Hydrological management affected dissolved organic matter chemistry and organic carbon burial in the Three Gorges Reservoir

With the linkage between dissolved organic matter (DOM) and the characteristics of natural ecosystem assessed extensively, the properties of DOM in reservoirs, the typical human interrupted ecosystems, have been focused on in recent years, which is critical for the understanding of human impacts on watershed ecosystems and carbon cycling. This study aims to analyze the effect of hydrological management on the DOM chemistry and organic carbon burial in Daning River tributary of the world's largest Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR). Based on the application of a combined approach including bulk geochemical analyses, optical spectroscopy, and ultrahigh-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, various sources of DOM (terrestrial, anthropogenic, and autochthonous sources) were revealed. An increasing trend of terrestrial and recalcitrant DOM was observed along the upstream to downstream transect of Daning River tributary, which was mainly caused by the water intrusion with a higher terrestrial and recalcitrant signature from mainstream to tributary resulted from hydrological management of TGR. Integrated with the analysis of sedimentary organic matter in Daning River tributary in the past decade (after the construction of TGR), our work suggests that organic carbon burial in the reservoir could be enhanced by hydrological management-induced variation in DOM chemistry. Further studies are needed to better constrain the effects of damming reservoirs on carbon cycling considering their booming all over the world. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study reveals the impact of human activities on the characteristics of DOM and organic carbon burial in reservoirs, suggesting that hydrological management-induced variation in DOM chemistry could enhance organic carbon burial in reservoirs. Further research is needed to better understand the effects of damming reservoirs on carbon cycling worldwide.