Abstract
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) from soils enters the aquatic environment via headwater streams. Thereafter, it is gradually transformed, removed by sedimentation, and mineralised. Due to the proximity to the terrestrial source and short water residence time, the extent of transformation is minimal in headwaters. DOM has variable composition across inland waters, but the amount of variability in the terrestrial end member is unknown. This gap in knowledge is crucial considering the potential impact large variability would have on modelling DOM degradation. Here, we used a novel liquid chromatography –mass spectrometry method to characterise DOM in 74 randomly selected, forested headwater streams in an 87,000 km2 region of southeast Sweden. We found a large degree of sample similarity across this region, with Bray-Curtis dissimilarity values averaging 8.4 ± 3.0% (mean ± SD). The identified variability could be reduced to two principle coordinates, correlating to varying groundwater flow-paths and regional mean temperature. Our results indicate that despite reproducible effects of groundwater geochemistry and climate, the composition of DOM is remarkably similar across catchments already as it leaves the terrestrial environment, rather than becoming homogeneous as different headwaters and sub-catchments mix.
Highlights
Inland waters are increasingly recognised as an important component of the global carbon cycle, and it is estimated that riverine flux of organic carbon to the sea represents only a fraction (
Headwater streams are a fundamental part of river networks, being the point at which groundwater leaves the soils and turns into surface water to form the earliest stages of the river
The flow rate and geochemistry of headwater streams are heavily affected by groundwater table depth[17,18,19], land use and climate[20], and their composition forms the basis of the entire river network
Summary
Inland waters are increasingly recognised as an important component of the global carbon cycle, and it is estimated that riverine flux of organic carbon to the sea represents only a fraction (
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