Skip to main content
Log in

Organic versus Inorganic Carbon Exports from Glacier and Permafrost Watersheds in Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Aquatic Geochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In a warming climate, land-to-water carbon mobilization is increasing in glacier and permafrost area. To identify the connection between exported river carbon content and the permafrost or glacier condition in the high-altitude mountain area, we studied the dissolved organic carbon and dissolved inorganic carbon concentration in three streams of Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP), which were located in the continuous permafrost, seasonal permafrost and glacial basin, respectively. It was found that the DIC and DOC concentrations were lower in the glacial rivers compared with the permafrost derived rivers; but more DOC would be exported from glacier due to the large amount of melted glacier water in the high mountainous area. DIC/DOC ratio in rivers reflected the watershed landscape types. In the permafrost area, the river recharged by seasonal permafrost had higher DIC concentration than the river in the continuous permafrost region, suggesting that increased DIC concentration could be a precursor of permafrost degradation. Research is meaningful to estimate the DOC and DIC export from high mountain area.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

source area of Yellow River (SAYR) in Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Availability of data and material

Data and material are available.

References

  • Andrews MG, Jacobson AD, Osburn MR, Flynn TM (2018) Dissolved carbon dynamics in meltwaters from the russell glacier, greenland ice sheet. J Geophys Res Biogeosci 123(9):2922–2940. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jg004458

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barker JD, Sharp MJ, Fitzsimons SJ, Turner RJ (2006) Abundance and dynamics of dissolved organic carbon in glacier systems. Arct Antarct Alp Res 38(2):163–172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Battin TJ, Wille A, Sattler B, Psenner R (2001) Phylogenetic and functional heterogeneity of sediment biofilms along environmental gradients in a glacial stream. Appl Environ Microbiol 67(2):799–807. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.67.2.799-807.2001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhatia M, Sharp M, Foght J (2006) Distinct bacterial communities exist beneath a high arctic polythermal glacier. Appl Environ Microbiol 72(9):5838–5845. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00595-06

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhatia MP, Das SB, Xu L, Charette MA, Wadham JL, Kujawinski EB (2013) Organic carbon export from the greenland ice sheet. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 109:329–344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2013.02.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carey SK (2010) Dissolve organic carbon fluxes in a discontinuous permafrost subarctic alpine catchment. Permafrost Periglac Process 14(2):161–171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chifflard P, Fasching C, Reiss M, Ditzel L, Boodoo KS (2019) Dissolved and particulate organic carbon in icelandic proglacial streams: a first estimate. Water. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11040748

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colombo N, Bocchiola D, Martin M, Confortola G, Salerno F, Godone D, D’Amico ME, Freppaz M (2019) High export of nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon from an alpine glacier (indren glacier, nw italian alps). Aquat Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-019-0670-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cunde X, Shiyin L, Lin Z, Wu QB, Li PJ, Liu CZ, Zhang QW, Ding YJ, Yao TD, Li ZQ, Pu JC (2007) Observed changes of cryosphere in china over the second half of the 20th century: an overview. Ann Glaciol 46:382–390. https://doi.org/10.3189/172756407782871396

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dornblaser MM, Striegl RG (2015) Switching predominance of organic versus inorganic carbon exports from an intermediate-size subarctic watershed. Geophys Res Lett 42(2):386–394. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014gl062349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fegel TS, Baron JS, Fountain AG, Johnson GF, Hall EK (2016) The differing biogeochemical and microbial signatures of glaciers and rock glaciers. J Geophys Res Biogeosci 121(3):919–932. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015jg003236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fellman JB, Hood E, Spencer RGM, Stubbins A, Raymond PA (2014) Watershed glacier coverage influences dissolved organic matter biogeochemistry in coastal watersheds of southeast alaska. Ecosystems 17(6):1014–1025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-014-9777-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frampton A, Destouni G (2015) Impact of degrading permafrost on subsurface solute transport pathways and travel times. Water Resour Res 51(9):7680–7701. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014wr016689

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao T (2011) Observation and simulation of hydrological process in nam co basin of qinghai tibet plateau. Disseration Thesis, Graduate School of Academy of Science in China, Beijing

  • Gao T, Kang Shichang, Zhang Qianggong, Zhou Shiqiao, Xu Yanwei (2008) Major ionic features and their sources in the nam co basin over the tibetan plateau. Environ Sci 11:3009–3016

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao T, Kang S, Zhou S, Liu J, Han W (2009) A study of the summer hydrological features of glaciers in the qugaqie river, nam co basin. J Glaciol Geocryol 31(4):725–731

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo P, Sun Y, Su H, Wang M, Zhang Y (2018) Spatial and temporal trends in total organic carbon (toc), black carbon (bc), and toted nitrogen (tn) and their relationships under different planting patterns in a restored coastal mangrove wetland: Case study in fujian, china. Chem Speciat Bioavailab 30(1):47–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/09542299.2018.1484673

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hodson A, Nowak A, Sabacka M, Jungblut A, Navarro F, Pearce D, Avila-Jimenez ML, Convey P, Vieira G (2017) Climatically sensitive transfer of iron to maritime antarctic ecosystems by surface runoff. Nat Commun 8:14499. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14499

