Journal article
Seasonal Wetlands Make a Relatively Limited Contribution to the Dissolved Carbon Pool of a Lowland Headwater Tropical Stream
Journal of geophysical research. Biogeosciences, Vol.129(2), e2023JG007556
02/2024
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Abstract
Wetlands process large amounts of carbon (C) that can be exported laterally to streams and rivers. However, our understanding of wetland inputs to streams remains unclear, particularly in tropical systems. Here we estimated the contribution of seasonal wetlands to the C pool of a lowland headwater stream in the Australian tropics. We measured dissolved organic and inorganic C (DOC and DIC) and dissolved gases (carbon dioxide—CO2, methane—CH4) during the wet season along the mainstem and in wetland drains connected to the stream. We also recorded hourly measurements of dissolved CO2 along a ‘stream–wetland drain–stream’ continuum, and used a hydrological model combined with a simple mass balance approach to assess the water, DIC and DOC sources to the stream. Seasonal wetlands contributed ∼15% and ∼16% of the DOC and DIC loads during our synoptic sampling, slightly higher than the percent area (∼9%) they occupy in the catchment. The riparian forest (75% of the DOC load) and groundwater inflows (58% of the DIC load) were identified as the main sources of stream DOC and DIC. Seasonal wetlands also contributed marginally to stream CO2 and CH4. Importantly, the rates of stream CO2 emission (1.86 g C s−1) and DOC mineralization (0.33 g C s−1) were much lower than the downstream export of DIC (6.39 g C s−1) and DOC (2.66 g g C s−1). This work highlights the need for further research on the role of riparian corridors as producers and conduits of terrestrial C to tropical streams.
Details
- Title
- Seasonal Wetlands Make a Relatively Limited Contribution to the Dissolved Carbon Pool of a Lowland Headwater Tropical Stream
- Creators
- Vanessa Solano - Charles Darwin UniversityClement Duvert - Charles Darwin UniversityLindsay B. Hutley - Charles Darwin UniversityDioni I. Cendon - Australian Nuclear Science and Technology OrganisationDamien T. Maher - Southern Cross UniversityChristian Birkel - Universidad de Costa Rica
- Publication Details
- Journal of geophysical research. Biogeosciences, Vol.129(2), e2023JG007556
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union
- Number of pages
- 16
- Grant note
- Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering. Grant Number: Postgraduate Research Award Australian Research Council. Grant Number: DE220100852 Water and Global Change Observatory. Grant Number: C2902
- Identifiers
- 991013167990302368
- Copyright
- © 2024. The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. Open access publishing facilitated by Charles Darwin University, as part of the Wiley - Charles Darwin University agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article