Carbon processing domains: Seasonal and spatial controls on dissolved organic carbon in a montane river

Carbon processing domains: Seasonal and spatial controls on dissolved organic carbon in a montane river | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 15 October 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Carbon processing domains: Seasonal and spatial controls on dissolved organic carbon in a montane river Authors : Fischer Young 0000-0003-4439-2483 [email protected] , Michael D. DeGrandpre 0000-0003-1969-6709 , Maury Valett , Juliana D'Andrilli 0000-0002-3352-2564 , Marc Peipoch 0000-0002-5943-831X , and Robert A Payn 0000-0001-8421-525X Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176055045.52911631/v1 190 views 142 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract The organization of lotic biogeochemical structure and function has been a major field of study for years, but it lacks a functional classification system to assess spatiotemporal variability of chemical species. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is one important solute that acts as a basal resource for aquatic communities, is chemically complex, and has various aquatic and terrestrial sources and sinks. DOC is also a large carbon reservoir and therefore quantifying its sources and sinks is a significant contribution to understanding global carbon dynamics. The recent introduction of the Nutrient Processing Domain (NPD) concept provides a framework for comparing spatiotemporal variation in the relative importance of sources and sinks of DOC along a river. We applied the NPD approach to define carbon processing domains (CPD) for DOC along 216 km of a snowmelt-dominated montane river in the northern Rocky Mountains (USA). Variation in CPD characterizations illustrate the spatiotemporal changes in the primary drivers of DOC abundance in a 3-year record (n=656). The CPD reveal that baseflow and snowmelt comprise distinct hydrologic regimes where DOC biogeochemistry markedly differs. River segments transitioned among several DOC processing domains (i.e., diluter, enhancer, conduit, compiler, and consumer) depending on seasonal changes in hydraulic conditions. During the low flow season, modeled allochthonous inputs were lower concentrations compared to snowmelt high flow season when concentrations were elevated, and biological consumption was significant across all modeled reaches. A conceptual model based on these observations helps visualize mechanisms for seasonal changes in hydrologic regime and associated changes in DOC biogeochemistry. Supplementary Material File (1051289_0_merged_1759994468.pdf) Download 1.21 MB File (final_draft_organic_carbon_processing_manuscript_v4.1.docx) Download 2.88 MB File (final_draft_supporting information_organic_carbon_processing_manuscript_v4.1.docx) Download 1.30 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 15 October 2025 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords environmental sciences freshwater organic carbon processing domains seasonal spatial Authors Affiliations Fischer Young 0000-0003-4439-2483 [email protected] University of Montana View all articles by this author Michael D. DeGrandpre 0000-0003-1969-6709 University of Montana View all articles by this author Maury Valett University of Montana View all articles by this author Juliana D'Andrilli 0000-0002-3352-2564 University of North Texas View all articles by this author Marc Peipoch 0000-0002-5943-831X Stroud Water Research Center View all articles by this author Robert A Payn 0000-0001-8421-525X Montana State University View all articles by this author Funding Information National Science Foundation Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 190 views 142 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Fischer Young, Michael D. DeGrandpre, Maury Valett, et al. Carbon processing domains: Seasonal and spatial controls on dissolved organic carbon in a montane river. Authorea . 15 October 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176055045.52911631/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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