Characterizing solute budgets of a tropical Andean páramo ecosystem

Arízaga-Idrovo, Viviana; Pesántez, Juan; Birkel, Christian; Peña, P. Castro; Mora, Enma; Crespo, Patricio

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155560

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 67 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…S5). The dominance of bicarbonate (3-20 g m −2 yr −1 ) and DSi (3-10 g m −2 yr −1 ) in the soil weathering fluxes is in line with the existing data on river chemical loads from páramo environments (Arízaga-Idrovo et al, 2022;Tenorio et al, 2018), where fluxes of 9 to 30 and 2 to 4 g m −2 yr −1 were reported for bicarbonate and DSi, respectively. For Andean basins, the solute fluxes show similarly high contributions of HCO − 3 , DSi, and also Ca (61, 13, and 18 g m −2 yr −1 , respectively) (Moquet et al, 2016).…”

Section: Solute Fluxes Under Soil-forming Cushion Plants and Tussock ...supporting

confidence: 90%

“…Chemical weathering has been reported as exceeding physical erosion in páramo catchments (Tenorio et al, 2018), similar to what was observed in other alpine environments (Dixon and Thorn, 2005). In the total solute load of páramo stream waters, the fluxes of bicarbonate, dissolved silica and dissolved organic carbon are dominant (Arízaga-Idrovo et al, 2022;Tenorio et al, 2018).…”

Section: Páramo Ecosystemsupporting

confidence: 67%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Soil–vegetation–water interactions controlling solute flow and chemical weathering in volcanic ash soils of the high Andes

Páez‐Bimos

Molina

Calispa

et al. 2023

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Vegetation plays a key role in the hydrological and biogeochemical cycles. It can influence soil water fluxes and transport, which are critical for chemical weathering and soil development. In this study, we investigated soil water balance and solute fluxes in two soil profiles with different vegetation types (cushion-forming plants vs. tussock grasses) in the high Ecuadorian Andes by measuring soil water content, flux, and solute concentrations and by modeling soil hydrology. We also analyzed the role of soil water balance in soil chemical weathering. The influence of vegetation on soil water balance and solute fluxes is restricted to the A horizon. Evapotranspiration is 1.7 times higher and deep drainage 3 times lower under cushion-forming plants than under tussock grass. Likewise, cushions transmit about 2-fold less water from the A to lower horizons. This is attributed to the higher soil water retention and saturated hydraulic conductivity associated with a shallower and coarser root system. Under cushion-forming plants, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and metals (Al, Fe) are mobilized in the A horizon. Solute fluxes that can be related to plant nutrient uptake (Mg, Ca, K) decline with depth, as expected from biocycling of plant nutrients. Dissolved silica and bicarbonate are minimally influenced by vegetation and represent the largest contributions of solute fluxes. Soil chemical weathering is higher and constant with depth below tussock grasses but lower and declining with depth under cushion-forming plants. This difference in soil weathering is attributed mainly to the water fluxes. Our findings reveal that vegetation can modify soil properties in the uppermost horizon, altering the water balance, solute fluxes, and chemical weathering throughout the soil profile.

show abstract

Section: Solute Fluxes Under Soil-forming Cushion Plants and Tussock ...supporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Páramo Ecosystemsupporting

confidence: 67%

Soil–vegetation–water interactions controlling solute flow and chemical weathering in volcanic ash soils of the high Andes

Páez‐Bimos

Molina

Calispa

et al. 2023

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Moreover, although temperature has not been a relevant factor in simulating DOC production due to its current relative stability throughout the year (Córdova et al, 2016), it is generally reported that an uniform increase in temperature could also lead to a notable rise in carbon release (Wen et al, 2020). Consequently, a release of other elements such as metals that are strongly associated to DOC in the humid páramo could be expected in a warmer climate, posing serious concerns for future water quality (Arízaga‐Idrovo et al, 2022; Mosquera et al, 2023; Peña et al, 2023; Sánchez‐Murillo et al, 2019; Wu et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatially distributed tracer‐aided modelling to explore DOC dynamics, hot spots and hot moments in a tropical mountain catchment

