Dynamics and fluxes of dissolved carbon under short-term climate variabilities in headwaters of the Changjiang River, draining the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Carbon-climate feedback is sensitive in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. A series of temporal measurements from Jinsha River and Yalong River, in conjunction with flow information, were used to study the carbon dynamics and predict future carbon fluxes under ongoing climate change. DIC and DOC concentrations showed considerable temporal variations, with low DIC and high DOC concentrations in the high-flow season, and vice versa. DIC and DOC concentrations had negative and positive relationships with runoff changes, respectively, showing the hydro-biogeochemical controls on carbon dynamics. With the increase of runoff, the accelerated chemical weathering and the high carbonate buffering capacity should be responsible for the chemostatic behaviors of DIC. Meanwhile, warm weather would enhance organic carbon degradation, and also thicken the active layer of permafrost in the source area, both of which would produce DOC. In addition, organic carbon degradation in the high-flow season would produce DIC with C-13-depleted values. delta C-13(DIC) also had significant temporal variations, synchronous with runoff changes (i.e., light values under high runoff conditions), supporting that biological carbon plays an important role in carbon dynamics during the warm season. Based on the clear positive correlations between carbon fluxes and runoff, we predicted that the sensitivities of DOC fluxes to temperature changes are 12.2%/degrees C and 8.3%/degrees C for the Jinsha River and Yalong River, respectively. The sensitivities of DIC fluxes to temperature changes are much lower, which are 5.5%/degrees C and 6.1%/degrees C for the Jinsha River and Yalong River, respectively. This study sheds lights on the alpine riverine carbon cycling based on runoff-shifting concentration-isotope (q-C-I) relationships in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which has implications on the understanding of climate forcing on carbon fluxes in alpine areas.

Automated summary

Carbon-climate feedback in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is sensitive, with DIC and DOC concentrations varying with changes in runoff, indicating hydro-biogeochemical controls on carbon dynamics. Increased runoff leads to accelerated organic carbon degradation, resulting in the production of DOC.