Evaluating floodplain organic carbon across a gradient of human alteration in the boreal zone

Abstract

River corridors play an important role in the carbon cycle as sites of carbon transport, storage, and transformation. Floodplain soil organic carbon (OC) and dead, downed large wood (LW) are two of the largest OC stocks in rivers. Human modifications of river corridors, such as damming and floodplain land-use change, have likely modified floodplain OC storage and retention through removal of LW and potential reduction of OC concentrations in soils. However, the effect of human alterations on floodplain OC storage is poorly understood. We measured floodplain soil OC and downed LW loads on three rivers in northern Sweden that display a gradient in the degree of human alteration. The Muddus River is located in a national park and is unaltered. The Vindel River is free-flowing but has been modified via logging and other land-use changes within the floodplain. The Ume River is dammed along its length and has also experienced floodplain logging and land-use change. We used statistical models to determine which factors are associated with differences in mineral soil OC and LW among rivers with different degrees of human alteration. We find the highest mineral soil OC concentrations on the unaltered Muddus River (mean ± standard error (SE) = 3.70 ± 0.59%; median = 3.81%), with lower soil OC along the Vindel (mean ± SE = 1.44 ± 0.22%; median = 0.72%) and Ume (mean ± SE = 2.47 ± 0.44%; median = 1.12%) Rivers. The Muddus River also has the highest downed LW loads (mean ± SE = 22.25 ± 6.99 m3 ha−1) compared to the Vindel (mean ± SE = 3.10 ± 1.26 m3 ha−1) and Ume (mean ± SE = 7.26 ± 3.53 m3 ha−1) Rivers. Variations in soil OC and downed large wood loads indicate that damming may reduce floodplain OC in these boreal systems through reducing lateral channel-floodplain connectivity and longitudinal connectivity. Logging and other land-use changes likely reduce OC inputs to the floodplain surface through removal of organic matter and LW. Further research is needed to elucidate the impact of human modifications on floodplain OC across diverse regions and to inform river restoration efforts to enhance floodplain OC storage.