PUBLICATIONS Water Resources Research RESEARCH ARTICLE Carbon dynamics in the hyporheic zone of a headwater 10.1002/2016WR019303 mountain stream in the Cascade Mountains, Oregon Key Points: Hayley A. Corson-Rikert1, Steven M. Wondzell2, Roy Haggerty1, and Mary V. Santelmann1 The hyporheic zone (HZ) is a source of DIC to the stream 1 2 During base flow periods, neither College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA, U.S. Forest Service, stream water nor groundwater nor Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, Oregon, USA hillslope soil water are significant sources of DOC or DIC to the HZ Most hyporheic DIC exported to the Abstract We investigated carbon dynamics in the hyporheic zone of a steep, forested, headwater stream is generated by microbial respiration of buried particulate catchment western Oregon, USA. Water samples were collected monthly from the stream and a well organic matter network during base flow periods. We examined the potential for mixing of different source waters to explain concentrations of DOC and DIC. We did not find convincing evidence that either inputs of deep Correspondence to: groundwater or lateral inputs of shallow soil water influenced carbon dynamics. Rather, carbon dynamics H. A. Corson-Rikert, appeared to be controlled by local processes in the hyporheic zone and overlying riparian soils. DOC
[email protected] concentrations were low in stream water (0.04–0.09 mM), and decreased with nominal travel time through the hyporheic zone (0.02–0.04 mM lost over 100 h). Conversely, stream water DIC concentrations were Citation: Corson-Rikert, H. A., S.