Suspended sediment, carbon and nitrogen transport in a regulated Pyrenean river
- Regulation alters the characteristics of riversty transforming parts of them into lakes, affecting their hydrology and also the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics and dynamics. Reservoirs have proven to be very effective retaining particulate materials, thereby avoiding the downstream transport of suspended sediment and the chemical substances associated with it (e.g. Carbon, C or Nitrogen, N). The study of fluvial transport of C and N is of great interest since river load represents a major link to the global C and N cycles. Moreover, reservoirs are the most important sinks for organic carbon among inland waters and have a potential significance as nitrogen sinks. In this respect, this paper investigates the effects of a Pyrenean reservoir on the runoff, suspended sediment, C and N derived from the highly active Esera and Isabena rivets. Key findings indicate that the reservoir causes a considerable impact on the Esera-Isabena river fluxes, reducing them dramatically as almost all the inputs are retained within theRegulation alters the characteristics of riversty transforming parts of them into lakes, affecting their hydrology and also the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics and dynamics. Reservoirs have proven to be very effective retaining particulate materials, thereby avoiding the downstream transport of suspended sediment and the chemical substances associated with it (e.g. Carbon, C or Nitrogen, N). The study of fluvial transport of C and N is of great interest since river load represents a major link to the global C and N cycles. Moreover, reservoirs are the most important sinks for organic carbon among inland waters and have a potential significance as nitrogen sinks. In this respect, this paper investigates the effects of a Pyrenean reservoir on the runoff, suspended sediment, C and N derived from the highly active Esera and Isabena rivets. Key findings indicate that the reservoir causes a considerable impact on the Esera-Isabena river fluxes, reducing them dramatically as almost all the inputs are retained within the reservoir. Despite the very dry study year (2011-2012), it can be calculated that almost 300,000 t of suspended sediment were deposited into the Barasona Reservoir, from which more than 16,000 were C (i.e. 2200 t as organic C) and 222 t were N. These values may not be seen as remarkable in a wider global context but, assuming that around 30 hm(3) of sediment are currently stored in the reservoir, figures would increase up to ca. 2.6 x 10(6) t of C (i.e. 360,000 t of organic C) and 35,000 t of N. Nevertheless, these values are indicative and should be treated with caution as there is incomplete understanding of all the processes which affect C and N. Further investigation to establish a more complete picture of C and N yields and budgets by monitoring the different processes involved is essential. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.…
Author details: | José Andrés López-TarazónORCiDGND, Pilar Lopez, Gemma Lobera, Ramon J. Batalla Villanueva |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.06.132 |
ISSN: | 0048-9697 |
ISSN: | 1879-1026 |
Pubmed ID: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26271999 |
Title of parent work (English): | The science of the total environment : an international journal for scientific research into the environment and its relationship with man |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Place of publishing: | Amsterdam |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Year of first publication: | 2016 |
Publication year: | 2016 |
Release date: | 2020/03/22 |
Tag: | Barasona Reservoir; Carbon; Ebro basin; Nitrogen; River Esera; Suspended sediment; Temporal dynamics |
Volume: | 540 |
Number of pages: | 11 |
First page: | 133 |
Last Page: | 143 |
Funding institution: | Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [2010 CSD2009-00065]; Sediment Export from Large Semi-Arid Catchments: Measurements and Modelling (SESAM); German Science Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG); Secretariat for Universities and Research of the Department of the Economy and Knowledge of the Autonomous Catalan Government; Economy and Knowledge Department of the Catalan Government through the Consolidated Research Group [2014 SGR 645] |
Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Geowissenschaften |
Peer review: | Referiert |
Institution name at the time of the publication: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Erd- und Umweltwissenschaften |