Modeling Global Riverine DOC Flux Dynamics From 1951 to 2015

Abstract

AbstractClimate change has a profound impact on the global carbon cycle, including effects on riverine carbon pools, which connect terrestrial, oceanic, and atmospheric carbon pools. Until now, terrestrial ecosystem models have rarely incorporated riverine carbon components into global carbon budgets. Here we developed a new process‐based model, TRIPLEX‐HYDRA (TRIPLEX‐hydrological routing algorithm), that considers the production, consumption, and transport processes of nonanthropogenic dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from soil to river ecosystems. After the parameter calibration, model results explained more than 50% of temporal variations in all but three rivers. Validation results suggested that DOC yield simulated by TRIPLEX‐HYDRA has a good fit (R2 = 0.61, n = 71, p < 0.001) with global river observations. And then, we applied this model for global rivers. We found that mean DOC yield of global river approximately 1.08 g C/m2 year, where most high DOC yield appeared in the rivers from high northern or tropic regions. Furthermore, our results suggested that global riverine DOC flux appeared a significant decrease trend (average rate: 0.38 Pg C/year) from 1951 to 2015, although the variation patterns of DOC fluxes in global rivers are diverse. A decreasing trend in riverine DOC flux appeared in the middle and high northern latitude regions (30–90°N), which could be attributable to an increased flow path and DOC degradation during the transport process. Furthermore, increasing trend of DOC fluxes is found in rivers from tropical regions (30°S–30°N), which might be related to an increase in terrestrial organic carbon input. Many other rivers (e.g., Mississippi, Yangtze, and Lena rivers) experienced no significant changes under a changing environment.