Abstract
In this study, we estimated whether changes in hydrological pathwaysduring storms could explain the large temporal variations of dissolvedorganic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) in the runoff of threecatchments: a forest and a grassland sub-catchment of 1600m2 delineated by trenches, and a headwater catchment of 0.7km2.
The average annual DOC export from the sub-catchments was 185 kg DOCha−1 y−1 for the forest, 108 kg DOCha−1 y−1 for the grassland and 84 kgDOC ha−1 y−1 for the headwatercatchment. DON was the major form of the dissolved N in soil and streamwater. DON export from all catchments was approximately 6 kg Nha−1 y−1, which corresponded to 60% ofthe total N export and to 50% of the ambient wet N deposition. DOC andDON concentrations in weekly samples of stream water were positivelycorrelated with discharge. During individual storms, concentrations andproperties of DOC and DON changed drastically. In all catchments, DOCconcentrations increased by 6 to 7 mg DOC l−1 comparedto base flow, with the largest relative increment in the headwatercatchment (+350%). Concentrations of DON, hydrolysable amino acids, andphenolics showed comparable increases, whereas the proportion ofcarbohydrates in DOC decreased at peak flow. Prediction of DOC and DONconcentrations by an end-member mixing analysis (EMMA) on the base ofinorganic water chemistry showed that changes in water flow pathslargely explained these temporal variability. According to the EMMA, thecontribution of throughfall to the runoff peaked in the initial phase ofthe storm, while water from the subsoil dominated during base flow only.EMMA indicated that the contribution of the DOC and DON-rich topsoil washighest in the later stages of the storm, which explained the highestDOC and DON concentrations as the hydrograph receded. Discrepanciesbetween observed and predicted concentrations were largest for thereactive DOC compounds such as carbohydrates and phenolics. Theyoccurred at base flow and in the initial phase of storms. This suggeststhat other mechanisms such as in-stream processes or a time-variantrelease of DOC also played an important role.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aiken G & Leenheer J (1993) Isolation and chemical characterization of dissolved and colloidal organic matter. Chem. Ecol. 8: 135–151
Allen G (1981) Sequenzing of proteins and peptides. In: Work TS & Burdon RH (Eds) Laboratory Techniques in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (pp 140–141). North-Holland Publishing Comp., Amsterdam
Arheimer B, Andersson L & Lepistö A (1996) Variation of nitrogen concentration in forest streams – influences of flow, seasonality and catchment characteristics. J. Hydrol. 179: 281–304
Burch H (1994) Ein Rückblick auf die hydrologische Forschung der WSL im Alptal. In: Beiträge zur Hydrologie der Schweiz 35 (pp 18–33).SGHL, Bern
Burch H, Waldner P & Fritschi B (1996) Variation of pH and concentrations of nutrients and minerals during rain-events. In: Viville D & Littlewood I (Eds) Ecohydrological Processes in Small Basins (pp 59–64). International Hydrological Programm, UNESCO, Strasbourg.
Chaplin MF (1994) Monosaccharides. In: Chaplin MF & Kennedy JF (Eds) Carbohydrate Analysis. A Practical Approach (pp 1–42). Oxford University Press, Oxford
Chin Y-P, Aiken G & O'Loughlin E (1994) Molecular weight polydispersity, and spectroscopic properties of aquatic humic substances. Environ Sci. Technol. 28: 1853–1858
Christ MJ & David MB (1996) Temperature and moisture effects on the production of dissolved organic carbon in a Spodosol. Soil Biol. Biochem. 28: 1191–1199
Christophersen N, Neal C, Hooper RP, Vogt RD & Andersen S (1990) Modelling streamwater chemistry as a mixture of soilwater end-members – a step towards second-generation acidification models. J. Hydrol. 116: 307–320
Creed IF & Band LE (1998) Export of nitrogen from catchments within a temperate forest: Evidence for a unifying mechanism regulated by variable source area dynamics. Water Resour. Res. 34: 3105–3120
Cronan CS (1990) Patterns of organic acid transport from forested watersheds to aquatic ecosystems. In: Perdue EM & Gjessing ET (Eds) Organic Acids in Aquatic Ecosystems (pp 245–260). John Wiley & Sons, New York
Easthouse KB, Mulder J, Christopheresen N & Seip HP (1992) Dissolved organic carbon fractions in soil and stream water during variable hydrological conditions at Birkenes, Southern Norway. Water Resour. Res. 28: 1585–1596
Eshleman KN & Hemond HF (1985) The role of organic acids in the acid-base status of surface waters at Bickford Watershed, Massachusetts. Water Resour. Res. 21: 1503–1510
Feyen H (1998) Identification of runoff processes in catchments with a small scale topography. Dissertation 12868, ETH Zürich. Switzerland
Grieve IC (1991) A model of dissolved organic carbon concentrations in soil and stream waters. Hydr. Processes 5: 301–307
Guggenberger G & ZechW(1993) Dissolved organic carbon controls in acid forest soils of the Fichtelgebirge (Germany) as revealed by distribution patterns and structural composition analyses. Geoderma 59: 109–129
