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Rainfall and drainage basin shape strongly control temporal and spatial variation of dissolved organic matter in a tropical lake

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Abstract

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a central driver of many processes in aquatic environments. Here, we address the issue of spatial and temporal variations in DOM quantity and quality in a deep tropical lake (Brazil). We measure DOC, Chl-a, suspended solids, nutrients and CDOM metrics in surface water samples taken from 21 sampling sites during six campaigns, and we quantify their links with water depth and rainfall estimates. Temporal effects explain between 74.5 and 94.5% of the variance in DOC, SUVA254, aCDOM440, and Chl-a, and all those parameters were influenced by rainfall. In contrast, spatial variations affect more S275-295 and aCDOM254. The contributing drainage area varies spatially in morphology and geometry, and each portion affects a specific part of the lake, resulting in a spatial variation in DOM quantity and quality. Our findings demonstrate the importance of the input of allochthonous DOM (which depends on seasonal rainfall and drainage area shape) to DOM dynamics in a tropical lake. The study area is receiving lower rates of precipitation in recent times, and our results suggest that this may alter the seasonal patterns of input of DOM and nutrients in the lake, with possible impacts on water quality, aquatic biota and ecosystem functioning.

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source: Sentinel-2B Imagery (12-m resolution; year: 2019)

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) for financial support. Part of the writing of this manuscript was performed in Aarhus University (Roskilde, Denmark), supported by the project Carbon Cycling in Lakes (COCLAKE.—CAPES Proc No. 88881.030499/2013-01). D.P. had support from CAPES under a CAPES-PrInt Postdoctoral fellowship (No 88887.367976/2019-00). We also thank the laboratories LIMNEA and LGAR (Federal University of Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil) for their infrastructure and Nelson Mello, Marcelo Costa, and Patrícia Ferreira for all the help in the field and laboratory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Limnea, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Av. Antonio Carlos, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 6627, 31270-901, Brazil

    Luciana Pena Mello Brandão, Ludmila Silva Brighenti, Francisco Antônio Rodrigues Barbosa & José Fernandes Bezerra-Neto

  2. Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej, 399, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark

    Peter Anton Staehr

  3. UEMG-Divinópolis, University of Minas Gerais State, Av. Paraná, 3001, Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, 35501-170, Brazil

    Ludmila Silva Brighenti

  4. GeotecLab, Institute of Geosciences, CPMTC, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Brazil

    Daniel Peifer

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  1. Luciana Pena Mello Brandão
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Correspondence to Luciana Pena Mello Brandão.

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Brandão, L.P.M., Staehr, P.A., Brighenti, L.S. et al. Rainfall and drainage basin shape strongly control temporal and spatial variation of dissolved organic matter in a tropical lake. Limnology 23, 207–217 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10201-021-00684-w

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