Watershed geomorphology modifies the sensitivity of aquatic ecosystem metabolism to temperature.

ABSTRACT: The regulation of aquatic carbon cycles by temperature is a significant uncertainty in our understanding of how watersheds will respond to climate change. Aquatic ecosystems transport substantial quantities of carbon to the atmosphere and ocean, yet we have limited understanding of how temperature modifies aquatic ecosystem metabolic processes and contributions to carbon cycles at watershed to global scales. We propose that geomorphology controls the distribution and quality of organic material that forms the metabolic base of aquatic ecosystems, thereby controlling the response of aquatic ecosystem metabolism to temperature across landscapes. Across 23 streams and four years during summer baseflow, we estimated variation in the temperature sensitivity of ecosystem respiration (R) among st

SUBMITTER: Jankowski KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6879538 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature