Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) flux from rivers in the pan‐Arctic watershed represents an important connection between major terrestrial carbon stocks and the Arctic Ocean. Previous estimates of Arctic carbon flux and dissolved organic matter (DOM) seasonal dynamics have relied predominantly on measurements from the six major Arctic rivers, yet these may not be representative of northern high‐latitude constrained smaller watersheds. Here, we evaluate DOC concentration and DOM composition in the Onega River, a small Arctic watershed, using optical measurements and ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry. Compared to the six largest Arctic rivers, DOC, absorbance at
Large rivers are the main arteries for transportation of carbon to the ocean; yet, how hydrology and anthropogenic disturbances may change the composition and export of dissolved organic matter along large river continuums is largely unknown. The Yangtze River has a watershed area of 1.80 × 106 km2. It originates from the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau and flows 6300 km eastward through the center of China. We collected samples (
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10452317
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Limnology and Oceanography
- Volume:
- 66
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 0024-3590
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 1730-1742
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract a 350, and indicators of terrestrial DOM (e.g., specific UV absorbance at 254 nm, modified aromaticity index, relative abundance of condensed aromatics and polyphenolics) were elevated in the Onega throughout the year. Seasonality was also generally muted in comparison to the major Arctic rivers with relatively elevated DOC and terrestrial markers in both spring and fall seasons. The Onega exhibits a strong relationship betweena 350and DOC, and its organic‐rich nature is apparent in its high DOC yield (4.85 g m2yr−1), and higher chromophoric DOM per unit DOC than the six largest Arctic rivers. As DOC yield from the Onega may be more representative of smaller northern high‐latitude rivers, we derived a new pan‐Arctic DOC flux scaling estimate which is over 50% higher than previous estimates scaled solely from the six major Arctic rivers. These observations suggest that smaller northern high‐latitude rivers may be underrepresented in Arctic carbon flux models and highlights uncertainty around constraining the export of DOC to the Arctic Ocean. -
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