Unusual Roles of Discharge, Slope and SOC in DOC Transport in Small Mountainous Rivers, Taiwan
Journal
Scientific Reports
Journal Volume
9
Journal Issue
1
Date Issued
2019
Author(s)
Lee, L.-C.
Hsu, T.-C.
Lee, T.-Y.
Shih, Y.-T.
Lin, C.-Y.
Jien, S.-H.
Hein, T.
Zehetner, F.
Shiah, F.-K.
Abstract
. Comparing with worldwide rivers from literature, the annual discharge, slope, and SOC (soil organic carbon) are controlling factors as expected, though they influence in different ways. SOC stock likely regulated by elevation-dependent biomes dominate the DOC supply, while slope restrains the DOC generation due to shallow soil depth and fast runoff velocity. However, the abundant discharge flushing this persistent low supply leads to a large DOC export in the SMRs. Furthermore, the DOC dynamics during typhoon periods showed a clockwise hysteresis, suggesting that the DOC is mainly from the riparian zone or downslope area during the rising limb of the hydrograph. This study elucidates the DOC transport in SMRs and provides an atypical yet significant piece of understanding on DOC transport in a global context.
Type
journal article