The mass distribution of coarse particulate organic matter exported from an Alpine headwater stream

Turowski, Jens M.; Badoux, Alexandre; Bunte, Kristin; Rickli, Christian; Federspiel, N.; Jochner, Matthias

doi:10.5194/esurf-1-1-2013

Cited by 45 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…The differences between the yields in the Kosñipata catchment can be explained if ~80% of the landslide‐mobilized POC biosphere were coarse grained (i.e., coarser than sand) and thus were not sampled using our methodology. Coarse POC biosphere transport in rivers remains difficult to measure but can be an important component of POC biosphere discharge in mountain catchments [ Turowski et al ., , ]. The second methodological issue relates to the underestimation of river POC biosphere discharge during the March 2010 flood, resulting from (i) underestimation of Q w at high flow [ Clark et al ., ] and (ii) lacking POC biosphere measurements at this storm peak to validate the rating curve (Figure a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Erosion of organic carbon from the Andes and its effects on ecosystem carbon dioxide balance

et al. 2017

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Productive forests of the Andes are subject to high erosion rates that supply to the Amazon River sediment and carbon from both recently photosynthesized biomass and geological sources. Despite this recognition, the source and discharge of particulate organic carbon (POC) in Andean Rivers remain poorly constrained. We collected suspended sediments from the Kosñipata River, Peru, over 1 year at two river gauging stations. Carbon isotopes (14C, 13C, and 12C) and nitrogen to organic carbon ratios of the suspended sediments suggest a mixture of POC from sedimentary rocks (POCpetro) and from the terrestrial biosphere (POCbiosphere). The majority of the POCbiosphere has a composition similar to surface soil horizons, and we estimate that it is mostly younger than 850 14C years. The suspended sediment yield in 2010 was 3500 ± 210 t km−2 yr−1, >10 times the yield from the Amazon Basin. The POCbiosphere yield was 12.6 ± 0.4 t C km−2 yr−1 and the POCpetro yield was 16.1 ± 1.4 t C km−2 yr−1, mostly discharged in the wet season (December to March) during flood events. The river POCbiosphere discharge is large enough to play a role in determining whether Andean forests are a source or sink of carbon dioxide. The estimated erosional discharge of POCpetro from the Andes is much larger (~1 Mt C yr−1) than the POCpetro discharge by the Madeira River downstream in the Amazon Basin, suggesting that oxidation of POCpetro counters CO2 drawdown by silicate weathering. The flux and fate of Andean POCbiosphere and POCpetro need to be better constrained to fully understand the carbon budget of the Amazon River basin.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Erosion of organic carbon from the Andes and its effects on ecosystem carbon dioxide balance

et al. 2017

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“…The channel shows a pronounced step-pool morphology with some cascading and riffle reaches and has an average bankfull channel width of 3.7 m (Molnar et al, 2010). Its banks are prone to hillslope creep and actively supply the channel with sediment and organic matter, including wood of a wide range of sizes (Schuerch et al, 2006;Turowski et al, 2009Turowski et al, , 2013a. There have been no signs of debris flow occurrence in the channel, and sediment transport was observed to be fluvial even under the highest discharges (Turowski et al, 2009).…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…8d). The conceptual model proposed herein can well explain the steep rating relationship between CPOM transport rates and discharge in many streams (e.g., Turowski et al, 2013a). Log jams act as storage sites for CPOM pieces, collecting the steady supply of small-and medium-sized pieces to release them during large flood events, when the jams are at least partly mobilized.…”

Section: Conceptual Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is known that CPOM export from a catchment strongly depends on discharge (e.g., Bormann et al, 1969;Fisher and Likens, 1973;Wallace et al, 1995;Iroumé et al, 2015). From detailed short-term measurements over a range of discharges, Turowski et al (2013a) found that 90 % of the total CPOM load of the Erlenbach, a prealpine mountain stream in Switzerland, was exported by floods with return periods of > 5 years. Here, CPOM export rates increase by a factor of more than 30 000 upon a 10-fold increase in discharge.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Around 40 % of the catchment area is covered by multi-level subalpine forest, dominantly Norway spruce (Picea abies) and silver fir (Abies alba), and the remaining 60 % of the area is grass and wetlands (Burch, 1994). CPOM export from the Erlenbach was assessed in detail by Turowski et al (2013a) by measuring transport rates and dry masses of organic matter heavier than 0.1 g leaving the catchment. However, their study did not focus on the processes within the stream leading to the observed rating curve.…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of log jams and exceptional flood events in mobilizing coarse particulate organic matter in a steep headwater stream

et al. 2015

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Abstract. Coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM) fulfills important functions in the physical and ecological system of a stream. CPOM delivery to and export from the stream has implications for the stream's morphology and sediment transport capacity as well as the energy budget and food availability. Export rates of CPOM from mountain catchments have been observed to strongly increase with rising discharge, but the mechanism leading to this strong relationship is unclear. Here, we show that log jams in the Erlenbach, a steep headwater stream in the Swiss Prealps, are an effective barrier for the transport of CPOM pieces, and thus become sites of storage of large quantities of material over time. Exceptional discharge events with return periods exceeding 20 years play a dual role in CPOM transport in the Erlenbach. First, they appear to destroy existing log jams, releasing the stored material (wood and sediment). Second, they intensify channel-hillslope coupling, thereby recruiting new logs to the channel, around which new jams can form. This allows for the formulation of a new, fully episodic endmember in a four-end-member model of CPOM dynamics of steep mountain streams based on wood delivery and export.

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Recent advances quantifying the large wood dynamics in river basins: New methods and remaining challenges

Ruíz-Villanueva

Piégay

Gurnell

et al. 2016

Reviews of Geophysics

204

194

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Large wood is an important physical component of woodland rivers and significantly influences river morphology. It is also a key component of stream ecosystems. However, large wood is also a source of risk for human activities as it may damage infrastructure, block river channels, and induce flooding. Therefore, the analysis and quantification of large wood and its mobility are crucial for understanding and managing wood in rivers. As the amount of large-wood-related studies by researchers, river managers, and stakeholders increases, documentation of commonly used and newly available techniques and their effectiveness has also become increasingly relevant as well. Important data and knowledge have been obtained from the application of very different approaches and have generated a significant body of valuable information representative of different environments. This review brings a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative summary of recent advances regarding the different processes involved in large wood dynamics in fluvial systems including wood budgeting and wood mechanics. First, some key definitions and concepts are introduced. Second, advances in quantifying large wood dynamics are reviewed; in particular, how measurements and modeling can be combined to integrate our understanding of how large wood moves through and is retained within river systems. Throughout, we present a quantitative and integrated meta-analysis compiled from different studies and geographical regions. Finally, we conclude by highlighting areas of particular research importance and their likely future trajectories, and we consider a particularly underresearched area so as to stress the future challenges for large wood research.

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The mass distribution of coarse particulate organic matter exported from an Alpine headwater stream

Cited by 45 publications

References 55 publications

Erosion of organic carbon from the Andes and its effects on ecosystem carbon dioxide balance

Erosion of organic carbon from the Andes and its effects on ecosystem carbon dioxide balance

The role of log jams and exceptional flood events in mobilizing coarse particulate organic matter in a steep headwater stream

Recent advances quantifying the large wood dynamics in river basins: New methods and remaining challenges

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