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Research article2012Peer reviewed

Modelling the long term impact of climate change on the carbon budget of Lake Simcoe, Ontario using INCA-C

Oni, Stephen; Futter, Martyn; Molot, Lewis; Dillon, Peter

Abstract

This study presents a process-based model of dissolved organic carbon concentration ([DOC]) in catchments draining into Lake Simcoe, Ontario. INCA-C, the Integrated Catchment model for Carbon, incorporates carbon biogeochemical processes in a terrestrial system with hydrologic flow paths to simulate watershed wide [DOC]. The model successfully simulates present-day inter-annual and seasonal [DOC] dynamics in tributaries draining catchments with mixed or contrasting land cover in the Lake Simcoe watershed (LSW). The sensitivity of INCA-C to soil moisture, hydrologic controls and land uses within a watershed demonstrates its significance as a tool to explore pertinent environmental issues specific to the LSW. Projections of climate change under A1B and A2 SRES scenarios suggest a continuous monotonic increase in [DOC] in surface waters draining into Lake Simcoe. Large variations in seasonal DOC dynamics are predicted to occur during summer with a possibility of displacement of summer [DOC] maxima towards winter and a prolongation of summer (DOC] levels into the autumn. INCA-C also predicts possible increases in dissolved inorganic carbon in some tributaries with rising temperature suggesting increased CO2 emissions from rivers as climate changes. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Climate change; Dissolved organic carbon; INCA-C; Lake Simcoe; Surface water quality; Climate downscaling

Published in

Science of the Total Environment
2012, volume: 414, pages: 387-403
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

SLU Authors

Global goals (SDG)

SDG6 Clean water and sanitation
SDG13 Climate action

UKÄ Subject classification

Fish and Aquacultural Science

Publication identifier

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.10.025

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/56459