Hagedorn F, Kaiser K, Feyen H & Schleppi P (2000) Effects of redox conditions and flow processes on the mobility of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen in a forest soil. J. Environ. Qual. (in press)
Hornberger GM, Bencala KE & McKnight DM (1994) Hydrological controls on dissolved organic carbon during snowmelt in the Snake River near Montezuma, Colorado. Biogeochemistry 25: 147–165
Hedin LO, Armesto JJ & Johnson AH (1995) Patterns of nutrient loss from unpolluted, oldgrowth temperate forests: Evaluation of biogeochemical theory. Ecology 76: 493–509
Hill AR, Kemp WA, Buttle JM & D Goodyear (1999) Nitrogen chemistry of subsurface storm runoff on Canadian Shield hillslopes. Water Resour. Res. 35: 811–821
Hinton MJ, Schiff SL & English MC (1997) The significance of storms for the concentration and export of dissolved organic carbon from two Precambrian Shield catchments. Biogeochemistry 36: 67–88
Hinton MJ, Schiff SL & English MC (1998) Sources and flowpaths of dissolved organic carbon during storms in two forested watersheds of the Precambrian Shield. Biogeochemistry 41: 175–197
Kaplan LA & Bott TL (1982) Diel fluctuations of DOC generated by algae in a Piedmont stream. Limnol. Oceanogr. 27: 1091–1100
Kaplan LA & Newbold JD (1993) Biogeochemistry of dissolved organic matter entering streams. In: Ford TE (Ed) Aquatic Microbiology: An Ecological Approach (pp 139–165). Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford
Keller H (1990) Extreme conditions of streamwater chemistry in a partly forested mountainous region. Hydrology in Mountainous Regions. I. – Hydrological Measurements; the Water Cycle. Proceedings of Two Lausanne Symposia IAHS Publ. 193: 477–486
McDowell WH & Likens GE (1988) Origin, composition, and flux of dissolved organic carbon in the Hubbard Brook Valley. Ecol. Mon. 58: 177–195
McKnight DM, Thurman EM, Wershaw RL & Hemond HF (1985) Biogeochemistry of aquatic humic substances in Thoreau's bog, Concord, Massachusetts. Ecology 66: 1339–1352
McKnight DM, Harnisch R, Wershaw RL, Baron JS & Schiff S (1997) Chemical characteristics of particulate, colloidal, and dissolved organic material in Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park. Biogeochemistry 36: 99–124
Meyer JL (1990) Production and utilization of dissolved organic carbon in riverine ecosystems. In: Perdue EM & Gjessing ET (Eds) Organic Acids in Aquatic Ecosystems (pp 281–299). John Wiley & Sons, New York
Mohn J (1999) Field measurement of denitrification within the scope of the nitrogen saturation experiments in Alptal (CH). Dissertation, University of Zürich, Switzerland
Mulder J, Christopheresen N, Kopperud K & Fjeldal PH (1995) Water flow paths and the spatial distribution of soils as a key to understanding differences in streamwater chemistry between three catchments. Water Air Soil Pollut. 81: 67–91
Mulholland PJ & Hill WR (1997) Seasonal patterns in streamwater nutrient and dissolved organic carbon concentrations: Separating catchment flow path and in-stream effects. Water Resour. Res. 33: 1297–1306
Northup RR, Yu Z, Dahlgren RA & Vogt KA (1995) Polyphenol control of nitrogen release from pine litter. Nature 377: 227–229
Qualls RG, Haines BL & Swank WT (1991) Fluxes of dissolved organic nutrients and humic substances in a deciduous forest. Ecology 72: 254–266
Qualls RG & Haines BL (1992) Biodegradability of dissolved organic matter in forest throughfall, soil solution, and stream water. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 56: 578–586
Schindler JE & Krabbenhoft DP (1998) The hyporheic zone as asource of dissolved organic carbon and carbon gases to a temperate forested stream. Biogeochemistry 43: 157–174
Schleppi P, Muller N, Feyen H, Papritz A, Bucher JB & H Flühler (1998) Nitrogen budgets of two small experimental forested catchments at Alptal, Switzerland. For Ecol. Managt. 101: 177–185
Sedell JR & Dahm CN (1990) Spatial and temporal scales of dissolved organic carbon in streams and rivers. In: Perdue EM & Gjessing ET (Eds) Organic Acids in Aquatic Ecosystems (pp 261–279). John Wiley & Sons, New York
Solorzano L & Sharp JH (1980) Determination of total dissolved nitrogen in natural waters. Limnol. Oceanogr. 25: 751–754
Swaine T & Hillis WE (1959) The phenolic constituents of Prunus domestica. I. The quantitative analysis of phenolic constituents. J. Sci. Food Agric. 10: 63–68
Tate CT & Meyer JL (1983) The influence of hydrologic conditions and successional state on dissolved organic carbon export from forested watersheds. Ecology 64: 25–32
Urban NR, Bailey SE & Eisenreich SJ (1989) Export of dissolved organic carbon and acidity from peatlands. Water Resour. Res. 25: 1619–1628
Yavitt JB & Fahey TJ (1984) An experimental analysis of soil solution chemistry in a lodgepole pine forest floor. Oikos 43: 222–234
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hagedorn, F., Schleppi, P., Waldner, P. et al. Export of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen from Gleysol dominated catchments – the significance of water flow paths. Biogeochemistry 50, 137–161 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006398105953
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006398105953