Storm pulses and varying sources of hydrologic carbon export from a mountainous watershed

Byung Joon Jung; Hyun Ju Lee; Jong Jin Jeong; Jeffrey Owen; Bomchul Kim; Katrin Meusburger; Christine Alewell; Gerhard Gebauer; Christopher Shope; Ji Hyung Park

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.03.030

Storm pulses and varying sources of hydrologic carbon export from a mountainous watershed

Byung Joon Jung, Hyun Ju Lee, Jong Jin Jeong, Jeffrey Owen, Bomchul Kim, Katrin Meusburger, Christine Alewell, Gerhard Gebauer, Christopher Shope, Ji Hyung Park

Department of Environmental Science & Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

56 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although soil erosion and leaching can transfer a substantial portion of the annual terrestrial carbon (C) increment to aquatic systems, little is known about rapid changes in the amount and characteristics of soil organic C exported from mountainous watersheds during storm events. To trace short-term changes in sources and characteristics of soil organic C exported during storm events, we investigated storm-induced changes in concentrations of particulate and dissolved organic C (POC and DOC) and the stable isotope composition of suspended sediment (SS) in a mountainous, mixed land-use watershed in northern South Korea. Biweekly stream sampling in a headwater forest stream and a watershed outlet receiving agricultural runoff showed that concentrations of SS and POC were higher in the watershed outlet. In both the forest stream and outlet, POC concentrations were lower than DOC concentrations during baseflow, but increased rapidly with rising discharge during intense storms, resulting in higher peak POC concentrations than peak DOC concentrations. When δ ¹³C and δ ¹⁵N were compared between SS and potential source soils during three storm events, SS δ ¹³C and δ ¹⁵N in the forest stream were similar to forest floor δ ¹³C and δ ¹⁵N. SS δ ¹³C and δ ¹⁵N in the watershed outlet reflected the contribution from forest and cropland mineral soils during peak flow, with sand-size SS displaying increasing δ ¹³C and δ ¹⁵N with rising rainfall intensity. The results suggest that storm pulses of POC can be a transient, but dominant pathway of hydrologic C export overwhelming DOC export and that POC sources and characteristics can rapidly change corresponding to varying rainfall intensity.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	90-101
Number of pages	12
Journal	Journal of Hydrology
Volume	440-441
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.03.030
State	Published - 29 May 2012

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (Basic Science Research Program 2010-0015205; ERC 2009-0093460). The international collaboration between Kangwon National University and University of Bayreuth was supported through the TERRECO project funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea and DFG (German Research Foundation; IRTG 1565).

Keywords

Dissolved organic carbon
Extreme events
Hydrologic carbon export
Particulate organic carbon
Soil carbon
Stable isotopes

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10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.03.030

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title = "Storm pulses and varying sources of hydrologic carbon export from a mountainous watershed",

abstract = "Although soil erosion and leaching can transfer a substantial portion of the annual terrestrial carbon (C) increment to aquatic systems, little is known about rapid changes in the amount and characteristics of soil organic C exported from mountainous watersheds during storm events. To trace short-term changes in sources and characteristics of soil organic C exported during storm events, we investigated storm-induced changes in concentrations of particulate and dissolved organic C (POC and DOC) and the stable isotope composition of suspended sediment (SS) in a mountainous, mixed land-use watershed in northern South Korea. Biweekly stream sampling in a headwater forest stream and a watershed outlet receiving agricultural runoff showed that concentrations of SS and POC were higher in the watershed outlet. In both the forest stream and outlet, POC concentrations were lower than DOC concentrations during baseflow, but increased rapidly with rising discharge during intense storms, resulting in higher peak POC concentrations than peak DOC concentrations. When δ 13C and δ 15N were compared between SS and potential source soils during three storm events, SS δ 13C and δ 15N in the forest stream were similar to forest floor δ 13C and δ 15N. SS δ 13C and δ 15N in the watershed outlet reflected the contribution from forest and cropland mineral soils during peak flow, with sand-size SS displaying increasing δ 13C and δ 15N with rising rainfall intensity. The results suggest that storm pulses of POC can be a transient, but dominant pathway of hydrologic C export overwhelming DOC export and that POC sources and characteristics can rapidly change corresponding to varying rainfall intensity.",

keywords = "Dissolved organic carbon, Extreme events, Hydrologic carbon export, Particulate organic carbon, Soil carbon, Stable isotopes",

