Harvard Forest Research

Controls on intra-annual variations in DOC fluxes through unsaturated soils

Principal Investigator: Peter Raymond
Yale University: Jul 23 2007 - Jul 24 2010:

Abstract:
Naturally occurring dissolved organic carbon (DOC) controls a number of physical, chemical and biological processes in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. The mobility of DOC in soils is crucial in determining the transport of organic nutrients in forest ecosystem. It is the interaction of various environmental factors, mainly temperature and hydrologic factors, which causes the intra-annual variations of DOC flux in soil.
The overarching objective of the proposed research is to elucidate controls on intra-annual variations in DOC fluxes through unsaturated structured soils. The study will be performed on intact soil cores taken from the riparian and upland zone near Bigelow brook weir in Harvard Forest. In the lab, the bulk concentration and characteristics of DOC mobilized from soils will be analyzed through the course of simulated rainfall events. :