Seasonally variable interactions between dissolved organic matter and mineral particles in an agricultural river

Abstract

Streams and rivers form an important link in the global carbon cycle by transporting and transforming large amounts of carbon imported from terrestrial ecosystems to the oceans. Since streams in agricultural areas often experience increased concentrations of suspended mineral particles from soil erosion, they are important sites where dissolved organic carbon (DOC) may be adsorbed to particles and retained in the sediment. As the extent of adsorption varies with the molecular composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM), which is seasonally variable, we expect also the fraction of organic material that adsorbs to mineral particles to fluctuate over time. We sampled the agriculturally impacted River Fyrisån (Sweden) monthly during 1 year, and measured DOC concentration and DOM composition based on several optical properties. At each sampling occasion, we estimated the potential for adsorption by exposing the samples to a reference clay. The potential for adsorption was greatest when riverine DOM had the most terrestrial character, as this fraction of the DOM pool was selectively adsorbed to clay surfaces. The extent of adsorption was negatively related to the concentration of base cations, most notably calcium. We suggest that the observed relationships between the potential for adsorption, DOM composition and base cations are linked by discharge. A bioavailability test at one sampling occasion suggested that DOM remaining after exposure to clay particles was more biodegradable. This implies that adsorption may alter the degradation potential of DOM remaining in solution, which could have far reaching effects on the fate of organic carbon.