Seasonal changes in photochemical properties of dissolved organic matter
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Abstract. The fate of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in lakes and streams is significantly affected by photochemical transformation of DOM. A series of laboratory photochemical experiments was conducted to describe long-term changes in photochemical properties of DOM. The stream samples used in this study originated from three different catchments on the southern-most part of the Boreal ecozone near Dorset, Ontario, Canada. A first-order kinetics equation was used to model photochemical degradation of DOM and the kinetic rate constant, K, was used as an indicator of photochemical properties of DOM. Highest Kwas observed in samples from the catchment dominated by coniferous forest while the lowest K was measured in the deciduous catchment. Kinetic rate constants from all three catchments showed a sinusoidal pattern during the hydrological year. K increased steadily during autumn and winter and decreased during spring and summer. The highest values were observed during spring melt events when DOM was flushed from terrestrial sources by high flows. The minimum rate constants were found in summer when discharge was lowest. DOM molecular weight and specific absorbance at 254 nm also exhibited annual cycles corresponding to the seasonal cycles of terrestrial organic matter but the relationships between these properties and K was probably affected by previous exposure to solar radiation during transit from the catchment as well as pH and iron.Keywords:
Absorbance
Seasonality
Absorbance
Chromophore
Molar absorptivity
Spectral slope
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Abstract The terrestrial water cycle contains large uncertainties that impact our understanding of water budgets and climate dynamics. Water storage is a key uncertainty in the boreal water budget, with tree water storage often ignored. The goal of this study is to quantify tree water content during the snowmelt and growing season periods for Alaskan and western Canadian boreal forests. Deciduous trees reached saturation between snowmelt and leaf-out, taking up 21–25% of the available snowmelt water, while coniferous trees removed <1%. We found that deciduous trees removed 17.8–20.9 billion m 3 of snowmelt water, which is equivalent to 8.7–10.2% of the Yukon River’s annual discharge. Deciduous trees transpired 2–12% (0.4–2.2 billion m 3 ) of the absorbed snowmelt water immediately after leaf-out, increasing favorable conditions for atmospheric convection, and an additional 10–30% (2.0–5.2 billion m 3 ) between leaf-out and mid-summer. By 2100, boreal deciduous tree area is expected to increase by 1–15%, potentially resulting in an additional 0.3–3 billion m 3 of snowmelt water removed from the soil per year. This study is the first to show that deciduous tree water uptake of snowmelt water represents a large but overlooked aspect of the water balance in boreal watersheds.
Snowmelt
Water year
Water balance
Water storage
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