Collaborative Research: Delivery and Fate of Old Terrestrial Organic Carbon in a Riverine Ecosystem

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This interdisciplinary study, combining organic isotope geochemistry and freshwater ecosystem science, seeks to determine the importance and role of Aged Terrestrial Organic C (ATOC, which is naturally depleted in 14C) after it is exported from landscapes to large rivers. The investigators will to determine what happens to old terrestrial organic matter once it enters a river. The Hudson River is the focus of this study because prior work has shown terrestrial organic matter of considerable age (1000 to 5000 years old) dominates C inputs to this river. Observations, experiments and modeling will be used to determine (1) the variability in ATOC delivery to large rivers across seasons and among tributaries, (2) decomposition rates of ATOC within rivers, (3) controls on the balance between ATOC decomposition and export, and (4) the importance of ATOC in fueling riverine metabolism, relative to younger terrestrial inputs and to primary production within rivers themselves. Graduate and undergraduate students working on this project will receive multi-disciplinary training that will strengthen research and education linkages among three collaborating institutions. The investigators will continue to develop interactions with Hudson River outreach organizations (Clearwater, Scenic Hudson) to communicate project results to the general public. The idea that a modern river is influenced by organic matter produced in forests centuries ago is a captivating framework with which to educate the public about the C cycle in general and rivers in particular, and the inextricable link between continents and the ocean.