A GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF SOURCE, COMPOSITION, AND DRIVERS OF DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER IN RESERVOIR ECOSYSTEMS

Reservoirs are ubiquitous, critical part of aquatic continuum, and known hotspots of Carbon (C) cycling. Yet, in comparison to the riverine and natural lake ecosystems, studies focusing on sources and composition of dissolved organic matter and bound C in these managed systems are limited. The existing studies often are at a local (single reservoir) to small regional scale, and thus the evolving patterns and drivers of reservoir C dynamics in response to global scale stressors remain limited. To address this research gap, a global dataset of reservoir DOM quantity, source, and composition is developed. The study reservoirs span geographical gradients of hydro-climate, productivity, and landscape characteristics (e.g., mean depth, watershed area, watershed: reservoir area, and human disturbance). The key regional to global scale drivers of the underlying biogeochemical processes governing reservoir DOM dynamics are explored. Finally, the current needs and future study directions to improve the understanding of C dynamics in reservoirs are proposed.

Primary Presenter: Ruchi Bhattacharya, Cleveland State University (ruchi.bhattacharya@gmail.com)

Authors:

Ruchi Bhattacharya, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA  (ruchi.bhattacharya@gmail.com)