02474nas a2200229 4500008004100000245007500041210006900116260001200185300001800197490000800215520178800223653001502011653001602026653002802042653000802070653002202078653000902100100002502109700002502134700002402159856006102183 2022 eng d00aDissolved organic carbon chemostasis in Antarctic polar desert streams0 aDissolved organic carbon chemostasis in Antarctic polar desert s c07/2022 ae2021JG0066490 v1273 a

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a key variable impacting stream biogeochemical processes. The relationship between DOC concentration (C) and stream discharge (q) can elucidate spatial and temporal DOC source dynamics in watersheds. In the ephemeral glacial meltwater streams of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica, the C-q relationship has been applied to dissolved inorganic nitrogen and weathering solutes including silica, which all exhibit chemostatic C-q behavior; but DOC-q dynamics have not been studied. DOC concentrations here are low compared to temperate streams, in the range of 0.1-2 mg C l-1, and their chemical signal clearly indicates derivation from microbial biomass (benthic mats and hyporheic biofilm). To investigate whether the DOC generation rate from these autochthonous organic matter pools was sufficient to maintain chemostasis for DOC, despite these streams' large diel and interannual fluctuations in discharge, we fit the long-term DOC-q data to a power law and an advection-reaction model. Model outputs and coefficients of variation characterize the DOC-q relationship as chemostatic for several MDV streams. We propose a conceptual model in which hyporheic carbon storage, hyporheic exchange rates, and net DOC generation rates are key interacting components that enable chemostatic DOC-q behavior in MDV streams. This model clarifies the role of autochthonous carbon stores in maintaining DOC chemostasis and may be useful for examining these relationships in temperate systems, which typically have larger sources of bioavailable autochthonous organic carbon than MDV streams but where this autochthonous signal could be masked by a stronger allochthonous contribution.

10aAntarctica10achemostasis10aconcentration-discharge10aDOC10aephemeral streams10aLTER1 aTorrens, Christa, L.1 aGooseff, Michael, N.1 aMcKnight, Diane, M. uhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021JG00664902723nas a2200229 4500008004100000245015600041210006900197260001200266300001600278490000700294520192000301100002202221700002102243700002402264700002002288700002502308700001702333700002402350700002902374700002502403856006502428 2017 eng d00aCharacterizing hyporheic exchange processes using high-frequency electrical conductivity-discharge relationships on subhourly to interannual timescales0 aCharacterizing hyporheic exchange processes using highfrequency  c05/2017 a4124 - 41410 v533 a

Concentration-discharge (C-Q) relationships are often used to quantify source water contributions and biogeochemical processes occurring within catchments, especially during discrete hydrological events. Yet, the interpretation of C-Q hysteresis is often confounded by complexity of the critical zone, such as numerous source waters and hydrochemical nonstationarity. Consequently, researchers must often ignore important runoff pathways and geochemical sources/sinks, especially the hyporheic zone because it lacks a distinct hydrochemical signature. Such simplifications limit efforts to identify processes responsible for the transience of C-Q hysteresis over time. To address these limitations, we leverage the hydrologic simplicity and long-term, high-frequency Q and electrical conductivity (EC) data from streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. In this two end-member system, EC can serve as a proxy for the concentration of solutes derived from the hyporheic zone. We utilize a novel approach to decompose loops into subhysteretic EC-Q dynamics to identify individual mechanisms governing hysteresis across a wide range of timescales. We find that hydrologic and hydraulic processes govern EC response to diel and seasonal Q variability and that the effects of hyporheic mixing processes on C-Q transience differ in short and long streams. We also observe that variable hyporheic turnover rates govern EC-Q patterns at daily to interannual timescales. Last, subhysteretic analysis reveals a period of interannual freshening of glacial meltwater streams related to the effects of unsteady flow on hyporheic exchange. The subhysteretic analysis framework we introduce may be applied more broadly to constrain the processes controlling C-Q transience and advance understanding of catchment evolution. 

1 aSingley, Joel, G.1 aWlostowski, Adam1 aBergstrom, Anna, J.1 aSokol, Eric, R.1 aTorrens, Christa, L.1 aJaros, Chris1 aWilson, Colleen, E.1 aHendrickson, Patrick, J.1 aGooseff, Michael, N. uhttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016WR019739/full