Regional comparisons of watershed determinants of dissolved organic carbon in temperate lakes from the Upper Great Lakes region and selected regions globally

We analyzed how dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration in lakes of the North American temperate forest (Upper Great Lakes region) is related to nine catchment characteristics (lake area, lake perimeter, drainage area, ratio of drainage area to lake area, proportion of watershed occupied by wetlands, proportion of lake perimeter in wetlands, shoreline development, elevation, and watershed slope) and compared selected relationships to those from other regions across the globe. For the temperate lakes, the proportion of the lake perimeter and the proportion of the watershed occupied by wetlands were the best predictors of DOC in both univariate (r 2 5 0.34 and 0.30, respectively) and multivariate regression models. Forested wetlands, in particular those with coniferous vegetation, explained the largest proportion of lake DOC variability. Wetlands with scrub-shrubs and emergent vegetation explained very little or no variability. Secondary to wetlands, lake DOC decreased with lake area and watershed slope. When we combined the temperate lake data set with that of 10 other geographical regions of the world (ranging from subtropical to tundra), the only two variables significant in predicting DOC were proportion of wetlands in the watershed (r 2 5 0.36) and lake elevation (r 2 5 0.34). We conclude that regional or small-scale DOC models likely have limited applicability in predicting DOC in other geographical areas of the world.

[1]  J. Elser,et al.  JOINT EFFECTS OF UV RADIATION AND PHOSPHORUS SUPPLY ON ALGAL GROWTH RATE AND ELEMENTAL COMPOSITION , 2002 .

[2]  R. Hecky,et al.  Effects of lake size, water clarity, and climatic variability on mixing depths in Canadian Shield lakes , 1996 .

[3]  Daniel R. Engstrom,et al.  Influence of Vegetation and Hydrology on the Humus Budgets of Labrador Lakes , 1987 .

[4]  D. Schindler.  A Hypothesis to Explain Differences and Similarities Among Lakes in the Experimental Lakes Area, Northwestern Ontario , 1971 .

[5]  G. Kling,et al.  Integration of lakes and streams in a landscape perspective: the importance of material processing on spatial patterns and temporal coherence , 2000 .

[6]  C. Cronan,et al.  Chemistry and transport of soluble humic substances in forested watersheds of the Adirondack Park, New York , 1985 .

[7]  R. Hesslein,et al.  Natural variability of carbon dioxide and net epilimnetic production in the surface waters of boreal lakes of different sizes , 2001 .

[8]  G. Bornette,et al.  Connectivity and biocomplexity in waterbodies of riverine floodplains , 2002 .

[9]  E. M. Thurman,et al.  Organic Geochemistry of Natural Waters , 1985, Developments in Biogeochemistry.

[10]  Daniel Houle,et al.  Dissolved organic carbon and sulfur in southwestern Quebec lakes: Relationships with catchment and lake properties , 1995 .

[11]  W. W. Muir,et al.  Regression Diagnostics: Identifying Influential Data and Sources of Collinearity , 1980 .

[12]  P. Curtis,et al.  Dissolved organic matter quantity and quality from freshwater and saltwater lakes in east-central Alberta , 1995 .

[13]  Richard L. Smith,et al.  Seasonal relationships between planktonic microorganisms and dissolved organic material in an alpine stream , 1993 .

[14]  J. Catalán,et al.  Attenuation of ultraviolet radiation in mountain lakes: Factors controlling the among‐ and within‐lake variability , 2000 .

[15]  Ed Snucins,et al.  Interannual variation in the thermal structure of clear and colored lakes , 2000 .

[16]  D. Schindler,et al.  Consequences of climate warming and lake acidification for UV-B penetration in North American boreal lakes , 1996, Nature.

[17]  I. Hawes,et al.  Penetration of solar ultraviolet radiation into New Zealand lakes: influence of dissolved organic carbon and catchment vegetation , 2001, Limnology.

[18]  S. Schiff,et al.  The significance of storms for the concentration and export of dissolved organic carbon from two Precambrian Shield catchments , 1997 .

[19]  D. Schindler,et al.  Physical Factors Determining Ultraviolet Radiation Flux into Ecosystems , 2001 .

[20]  Jonathan J. Cole,et al.  Synchronous variation of dissolved organic carbon and color in lakes , 2002 .

[21]  S. Bridgham,et al.  Global warming and the export of dissolved organic carbon from boreal peatlands , 2003 .

[22]  Craig E. Williamson,et al.  The attenuation of solar UV radiation in lakes and the role of dissolved organic carbon , 1995 .

[23]  Monica G. Turner,et al.  DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON AS AN INDICATOR OF THE SCALE OF WATERSHED INFLUENCE ON LAKES AND RIVERS , 1999 .

[24]  R. Carignan,et al.  Influence of catchment topography on water chemistry in southeastern Québec Shield lakes , 1997 .

[25]  E. Prepas,et al.  Landscape variables influencing nutrients and phytoplankton communities in Boreal Plain lakes of northern Alberta: a comparison of wetland- and upland-dominated catchments , 2001 .

[26]  Karen Updegraff,et al.  CARBON, NITROGEN, AND PHOSPHORUS MINERALIZATION IN NORTHERN WETLANDS , 1998 .

[27]  S. Schiff,et al.  Export of DOC from forested catchments on the Precambrian Shield of Central Ontario: Clues from 13C and 14C , 1997 .

[28]  P. Kortelainen,et al.  Content of Total Organic Carbon in Finnish Lakes and Its Relationship to Catchment Characteristics , 1993 .

[29]  D. Schindler,et al.  The effects of climatic warming on the properties of boreal lakes and streams at the Experimental Lakes Area, northwestern Ontario , 1996 .

[30]  S. Schiff,et al.  Chemical Characteristics of Particulate, Colloidal, and Dissolved Organic Material in Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park , 1997 .

[31]  Michael J. Vepraskas,et al.  Wetland soils : genesis, hydrology, landscapes, and classification , 2000 .

[32]  D. Schindler,et al.  Hydrologic control of dissolved organic matter in low-order Precambrian Shield lakes , 1997 .

[33]  Lyse Godbout,et al.  The humic content of lake water and its relationship to watershed and lake morphometry , 1989 .

[34]  S. Bridgham,et al.  Soils of Northern Peatlands: Histosols and Gelisols , 2000 .

[35]  M. Xenopoulos,et al.  Influence of ultraviolet-B radiation, stratospheric ozone variability, and thermal stratification on the phytoplankton biomass dynamics in a mesohumic lake , 2000 .

[36]  G. Powell,et al.  Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth , 2001 .

[37]  R. A. McCord,et al.  Characteristics of lakes in the eastern United States. Volume 3. Data compendium of site characteristics and chemical variables , 1986 .

[38]  C. Carlson,et al.  Re‐evaluation of high temperature combustion and chemical oxidation measurements of dissolved organic carbon in seawater , 1993 .

[39]  A. Plante,et al.  The attenuation of ultraviolet radiation in high dissolved organic carbon waters of wetlands and lakes on the northern Great Plains , 2000 .