Table1_Distributive Features of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Aquatic Systems in the Source Area of the Yellow River on the Northeastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China.docx

• Main Authors: Qiang Ma, Huijun Jin, Qingbai Wu, Yuzhong Yang, Qingfeng Wang, Dongliang Luo, Yadong Huang, Yan Li, Xiaoying Li, Raul D. Serban, Sihai Liang, Shuhui Gao, Sergey S. Marchenko
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Solid Earth Sciences; Climate Science; Atmospheric Sciences not elsewhere classified; Exploration Geochemistry; Inorganic Geochemistry; Isotope Geochemistry; Organic Geochemistry; Geochemistry not elsewhere classified; Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology; Ore Deposit Petrology; Palaeontology (incl. Palynology); Structural Geology; Tectonics; Volcanology; Geology not elsewhere classified; Seismology and Seismic Exploration; Glaciology; Hydrogeology; Natural Hazards; Quaternary Environments; Earth Sciences not elsewhere classified; Evolutionary Impacts of Climate Change; alpine permafrost; source area of the Yellow River; dissolved organic carbon; DOC distribution; aquatic systems; Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.892524.s001; https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Table1_Distributive_Features_of_Dissolved_Organic_Carbon_in_Aquatic_Systems_in_the_Source_Area_of_the_Yellow_River_on_the_Northeastern_Qinghai_Tibet_Plateau_China_docx/20023691

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is the main participant in carbon cycles through water pathways. Recent studies have highlighted the roles of aquatic systems in landscape and watershed carbon budgets. This study is based on 261 samples collected between 2016 and 2017, from individual water types (e.g., river/stream, lake/pond, icing/spring, snow/rain, groundwater/ice, and others) in the source area of the Yellow River (SAYR). These samples were analyzed for examining the distributive features of DOC in aquatic systems, especially in relation to environmental factors. It shows that: 1) DOC concentrations in permafrost-related waters (7.2–234.4 mg C·L −1 ) were often the highest among all aquatic DOC sources (lakes/ponds: 21.3 ± 34.1 mg C·L −1 , rivers/streams: 4.3 ± 3.7 mg C·L −1 , and groundwater: 1.8 ± 1.4 mg C·L −1 ); 2) the seasonality of riverine DOC showed declining features in 2016 and high in summer/autumn, followed by a spring freshet in 2017, and a close association with intra-annual precipitation modes; 3) the main controls of aquatic DOC are permafrost presence, precipitation, and NDVI, and they contribute to 38% of variances of environmental variables in affecting variations in aquatic DOC in the SAYR; and 4) a literature review on biodegradable DOC (BDOC) of varied aquatic DOC pools indicates the highest DOC concentrations (48–1,548 mg C·L −1 ) and BDOC (23–71%) of ground-ice meltwater. Thus, we suggest that in the SAYR, permafrost dynamics dominate aquatic DOC distribution, and permafrost thaw may alter aquatic DOC budgets, eventually becoming an additional source for atmospheric carbon emissions.