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hood E, Fellman J, Spencer RG, Hernes PJ, Edwards R, D’Amore D, Scott D (2009) Glaciers as a source of ancient and labile organic matter to the marine environment. Nature 462(7276):1044–1047. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08580

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hood E, Battin TJ, Fellman J, O’Neel S, Spencer RGM (2015) Storage and release of organic carbon from glaciers and ice sheets. Nat Geosci 8(2):91–96. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2331

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hopwood MJ, Connelly DP, Arendt KE, Juul-Pedersen T, Stinchcombe MC, Meire L, Esposito M, Krishna R (2016) Seasonal changes in fe along a glaciated greenlandic fjord. Front Earth Sci. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2016.00015

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang R, Zhou D (2012) The impact of climate change on the runoff of the yellow river and ecosystem and frozen soil in its source area. Chin J Nat 34(1):1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Koch JC, Runkel RL, Striegl R, Mcknight DM (2014) Hydrologic controls on the transport and cycling of carbon and nitrogen in a boreal catchment underlain by continuous permafrost. J Geophys Res Biogeosci 118(2):698–712

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohler TJ, Žárský JD, Yde JC, Lamarche-Gagnon G, Hawkings JR, Tedstone AJ, Wadham JL, Box JE, Beaton AD, Stibal M (2017) Carbon dating reveals a seasonal progression in the source of particulate organic carbon exported from the greenland ice sheet. Geophys Res Lett 44(12):6209–6217. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017gl073219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koziol KA, Moggridge HL, Cook JM, Hodson AJ (2018) Organic carbon fluxes of a glacier surface: a case study of foxfonna, a small arctic glacier. Earth Surf Proc Land 44(2):405–416. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4501

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lafrenière MJ, Sharp MJ (2004) The concentration and fluorescence of dissolved organic carbon (doc) in glacial and nonglacial catchments. Arct Antarct Alp Res 36(2):156–165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawson EC, Wadham JL, Tranter M, Stibal M, Lis GP, Butler CEH, Laybourn-Parry J, Nienow P, Chandler D, Dewsbury P (2014) Greenland ice sheet exports labile organic carbon to the arctic oceans. Biogeosciences 11(14):4015–4028. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4015-2014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li CL (2007) Environmental chemistry characteristics in namco area of qinghai-tibet plateau. Dissertation Thesis, The Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing.

  • Li X, Ding Y, Xu J, He X, Han T, Kang S, Wu Q, Mika S, Yu Z, Li Q (2018) Importance of mountain glaciers as a source of dissolved organic carbon. J Geophys Res-Earth Surf 123(9):2123–2134. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017jf004333

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loder TC, Hood DW (1972) Distribution of organic carbon in a glacial estuary in alaska. Limnol Oceanogr 17(3):349–355

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lv XM, Kang SC, Zhu LP, Zhang YJ, Han WW (2009) Phenology characters of dominant plants in the nam co basin and its response to climate, tibet. J Mt Sci 27(6):648–654

    Google Scholar 

  • Ma S, Sheng Y, Cao W, Wu J, Hu X, Wang S (2017) Numerical simulation of spatial distribution and change of permafrost in the source area of the yellow river. Acta Geogr Sin 72(9):1621–1633

    Google Scholar 

  • Ma XL, Liu GM, Wu XD, Smoak JM, Ye LL, Xu HY, Zhao L, Ding YJ (2018) Influence of land cover on riverine dissolved organic carbon concentrations and export in the three rivers headwater region of the qinghai-tibetan plateau. Sci Total Environ 630:314–322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma Q, Jin H, Yu C, Bense VF (2019) Dissolved organic carbon in permafrost regions: a review (vol 62, pg 349, 2019). Sci China-Earth Sci 62(4):750–750. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-019-9339-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maclean R, Oswood MW, Iii JGI, Mcdowell WH (1999) The effect of permafrost on stream biogeochemistry: a case study of two streams in the alaskan (U.S.A) taiga. Biogeochemistry 47(3):239–267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mu C, Zhang F, Chen X, Ge S, Mu M, Jia L, Wu Q, Zhang T (2019) Carbon and mercury export from the arctic rivers and response to permafrost degradation. Water Res 161:54–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2019.05.082

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raudina TV, Loiko SV, Lim A, Manasypov RM, Shirokova LS, Istigechev GI, Kuzmina DM, Kulizhsky SP, Vorobyev SN, Pokrovsky OS (2018) Permafrost thaw and climate warming may decrease the co2, carbon, and metal concentration in peat soil waters of the western siberia lowland. Sci Total Environ 634:1004–1023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.059

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sepahvand H, Feizian M (2016) Distributions of carbon in calcareous soils under different land uses in western iran. Chem Speciat Bioavailab 28(1–4):182–188. https://doi.org/10.1080/09542299.2016.1215775

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singer GA, Fasching C, Wilhelm L, Niggemann J, Steier P, Dittmar T, Battin TJ (2012) Biogeochemically diverse organic matter in alpine glaciers and its downstream fate. Nat Geosci 5(10):710–714. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1581

