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Eutrophication has a greater influence on floodplain lake carbon cycling than dam installation across the middle Yangtze region

Zeng, Linghan; McGowan, Suzanne; Swann, George E.A.; Leng, Melanie J.; Chen, Xu

Authors

Linghan Zeng

Suzanne McGowan

Xu Chen



Abstract

Carbon cycling in shallow floodplain lakes is complex due to variability in delivery of flood-derived allochthonous organic matter (OM). Human activities have potential to significantly modify the carbon balance of lakes by damming which restricts external OM inputs and via eutrophication which can increase the in-lake production of algae and/or aquatic plants. In order to understand how these human activities influence carbon cycling in shallow floodplain lakes over decadal-centennial timescales, we analysed C/N ratios and δ13C from terrestrial plants, catchment soils, aquatic plants and dated sediment cores from six heavily modified lakes in the middle Yangtze floodplain. Submerged macrophytes (−21.4 ± 4.6 ‰) had higher δ13C than C3 plants from the catchment (−26.6 ± 0.6 ‰) and emergent and floating plants (−26.6 ± 4.0 ‰). Increases in sedimentary chlorophyll a (from primary producers) were associated with a decline in sedimentary δ13C in the severely eutrophic Dongting, Luhu, Wanghu and Poyang Lakes after the 1980s. In contrast, sedimentary δ13C increased in Honghu and Futou Lakes which have abundant submerged macrophytes. The timing and scale of sedimentary δ13C changes indicated stronger responses to eutrophication than damming, with eutrophication responses ranging from a macrophyte proliferation to the dominance of phytoplankton.

Citation

Zeng, L., McGowan, S., Swann, G. E., Leng, M. J., & Chen, X. (2022). Eutrophication has a greater influence on floodplain lake carbon cycling than dam installation across the middle Yangtze region. Journal of Hydrology, 614, Article 128510. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128510

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 20, 2022
Online Publication Date Oct 21, 2022
Publication Date Nov 1, 2022
Deposit Date Oct 25, 2022
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Journal of Hydrology
Print ISSN 0022-1694
Publisher Elsevier BV
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 614
Article Number 128510
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128510
Keywords Water Science and Technology
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/12892411
Publisher URL https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022169422010800?via%3Dihub

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