Effects of Forest and Agriculture Land Covers on Organic Carbon Flux Mediated through Precipitation

Abstract

Carbon stored on land is discharged into rivers through water flow, which is an important mechanism for energy transfer from land to river ecosystems. The goal of this study was to identify the relationship between land cover and carbon flux mediated through precipitation. In order to clarify the general relationship, research was conducted on a range of national scales. Eighty‐two watershed samples from an area where the urban land cover area was less than 10% and with a water‐quality measurement point at an outlet were delineated. Carbon flux and soil organic carbon of the watershed was estimated using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool model, Forest Biomass and Dead Organic Matter Carbon model, and other data. Finally, the data were analyzed to determine the relationship between soil organic carbon and carbon flux. As a result, it was concluded that the carbon flux of the watershed increased with increasing area of the watershed. Under the same area con-dition, it was revealed that the greater the forest soil organic carbon, the less the carbon flux released from the watershed. Through this study, it was observed that as the above‐ground biomass of forest increased, the carbon flux from watershed to river outlet decreased logarithmically.