Abstract
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) constitutes the largest pool of organic matter in aquatic ecosystems and DOM cycling in inland waters influences the global carbon cycle. This chapter presents our current understanding of DOM in lotic ecosystems, with an emphasis on reactivity to microbial and photochemical oxidation. We review the sources and the hydrologic influences on terrestrial source loadings, quality, and fluxes. We explore the molecular complexity of DOM and discuss how structure and composition influence biologically and photochemically driven oxidative processes. These topics are addressed from a broad ecosystem-level watershed perspective that provides a context for discussing the spatial scales of transformations and export within stream and river networks. Finally, we discuss the impacts of the Anthropocene, including changes in land cover, land use, and global climate on DOM dynamics and identify what we consider to be the future challenges for extending knowledge of DOM in streams and rivers.
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