Total Organic Carbon Analyzer for Carbon Cycling in Freshwater

湖泊和河流及其为加拿大人提供的服务受到溶解有机物（DOM）的深刻影响，这些溶解有机物通常从陆地进入沃茨。DOM主要来源于植物和土壤，通过控制沃茨中的许多生物、化学和物理参数，在湖泊和河流中发挥着重要作用。DOM在全球碳通量中也起着关键作用。我们通过量化其碳含量（简称DOC）来测量DOM。目前淡水中溶解有机碳（DOC）负荷的波动代表了全球生态系统变化的一个戏剧性的表现。例如，许多北方和北方的湖泊和河流由于陆地有机碳含量的增加而颜色增加，由于气候和/或土地使用的变化，基本上变成棕色（称为“布朗宁”=增加的陆地有机物）。DOC的这些变化反过来影响初级生产、生物多样性、鱼类生产、生物地球化学过程和饮用水质量。申请的资金将使我们能够购买一台TOC分析仪，用于测量水中的DOC。有了这个，我们将研究DOC动态及其与初级生产，食物网营养途径，鱼类生产和健康的湖泊和河流在安大略的联系。我们收集的数据可用于科学政策，例如，通过将河流和湖泊DOC的区域增加与饮用水质量的降低联系起来。

Lakes and rivers and the services that they provide to Canadians are profoundly influenced by dissolved organic material (DOM) that typically loads into waters from land. DOM which is derived primarily from plants and soils plays an important role in lakes and rivers by controlling many biological, chemical and physical parameters in our waters. DOM also plays a key role in global carbon fluxes. We measure DOM by quantifying its carbon content (abbreviated as DOC). Fluctuations currently occurring in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) loadings in freshwater represent a dramatic presentation of global ecosystem change. For example, many northern and boreal lakes and rivers are experiencing increased color due to the increased loading of terrestrial organic carbon, essentially turning browner (known as “browning”= increased terrestrial organic matter) because of climate and/or land-use changes. These changes in DOC in turn affect primary production, biodiversity, fish production, biogeochemical processes and drinking water quality. The requested funding will allow us to purchase a TOC Analyzer which can be used to measure DOC in water. With this we will examine DOC dynamics and their links to primary production, food web trophic pathways, and fish production and health in lakes and rivers in Ontario. The data that we collect can be used for scientific policy for example by linking the regional increases in stream and lake DOC with the reduction in drinking water quality.