author = "Jung, {Byung Joon} and Lee, {Hyun Ju} and Jeong, {Jong Jin} and Jeffrey Owen and Bomchul Kim and Katrin Meusburger and Christine Alewell and Gerhard Gebauer and Christopher Shope and Park, {Ji Hyung}",

note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (Basic Science Research Program 2010-0015205; ERC 2009-0093460). The international collaboration between Kangwon National University and University of Bayreuth was supported through the TERRECO project funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea and DFG (German Research Foundation; IRTG 1565).",

year = "2012",

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day = "29",

doi = "10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.03.030",

language = "English",

volume = "440-441",

pages = "90--101",

journal = "Journal of Hydrology",

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AU - Jung, Byung Joon

AU - Lee, Hyun Ju

AU - Jeong, Jong Jin

AU - Owen, Jeffrey

AU - Kim, Bomchul

AU - Meusburger, Katrin

AU - Alewell, Christine

AU - Gebauer, Gerhard

AU - Shope, Christopher

AU - Park, Ji Hyung

N1 - Funding Information: This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (Basic Science Research Program 2010-0015205; ERC 2009-0093460). The international collaboration between Kangwon National University and University of Bayreuth was supported through the TERRECO project funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea and DFG (German Research Foundation; IRTG 1565).

PY - 2012/5/29

Y1 - 2012/5/29

N2 - Although soil erosion and leaching can transfer a substantial portion of the annual terrestrial carbon (C) increment to aquatic systems, little is known about rapid changes in the amount and characteristics of soil organic C exported from mountainous watersheds during storm events. To trace short-term changes in sources and characteristics of soil organic C exported during storm events, we investigated storm-induced changes in concentrations of particulate and dissolved organic C (POC and DOC) and the stable isotope composition of suspended sediment (SS) in a mountainous, mixed land-use watershed in northern South Korea. Biweekly stream sampling in a headwater forest stream and a watershed outlet receiving agricultural runoff showed that concentrations of SS and POC were higher in the watershed outlet. In both the forest stream and outlet, POC concentrations were lower than DOC concentrations during baseflow, but increased rapidly with rising discharge during intense storms, resulting in higher peak POC concentrations than peak DOC concentrations. When δ 13C and δ 15N were compared between SS and potential source soils during three storm events, SS δ 13C and δ 15N in the forest stream were similar to forest floor δ 13C and δ 15N. SS δ 13C and δ 15N in the watershed outlet reflected the contribution from forest and cropland mineral soils during peak flow, with sand-size SS displaying increasing δ 13C and δ 15N with rising rainfall intensity. The results suggest that storm pulses of POC can be a transient, but dominant pathway of hydrologic C export overwhelming DOC export and that POC sources and characteristics can rapidly change corresponding to varying rainfall intensity.

AB - Although soil erosion and leaching can transfer a substantial portion of the annual terrestrial carbon (C) increment to aquatic systems, little is known about rapid changes in the amount and characteristics of soil organic C exported from mountainous watersheds during storm events. To trace short-term changes in sources and characteristics of soil organic C exported during storm events, we investigated storm-induced changes in concentrations of particulate and dissolved organic C (POC and DOC) and the stable isotope composition of suspended sediment (SS) in a mountainous, mixed land-use watershed in northern South Korea. Biweekly stream sampling in a headwater forest stream and a watershed outlet receiving agricultural runoff showed that concentrations of SS and POC were higher in the watershed outlet. In both the forest stream and outlet, POC concentrations were lower than DOC concentrations during baseflow, but increased rapidly with rising discharge during intense storms, resulting in higher peak POC concentrations than peak DOC concentrations. When δ 13C and δ 15N were compared between SS and potential source soils during three storm events, SS δ 13C and δ 15N in the forest stream were similar to forest floor δ 13C and δ 15N. SS δ 13C and δ 15N in the watershed outlet reflected the contribution from forest and cropland mineral soils during peak flow, with sand-size SS displaying increasing δ 13C and δ 15N with rising rainfall intensity. The results suggest that storm pulses of POC can be a transient, but dominant pathway of hydrologic C export overwhelming DOC export and that POC sources and characteristics can rapidly change corresponding to varying rainfall intensity.

KW - Dissolved organic carbon

KW - Extreme events

KW - Hydrologic carbon export

KW - Particulate organic carbon

KW - Soil carbon

KW - Stable isotopes

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U2 - 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.03.030

DO - 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.03.030

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84860326100

SN - 0022-1694

VL - 440-441

SP - 90

EP - 101

JO - Journal of Hydrology

JF - Journal of Hydrology

ER -

Storm pulses and varying sources of hydrologic carbon export from a mountainous watershed

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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