Abstract
The “freshwater pipe” concept has improved our understanding of freshwater carbon (C) cycling, however, it has rarely been applied to macronutrients such as nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P). Here, we synthesize knowledge of the processing of C, N, and P together in freshwaters from land to the ocean. We compared flux estimates into and out of the N and P “pipes” and showed the net removal rates of N and P by inland waters were less than those for C. The C : N : P stoichiometry of inland water inputs vs. exports differed due to large respiratory C and N losses, and efficient P burial in inland waters. Residence time plays a critical role in the processing of these elements through the pipe, where higher water residence times from streams to lakes results in substantial increases in C : N, C : P, and N : P ratios.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 89-101 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Limnology and Oceanography Letters |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We would like to thank E. Stanley, P. Soranno, and two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on the manuscript. We thank Maxime Leclerc for designing Figs. . R. M. was supported by NSERC Discovery Grant, S. E. J. by NSF award DEB‐1547866, and J. B. C. by NSF‐IOS 1257571.
Funding Information:
We would like to thank E. Stanley, P. Soranno, and two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on the manuscript. We thank Maxime Leclerc for designing Figs. R. M. was supported by NSERC Discovery Grant, S. E. J. by NSF award DEB-1547866, and J. B. C. by NSF-IOS 1257571.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 The Author. Limnology and Oceanography Letters published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography