Dissolved Organic Carbon Chemostasis in Antarctic Polar Desert Streams

Abstract

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a key variable in stream ecosystems, influencing stream biogeochemistry (Halbedel et al., 2013;Zarnetske et al., 2018), supporting aquatic food webs (Tank et al., 2010), and forming a major constituent of global carbon fluxes (Battin et al., 2009;Meybeck, 1982). In glaciated systems, DOC fluxes can be a major source of organic carbon (OC) to the ocean or terminal lakes (Hood et al., 2020;McKnight et al., 1999). Understanding how instream DOC concentration (C) changes with discharge (q) can elucidate where and how DOC is generated in the watershed, the relative controls of surface and subsurface (hyporheic) processes