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Stable Carbon Isotopes δ13C as a Proxy for Characterizing Carbon Sources and Processes in a Small Tropical Headwater Catchment: Nsimi, Cameroon

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Abstract

Stream carbon fluxes are one of the major components in the global C cycle, yet the discrimination of the various sources of stream carbon remains to a large extent unclear and less is known about the biogeochemical transformations that accompany the transfer of C from soils to streams. Here, we used patterns in stream water and groundwater δ13C values in a small forested tropical headwater catchment to investigate the source and contribution from the soil carbon pools to stream organic and inorganic carbon behavior over seasonal scales. Stream organic carbon (DOC and POC) comes mainly from the upper rich soil organic carbon horizons and derived from total organic carbon (TOC) of biogenic source. The isotopic compositions δ13CTOC, δ13CDOC and δ13CPOC of these carbon species were very close (− 30‰ to − 26‰) and typical of the forested C3 vegetation. The relationship observed between DOC and log pCO2 and δ13CDIC indicated that besides the considerable CO2 evasion that occurs as DIC is transported from soils to streams, there were also other processes affecting the stream DIC pool. In-stream mineralization of DOC and mixing of atmospheric carbon had a significant influence on the δ13CDIC values. These processes which varied seasonally with hydrological changes represent the main control on DOC and DIC cycling in the wet tropical milieu. The rapid turnover of carbon on hillside soils, the transformation of TOC to DOC in wetland soils and further mineralization of stream DOC to DIC favor the evasion of C, making the zone a source of carbon to the atmosphere.

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Acknowledgements

The long-term monitoring on Nsimi Small Environmental Watershed (NSEW), is supported by the project titled, Observatoire de Recherche en Environnement-Basins Versants Expérimentaux Tropicaux (ORE/BVET); http://bvet.omp.obs-mip.fr, where hydrological data and some geochemical data are available. We thank the team of the Nsimi Small Experimental Watershed (Nsimi SEW) and the Hydrological Research Centre (CRH) of Yaounde for setting up the NSEW and the Nyong hydrological network and for maintaining it. We also thank late Mathieu Zang and Mathurin Amougou of Nsimi village, Justin Nlozoa and late Jean Pierre Bedimo Bedimo of CRH for their help and especially for the support during the sampling phase. We thank Lagane Clarisse for assistance with the analytical work at the “Géoscience Environnement Toulouse (GET).” This work was supported by a grant from the Service de Coopération et d’Action Culturelle of the French Embassy (SCAC-Yaoundé).

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Nkoue Ndondo, G.R., Probst, JL., Ndjama, J. et al. Stable Carbon Isotopes δ13C as a Proxy for Characterizing Carbon Sources and Processes in a Small Tropical Headwater Catchment: Nsimi, Cameroon. Aquat Geochem 27, 1–30 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-020-09386-8

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