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Trends in Dissolved Organic Carbon in UK Rivers and Lakes

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Abstract

Several studies have highlighted an increase in DOC concentration in streams and lakes of UK upland catchments though the causal mechanisms controlling the increase have yet to be fully explained. This study, compiles a comprehensive data set of DOC concentration records for UK catchments to evaluate trends and test whether observed increases are ubiquitous over time and space. The study analysed monthly DOC time series from 198 sites, including 29 lakes, 8 water supply reservoirs and 161 rivers. The records vary in length from 8 to 42 years going back as far as 1961. Of the 198 sites, 153 (77%) show an upward trend in DOC concentration significant at the 95% level, the remaining 45 (23%) show no significant trend and no sites show a significant decrease in DOC concentration. The average annual increase in DOC concentration was 0.17 mg C/l/year. The dataset shows: (i) a spatial consistent upward trend in the DOC concentration independent of regional effects of rainfall, acid and nitrogen deposition, and local effects of land-use change; (ii) a temporally consistent increase in DOC concentration for period back as far as the 1960s; (iii) the increase in DOC concentration means an estimated DOC flux from the UK as 0.86 Mt C for the year 2002 and is increasing at 0.02 Mt C/year. Possible reasons for the increasing DOC concentration are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    Fred Worrall

  2. The Freshwater Laboratory, Faskally, Pitlochry, Perthshire, PH16 5LB, UK

    Ron Harriman

  3. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, University of Wales, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UP, UK

    Chris D. Evans, Brian Reynolds & Paul Stevens

  4. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxon, OX10 8BB, UK

    Carol D. Watts, Colin Neal & Pam S. Naden

  5. Environmental Change Network, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Merlewood, Windermere Road, Grange over Sands, Cumbria, LA11 6JU, UK

    John Adamson

  6. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Ferry House, Far Sawrey, Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 0LP, UK

    Ed Tipping

  7. Department of Geography, Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    Tim Burt

  8. Department of Environmental Science, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK

    Ian Grieve

  9. Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, UK

    Don Monteith

  10. Forest Research, Alice Holt lodge, Farnham, Surrey, GU10 4LH, UK

    Tom Nisbet

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  1. Fred Worrall
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  2. Ron Harriman
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Correspondence to Fred Worrall.

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Worrall, F., Harriman, R., Evans, C.D. et al. Trends in Dissolved Organic Carbon in UK Rivers and Lakes. Biogeochemistry 70, 369–402 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-004-8131-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-004-8131-7

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