We used the calibrated model to estimate and compare the daily DOC production rates (Rp; the sum of the local DOC production rates in individual grid cells) and export rate (Re; the product of the concentration and discharge at the stream outlet, or load). Results showed that daily Rp varied by less than an order of magnitude, primarily depending on seasonal temperature. In contrast, daily Re varied by more than 3 orders of magnitude and was strongly associated with variation in discharge and hydrological connectivity. In summer, high temperature and evapotranspiration dried and disconnected hillslopes from the stream, driving Rp to its maximum but Re to its minimum. During this period, the stream only exported DOC from the organic-poor groundwater and from organic-rich soil water in the swales bordering the stream. The DOC produced accumulated in hillslopes and was later flushed out during the wet and cold period (winter and spring) when Re peaked as the stream reconnected with uphill and Rp reached its minimum. The model reproduced the observed concentration–discharge (C–Q) relationship characterized by an unusual flushing–dilution pattern with maximum concentrations at intermediate discharge, indicating three end-members of source waters. A sensitivity analysis indicated that this nonlinearity was caused by shifts in the relative contribution of different source waters to the stream under different flow conditions. At low discharge, stream water reflected the chemistry of organic-poor groundwater; at intermediate discharge, stream water was dominated by the organic-rich soil water from swales; at high discharge, the stream reflected uphill soil water with an intermediate DOC concentration. This pattern persisted regardless of the DOC production rate as long as the contribution of deeper groundwater flow remained low (<18 % of the streamflow). When groundwater flow increased above 18 %, comparable amounts of groundwater and swale soil water mixed in the stream and masked the high DOC concentration from swales. In that case, the C–Q patterns switched to a flushing-only pattern with increasing DOC concentration at high discharge. These results depict a conceptual model that the catchment serves as a producer and storage reservoir for DOC under hot and dry conditions and transitions into a DOC exporter under wet and cold conditions. This study also illustrates how different controls on DOC production and export – temperature and hydrological flow paths, respectively – can create temporal asynchrony at the catchment scale. Future warming and increasing hydrological extremes could accentuate this asynchrony, with DOC production occurring primarily during dry periods and lateral export of DOC dominating in major storm events.

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“…Transfer by DOC decreased substantially after year 10, from 5.9 g C m -2 y -1 in the 10 th year to 0.09 g C m -2 y -1 at the 26 th year due to a reduction in CWD decomposition. The DOC incorporated into soils can be absorbed or aggregated and therefore maintained in soils for a longer time [55,56]. These simulation results provide context for suggesting the magnitude of the transfers of C from CWD into the soil.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 77%

Coarse Woody Debris Decomposition Assessment Tool: Model validation and application

et al. 2021

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Coarse woody debris (CWD) is a significant component of the forest biomass pool; hence a model is warranted to predict CWD decomposition and its role in forest carbon (C) and nutrient cycling under varying management and climatic conditions. A process-based model, CWDDAT (Coarse Woody Debris Decomposition Assessment Tool) was calibrated and validated using data from the FACE (Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment) Wood Decomposition Experiment utilizing pine (Pinus taeda), aspen (Populous tremuloides) and birch (Betula papyrifera) on nine Experimental Forests (EF) covering a range of climate, hydrology, and soil conditions across the continental USA. The model predictions were evaluated against measured FACE log mass loss over 6 years. Four widely applied metrics of model performance demonstrated that the CWDDAT model can accurately predict CWD decomposition. The R2 (squared Pearson’s correlation coefficient) between the simulation and measurement was 0.80 for the model calibration and 0.82 for the model validation (P<0.01). The predicted mean mass loss from all logs was 5.4% lower than the measured mass loss and 1.4% lower than the calculated loss. The model was also used to assess the decomposition of mixed pine-hardwood CWD produced by Hurricane Hugo in 1989 on the Santee Experimental Forest in South Carolina, USA. The simulation reflected rapid CWD decomposition of the forest in this subtropical setting. The predicted dissolved organic carbon (DOC) derived from the CWD decomposition and incorporated into the mineral soil averaged 1.01 g C m-2 y-1 over the 30 years. The main agents for CWD mass loss were fungi (72.0%) and termites (24.5%), the remainder was attributed to a mix of other wood decomposers. These findings demonstrate the applicability of CWDDAT for large-scale assessments of CWD dynamics, and fine-scale considerations regarding the fate of CWD carbon.

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Soil Aggregates as a Source of Dissolved Organic Carbon to Streams: An Experimental Study on the Effect of Solution Chemistry on Water Extractable Carbon

Cited by 41 publications

References 61 publications

Reversal of Forest Soil Acidification in the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada: Site and Soil Factors Contributing to Recovery

Reversal of Forest Soil Acidification in the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada: Site and Soil Factors Contributing to Recovery

Temperature controls production but hydrology regulates export of dissolved organic carbon at the catchment scale

Coarse Woody Debris Decomposition Assessment Tool: Model validation and application

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