Pesántez,

Birkel,

Gaona

et al. 2023

Hydrological Processes

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tracer‐aided rainfall‐runoff modelling is a promising tool for understanding catchment hydrology, particularly when tracers provide information about coupled hydrological‐biogeochemical processes. Such models allow for predicting the quality and quantity of water under changing climatic and anthropogenic conditions. Here, we present the Spatially‐distributed Tracer‐Aided Rainfall‐Runoff model with a coupled biogeochemical reactive tracer module (STARR‐DOC) to simulate dissolved organic carbon (DOC) dynamics and sources. The STARR‐DOC model was developed and tested for a humid high Andean ecosystem (páramo) using high‐resolution hourly DOC and hydrometeorological data to simulate hourly discharge and DOC at a fine spatial (10 × 10 m) resolution. Overall, the model was able to acceptably reproduce discharge (KGE ~ 0.45) and stream DOC (KGE ~ 0.69) dynamics. Spatially distributed DOC simulations were independently compared using point DOC measurements for different soil types across the catchment, which allowed for identifying DOC production hot spots and hot moments. Results showed higher hydrological connectivity between slopes and valleys with increasing precipitation. Wetter conditions also favoured DOC production (wet month = 82 mg L−1, dry month = 5 mg L−1) and transport to the stream network (DOC concentrations: during events ~15 mg L−1, during baseflows ~4 mg L−1). Our results also suggest that minor changes in meteorological conditions directly affect páramo soil water dynamics and biogeochemistry. Knowledge of when and where DOC production in mountain catchments is greatest is important for water managers to understand when they make decisions about water security, especially considering climate change predictions for the Andean region.

show abstract

High frequency UV–Vis sensors estimate error in riverine dissolved organic carbon load estimates from grab sampling

Ritson

Kennedy-Blundell

Croft

et al. 2022

Environ Monit Assess

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

High frequency ultraviolet – visible (UV–VIS) sensors offer a way of improving dissolved organic carbon (DOC) load estimates in rivers as they can be calibrated to DOC concentration. This is an improvement on periodic grab sampling, or the use of pumped sampling systems which store samples in-field before collection. We hypothesised that the move to high frequency measurements would increase the load estimate based on grab sampling due to systemic under-sampling of high flows. To test our hypotheses, we calibrated two sensors in contrasting catchments (Exe and Bow Brook, UK) against weekly grab sampled DOC measurements and then created an hourly time series of DOC for the two sites. Taking this measurement as a ‘true’ value of DOC load, we simulated 1,000 grab sampling campaigns at weekly, fortnightly and monthly frequency to understand the likely distribution of load and error estimates. We also performed an analysis of daily grab samples collected using a pumped storage sampling system with weekly collection. Our results show that: a) grab sampling systemically underestimates DOC loads and gives positively skewed distributions of results, b) this under-estimation and positive skew decreases with increasing sampling frequency, c) commonly used estimates of error in the load value are also systemically lowered by the oversampling of low, stable flows due to their dependence on the variance in the flow-weighted mean concentration, and d) that pumped storage systems may lead to under-estimation of DOC and over estimation of specific ultra-violet absorbance (SUVA), a proxy for aromaticity, due to biodegradation during storage.

show abstract

Characterizing solute budgets of a tropical Andean páramo ecosystem

Cited by 7 publications

References 67 publications

Soil–vegetation–water interactions controlling solute flow and chemical weathering in volcanic ash soils of the high Andes

Soil–vegetation–water interactions controlling solute flow and chemical weathering in volcanic ash soils of the high Andes

Spatially distributed tracer‐aided modelling to explore DOC dynamics, hot spots and hot moments in a tropical mountain catchment

High frequency UV–Vis sensors estimate error in riverine dissolved organic carbon load estimates from grab sampling

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About