Temnerud, Johan
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Temnerud, Johan; Hytteborn, Julia; Futter, Martyn; Köhler, Stephan
The recent browning (increase in color) of surface waters across much of the northern hemisphere has important implications for light climate, ecosystem functioning, and drinking water treatability. Using log-linear regressions and long-term (6-21 years) data from 112 Swedish watercourses, we identified temporal and spatial patterns in browning-related parameters [iron, absorbance, and total organic carbon (TOC)]. Flow variability and lakes in the catchment were major influences on all parameters. Co-variation between seasonal, discharge-related, and trend effects on iron, TOC, and absorbance were dependent on pH, landscape position, catchment size, latitude, and dominant land cover. Large agriculture-dominated catchments had significantly larger trends in iron, TOC, and water color than small forest catchments. Our results suggest that while similarities exist, no single mechanism can explain the observed browning but show that multiple mechanisms related to land cover, climate, and acidification history are responsible for the ongoing browning of surface waters.
Iron; Organic carbon; Organic matter; pH; Water color; Drinking water production
AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment
2014, Volume: 43, number: 1, pages: 30-44
Publisher: SPRINGER
SLU Future Forests
SDG6 Clean water and sanitation
Oceanography, Hydrology, Water Resources
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-014-0560-5
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/64212