Conversion of forest to agriculture increases colored dissolved organic matter in a subtropical catchment and adjacent coastal environment

Felgate, Stacey L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9955-4948; Barry, Christopher D.G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1844-848X; Mayor, Daniel J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1295-0041; Sanders, Richard ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6884-7131; Carrias, Abel; Young, Arlene; Fitch, Alice ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6260-8957; Mayorga-Adame, Claudia G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8707-9385; Andrews, Gilbert; Brittain, Hannah; Cryer, Sarah E.; Evans, Chris D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7052-354X; Goddard-Dwyer, Millie; Holt, Jason T. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3298-8477; Hughes, Bethany K.; Lapworth, Dan J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7838-7960; Pinder, Adam; Price, David M.; Rosado, Samir; Evans, Claire ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0569-7057. 2021 Conversion of forest to agriculture increases colored dissolved organic matter in a subtropical catchment and adjacent coastal environment. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 126 (6), e2021JG006295. 19, pp. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JG006295

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Abstract/Summary

Land-ocean dissolved organic matter (DOM) transport is a significant and changing term in global biogeochemical cycles which is increasing as a result of human perturbation, including land-use change. Knowledge of the behavior and fate of transported DOM is lacking, particularly in the tropics and subtropics where land-use change is occurring rapidly. We used Parallel Factor (PARAFAC) Analysis to investigate how land-use influenced the composition of the DOM pool along a subtropical land-use gradient (from near-pristine broadleaf forest to agri-urban settings) in Belize, Central America. Three humic-like and two protein-like components were identified, each of which was present across land uses and environments. Land-use mapping identified a strong (R2 = 0.81) negative correlation between broadleaf forest and agri-urban land. All PARAFAC components were positively associated with agri-urban land-use classes (cropland, grassland, and/or urban land), indicating that land-use change from forested to agri-urban exerts influence on the composition of the DOM pool. Humic-like DOM exhibited linear accumulation with distance downstream and behaved conservatively in the coastal zone whilst protein-like DOM exhibited nonlinear accumulation within the main river and nonconservative mixing in coastal waters, indicative of differences in reactivity. We used a hydrodynamic model to explore the potential of conservative humics to reach the region's environmentally and economically valuable coral reefs. We find that offshore corals experience short exposures (10 ± 11 days yr−1) to large (∼120%) terrigenous DOM increases, whilst nearshore corals experience prolonged exposure (113 ± 24 days yr−1) to relatively small (∼30%) terrigenous DOM increases.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JG006295
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Soils and Land Use (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	2169-8953
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	coral reefs, dissolved organic matter, land ocean aquatic continuum, land use change, PARAFAC, subtropical
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment Marine Sciences
Date made live:	14 Jun 2021 10:16 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/530472

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