ASSESSMENT OF ORGANIC CARBON IN WETLANDS AND RIPARIAN ZONE. CASE STUDY: COMMON FLOODPLAIN OF JIJIA-PRUT RIVERS, ROMANIA

Abstract

The evaluation of organic carbon contributes to the delimitation of wetlands in the context of the degradation of the edaphic shell in the temperate zone. The quantification of the total carbon (TC) and the total organic carbon (TOC) from the soil is a key analysis in regards to the management of soil quality. In the common floodplain of Jijia-Prut rivers, the hydrotechnical and agricultural facilities deeply changed the aquatic scenery, lowering the organic carbon quantity, and deeply impacting the biodiversity of the relict wetlands. Currently, the hydromorphic soils are affected both by natural factors (climate change, the changing of the soil’s texture, the diminution of the areas covered by natural vegetation, and in situ biodegradation) as well as anthropogenic factors (irrational land usage). This study targets the evaluation of TC and TOC quantities from the transition perimeters of the wetlands corresponding to common floodplain of Jijia-Prut rivers. The analysis was realized on 55 ground samples collected from 5 reference points. The samples were collected using a pedological corer from the summer of 2016. In order to determine the organic carbon, we used a TOC analyzer equipped with a solid sample module, operated at 1,000°C (Analytik Jena multi N/C with HT 1300). The values were situated between 6.61 g/kg and 45.02 g/kg, with an average of 19.98 g/kg. The highest values were registered in the wetlands that were the least anthropogenically affected. The lowest values correspond to the areas from outside the aquatic perimeter. The drop in TOC is directly proportional to the diminution of wetlands and riparian zone.