Glacier loss and vegetation expansion alter organic and inorganic carbon dynamics in high-mountain streams

Abstract

High-mountain ecosystems are experiencing the acute effects of climate change, most visibly through glacier recession and the greening of the terrestrial environment. The streams draining these landscapes are affected by these shifts, integrating hydrologic, geologic, and biological signals across the catchment. We examined the organic and inorganic carbon dynamics of streams in four Alpine catchments in Switzerland to assess how glacier loss and vegetation expansion are affecting the carbon cycle of these high-mountain ecosystems. We find that the organic carbon concentration and fluorescence properties associated with humic-like compounds increase with vegetation cover within a catchment, demonstrating the increasing importance of allochthonous dissolved organic carbon sources following glacier retreat. Meanwhile, streams transitioned from carbon dioxide sinks to sources with decreasing glacier coverage and increased vegetation coverage, with chemical weathering and soil respiration likely determining the balance. Periods of sink behavior were also observed in non-glaciated streams, possibly indicating that the chemical consumption of carbon dioxide could be more common in high-mountain, minimally vegetated catchments than previously known. Together, these results demonstrate the dramatic shifts in carbon dynamics of high-mountain streams following glacier recession, with significant changes to both the organic and inorganic carbon cycles. The clear link between the terrestrial and aquatic zones further emphasizes the coupled dynamics with which all hydrologic and biogeochemical changes in these ecosystems should be considered, including the carbon sink or source potential of montane ecosystems.