Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-2023-2
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-2023-2
22 Feb 2023
 | 22 Feb 2023
Status: a revised version of this preprint is currently under review for the journal ESD.

Impacts of anthropogenic water regulation on global riverine dissolved organic carbon transport

Yanbin You, Zhenghui Xie, Binghao Jia, Yan Wang, Longhuan Wang, Ruichao Li, Heng Yan, Yuhang Tian, and Si Chen

Abstract. Anthropogenic water regulation activities, including reservoir interception, surface water withdrawal, and groundwater extraction, alter riverine hydrologic processes and affect dissolved organic carbon (DOC) export from land to rivers and oceans. In this study, schemes describing soil DOC leaching, riverine DOC transport, and anthropogenic water regulation were developed and incorporated into the Community Land Model 5.0 (CLM 5.0) and the River Transport Model (RTM). Three simulations by the developed model were conducted on a global scale from 1981 to 2013 to investigate the impacts of anthropogenic water regulation on riverine DOC transport. The validation results showed that DOC exports simulated by the developed model were in good agreement with global river observations. The simulations showed that DOC transport in most rivers was mainly influenced by reservoir interception and surface water withdrawal, especially in central North America and eastern China. Four major rivers, including the Danube, Yangtze, Mississippi, and Ganges Rivers, have experienced reduced riverine DOC flows due to intense water management, with the largest effect occurring in winter and early spring. In the Danube and Yangtze River basins, the impact in 2013 was four to five times greater than in 1981, with a retention efficiency of over 50 %. The Ob River basin was almost unaffected. The total impact of anthropogenic water regulation reduced global annual riverine DOC exports to the ocean by approximately 13.36 Tg C yr−1, and this effect increased from 4.83 % to 6.20 % during 1981–2013, particularly in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Yanbin You et al.

Status: final response (author comments only)

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on esd-2023-2', Anonymous Referee #1, 20 Mar 2023
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Zhenghui Xie, 29 Mar 2023
  • RC2: 'Comment on esd-2023-2', Anonymous Referee #2, 20 Mar 2023
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Zhenghui Xie, 29 Mar 2023
  • RC3: 'Comment on esd-2023-2', Anonymous Referee #3, 05 Apr 2023
    • AC3: 'Reply on RC3', Zhenghui Xie, 12 Apr 2023

Yanbin You et al.

Yanbin You et al.

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Short summary
We investigate the impacts of anthropogenic water regulation on riverine DOC transport by the developed model. The results suggested that DOC transport in most rivers was mainly influenced by reservoir interception and surface water withdrawal. The impact of human water regulation on riverine DOC exports grew year by year. In general, this study developed an effective scheme to simulate DOC exports from terrestrial to aquatic systems, which is important for estimating global carbon budgets.
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