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spencer RGM, Vermilyea A, Fellman J, Raymond P, Stubbins A, Scott D, Hood E (2014) Seasonal variability of organic matter composition in an alaskan glacier outflow: insights into glacier carbon sources. Environ Res Lett. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/9/5/055005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spencer RGM, Guo W, Raymond PA, Dittmar T, Hood E, Fellman J, Stubbins A (2014a) Source and biolability of ancient dissolved organic matter in glacier and lake ecosystems on the tibetan plateau. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 142:64–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2014.08.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spencer RGM, Mann PJ, Dittmar T, Eglinton TI, McIntyre C, Holmes RM, Zimov N, Stubbins A (2015) Detecting the signature of permafrost thaw in arctic rivers. Geophys Res Lett 42(8):2830–2835. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015gl063498

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stibal M, Tranter M, Benning LG, Rehak J (2008) Microbial primary production on an arctic glacier is insignificant in comparison with allochthonous organic carbon input. Environ Microbiol 10(8):2172–2178. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2008.01620.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stubbins A, Hood E, Raymond PA, Aiken GR, Sleighter RL, Hernes PJ, Butman D, Hatcher PG, Striegl RG, Schuster P, Abdulla HAN, Vermilyea AW, Scott DT, Spencer RGM (2012) Anthropogenic aerosols as a source of ancient dissolved organic matter in glaciers. Nat Geosci 5(3):198–201. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1403

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tank SE, Frey KE, Streigl RG, Raymond PA, Holmes RM, Mcclelland JW, Peterson BJ (2012) Landscape-level controls on dissolved carbon flux from diverse catchments of the circumboreal. Global Biogeochem Cycles. https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GB004299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tian KM, Liu JS, Kang SC, Li CL (2006) A primary study of the environment of frozen ground in the nam co basin, tibet. Adv Earth Sci 21(12):1324–1332

    Google Scholar 

  • Tian K, Liu J, Kang S, Campbell IB, Zhang F, Zhang Q, Lu W (2009) Hydrothermal pattern of frozen soil in nam co lake basin, the tibetan plateau. Environ Geol 57(8):1775–1784. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1462-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tockner K, Malard F, Uehlinger U, Ward JV (2002) Nutrients and organic matter in a glacial river–floodplain system (val roseg, switzerland). Limnol Oceanogr 47(1):266–277

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walvoord MA, Striegl RG (2007) Increased groundwater to stream discharge from permafrost thawing in the yukon river basin: potential impacts on lateral export of carbon and nitrogen. Geophys Res Lett 34(12):123–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu Z, Zhao XT, Wu ZH, Wu XC, Zhou CJ, Yan FH, Zhu Y (2004) Geological records of climate and environment changes during the holocene in the nam co lake and its adjacent areas. J Glaciol Geocryol 26(3):275–283

    Google Scholar 

  • Yan F, Kang S, Li C, Zhang Y, Qin X, Li Y, Zhang X, Hu Z, Chen P, Li X, Qu B, Sillanpää M (2016) Concentration, sources and light absorption characteristics of dissolved organic carbon on a medium-sized valley glacier, northern tibetan plateau. Cryosphere 10(6):2611–2621. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2611-2016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang J, Ma Y (2012) Soil temperature and moisture features of typical underlying surface in the tibetan plateau. J Glaciol Geocryol 34(4):813–820

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao L, Ping CL, Yang DQ, Cheng GD, Ding YJ, Liu SY (2004) Changes of climate and seasonally frozen ground over the past 30 years in qinghai-xizang (tibetan) plateau, china. Global Planet Change 43(1–2):19–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2004.02.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu Z-Y, Wu Y, Liu S-M, Wenger F, Hu J, Zhang J, Zhang R-F (2016) Organic carbon flux and particulate organic matter composition in arctic valley glaciers: examples from the bayelva river and adjacent kongsfjorden. Biogeosciences 13(4):975–987. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-975-2016

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC1508200); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51509069, 41472229, 51539003); the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (Grant No. 2019B10814); the Belt and Road Special Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering (Grant No. 2020491711); Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Research Program (Grant No.KZZD-EW-13); and Jiangsu Shuangchuang Fund. We would like to thank Lei Wen for the field work and Yudong Wang for the glacier review work.

Funding

The National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC1508200); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51509069, 41472229, 51539003); the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (Grant No. 2019B10814); the Belt and Road Special Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering (Grant No. 2020491711); Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Research Program (Grant No.KZZD-EW-13); and Jiangsu Shuangchuang Fund.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Congrong Yu.

Ethics declarations

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this article.

Ethical approval

We confirm that legal and ethical requirements have been met with regards to the sample treatment described in the study.

Consent for publication

This manuscript has not been published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yu, C., Li, Y., Jin, H. et al. Organic versus Inorganic Carbon Exports from Glacier and Permafrost Watersheds in Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Aquat Geochem 27, 283–296 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-021-09399-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-021-09399-x

Keywords

Navigation