Climate Warming and Soil Drying Lead to a Reduction of Riverine Dissolved Organic Carbon in China

IF 5.5 2区地球科学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Global Biogeochemical Cycles Pub Date : 2025-08-28 DOI:10.1029/2025GB008665

Lingli Yu, Mingxu Li, Xiaoyan Kang, Li Xu, Boming Liang, Jiankun Chen, Youbin Deng, Huai Chen, Nianpeng He

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Abstract

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a dynamic component of riverine carbon pools that plays a vital role in determining regional carbon balance. However, owing to limitations in observational data and methodologies, the spatiotemporal dynamics of riverine DOC at a regional scale and their underlying driving factors remain poorly understood. In this study, we compiled riverine DOC concentration measurements for China, using which we analyzed the spatial and temporal patterns of DOC concentrations from 1982 to 2020, and examined the potential driving factors, including climate, vegetation, soil, and hydrology. The results revealed that the average annual DOC concentration in Chinese rivers for the assessed period was 4.06 mg L⁻¹, with the highest concentrations found in Northeast China (i.e., the Songliao River). We also found that there had been a significant reduction in annual DOC concentrations in Chinese rivers from 1982 to 2020, associated with significant declines in DOC in spring and summer. Further analyses revealed that these reductions in DOC concentrations could mainly be attributed to the synergistic effect of climate warming and soil drying. In addition, the total flux of DOC from major rivers in China and the average DOC yield were estimated at 8.15 Tg yr⁻¹ and 1.16 g m² yr⁻¹, respectively. Our findings in this study provide foundational data support for the accurate assessment of regional carbon budgets and offer theoretical insights for developing a regional land-ocean-aquatic continuum (LOAC) carbon cycling model for China.

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气候变暖和土壤干燥导致中国河流溶解有机碳减少

溶解有机碳（DOC）是河流碳库的动态组成部分，对区域碳平衡起着至关重要的作用。然而，由于观测数据和方法的限制，在区域尺度上河流DOC的时空动态及其潜在驱动因素仍然知之甚少。本文收集了1982 - 2020年中国河流DOC浓度数据，分析了中国河流DOC浓度的时空变化特征，并探讨了气候、植被、土壤和水文等潜在驱动因素。结果表明，中国河流年平均DOC浓度为4.06 mg L−1，其中东北地区（即松辽河）浓度最高。1982 - 2020年，中国河流DOC年浓度呈显著下降趋势，且在春夏季显著下降。进一步分析表明，DOC浓度的减少主要是由于气候变暖和土壤干燥的协同作用。此外，中国主要河流DOC的总通量和平均DOC产量分别为8.15 Tg yr - 1和1.16 g m2 yr - 1。本研究结果为区域碳预算的准确评估提供了基础数据支持，并为中国区域陆-海-水连续体（LOAC）碳循环模型的建立提供了理论依据。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Global Biogeochemical Cycles 环境科学-地球科学综合

CiteScore

8.90

自引率

7.70%

发文量

141

审稿时长

8-16 weeks

期刊介绍： Global Biogeochemical Cycles (GBC) features research on regional to global biogeochemical interactions, as well as more local studies that demonstrate fundamental implications for biogeochemical processing at regional or global scales. Published papers draw on a wide array of methods and knowledge and extend in time from the deep geologic past to recent historical and potential future interactions. This broad scope includes studies that elucidate human activities as interactive components of biogeochemical cycles and physical Earth Systems including climate. Authors are required to make their work accessible to a broad interdisciplinary range of scientists.