Stream Dissolved Organic Matter Composition Reflects the Riparian Zone, Not Upslope Soils in Boreal Forest Headwaters

Abstract

Abstract Despite the strong quantitative evidence that riparian zones (RZs) are the dominant source of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to boreal streams, there is still a debate about the potential contribution of upslope areas to fluvial carbon export. To shed new light into this debate, we investigated the molecular composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in four upslope‐riparian‐stream transects in a Northern Swedish forest catchment using absorbance (A 254 /A 365 and SUVA 254 ) and fluorescence (fluorescence and freshness indices) metrics. Based on these metrics, our results indicate that stream water DOM molecular composition resembles that of RZs and significantly differs from that of upslope areas. The resemblance between stream and riparian DOM was most apparent for the “Dominant Source Layer” (DSL), a narrow RZ stratum that, theoretically, contributes the most to solute and water fluxes to streams. Spectroscopic characterization based on traditional interpretations of the metrics suggested that mineral upslope (podzol) DOM is less aromatic, more microbially derived, and more recently produced than organic riparian (histosol) and stream DOM. We conclude that RZs, and specifically DSLs, are the main sources of DOC to boreal headwater streams and potentially to other streams located in low‐gradient, organic matter‐rich catchments.