Behavior of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Larch Ecosystems

Abstract

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) has a significant contribution to carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems and links terrestrial and aquatic environments (McDowell and Likens 1988; Neff and Asner 2001; Dittmar and Kattner 2003; Sondergaard et al. 2003). Permafrost-affected ecosystems, which hold 25-33% of the world's soil organic carbon (Hobbie et al. 2000), store significant part of this carbon temporarily in the surface layer of the ground as plant debris of different decomposition stages. This highly labile organic C may greatly exceed vegetation biomass (Prokushkin et al. 2006a, b; see also Chap. 8) and is most vulnerable to climate change (Schulze and Freibauer 2005). It is expected that along with climate-induced decomposition of this carbon pool, large amounts of dissolved organic matter will be released and transported to the oceans. Therefore, the transport of DOC from land to riverine systems and its chemical characteristics have received growing attention in the permafrost-dominated landscapes (Neff et al. 2006).