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Colloidal and dissolved organic carbon dynamics in undisturbed boreal forest catchments: a seasonal study of apparent molecular weight spectra
Author(s) -
LOCK MAURICE A.,
FORD TIME.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
freshwater biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.297
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2427
pISSN - 0046-5070
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2427.1986.tb00963.x
Subject(s) - streams , taiga , dissolved organic carbon , total organic carbon , phytoplankton , boreal , environmental chemistry , carbon fibers , surface water , ultrafiltration (renal) , environmental science , chemistry , colloid , hydrology (agriculture) , ecology , biology , geology , chromatography , nutrient , materials science , organic chemistry , environmental engineering , composite number , composite material , computer network , geotechnical engineering , computer science
SUMMARY. 1. Colloidal and dissolved organic carbon (CDOC) was monitored in six pristine boreal rivers in Northern Quebec, Canada, using ultrafiltration to obtain apparent molecular weight spectra. 2. The concentration and proportional contribution of small (<1K) molecular weight material (potentially microbially labile) and high (0.7μm to 300 K) molecular weight material was not significantly different between streams of order 2–9. 3. The dominant component of CDOC (0.7μm to 300 K fraction) was probably derived in streams other than first order, from surface or sub‐surface run‐off, whereas a peak concentration in the <1 K fraction during August was probably due to autochthonous exudates. 4. The two first order streams included in this survey had very low CDOC concentrations. However, further work on twelve other first order streams showed that they had high concentrations and we consider that this is the more typical situation. The finding offered a potential explanation for the otherwise anomalous longitudinal CDOC distribution pattern throughout the study area.