Ecohydrology and Biogeochemistry in a Temperate Forest Catchment

Abstract

The assimilated carbon stored in terrestrial ecosystems is exported with water movement in both organic and inorganic forms, which are defined as particulate organic carbon (POC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). The transport of terrestrial carbon into streams, rivers and eventually the oceans is an important link in the global carbon cycle (Ludwig et al., 1996; Warnken and Santschi, 2004). The Committee on Flux of Carbon to the Ocean estimated that of the organic carbon entering rivers globally, around 50% is transported to the ocean, 25% is oxidized within the system and 25% stored as POC in the system as sediment (Hope et al. 1994). As compared to the terrestrial carbon sinks (1.9 Gt-C/yr; Prentice et al., 2001), the organic carbon transport from terrestrial ecosystems to oceans is 0.4–0.9 Gt-C/yr (Meybeck, 1982; Hope et al., 1994; Prentice et al., 2001), representing a substantial component of the ecosystem carbon balance.