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Glacier Loss Impacts Riverine Organic Carbon Transport to the Ocean
Author(s) -
Hood Eran,
Fellman Jason B.,
Spencer Robert G. M.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2020gl089804
Subject(s) - glacier , particulates , surface runoff , environmental science , total organic carbon , watershed , sediment , sediment transport , oceanography , particulate organic carbon , hydrology (agriculture) , carbon cycle , dissolved organic carbon , ecosystem , geology , environmental chemistry , geomorphology , nutrient , phytoplankton , ecology , chemistry , geotechnical engineering , machine learning , computer science , biology
Lateral transport of organic carbon (OC) to the coastal ocean is an important component of the global carbon cycle because rivers transport, mineralize, and bury significant amounts of OC. Glaciers drive water and sediment export from many high‐elevation and high‐latitude ecosystems, yet their role in watershed OC balances is poorly understood, particularly with regard to particulate OC. Here, we evaluate seasonal water, sediment, and comprehensive OC budgets, including both dissolved and particulate forms, for three watersheds in southeast Alaska that vary in glacier coverage. We show that glacier loss will shift the dominant size fraction of riverine OC from particulate toward dissolved and potentially alter the provenance of particulate OC. Glacier coverage also controls whether OC export is source (C stock) or transport (runoff) limited at the watershed scale. These findings provide insight into the future trajectory of riverine OC export in glacierized regions.