Carbon cycling in tropical streams:
How much CO2 do headwater streams release to the atmosphere and where does it come from?
Streams and rivers play a key role in the global carbon cycle, but this role has large uncertainties, including for much of the tropics.
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In this case, you will explore a research study that examined the role of a tropical stream in the global carbon cycle, including how much CO2 is emitted to the atmosphere. Results show large CO2 emissions from the headwater tropical stream and the CO2 arriving into the stream from both in-stream production (i.e., stream respiration) and from terrestrial sources via groundwater (i.e., soil respiration). We also show seasonal differences in the amount of CO2 emitted to the atmosphere, highlighting linkages between hydrology and ecosystem function. Finally, we propose that the inputs of CO2 in headwater streams may contribute to acidification events observed in our long-term dataset and influence the organisms that live in these streams. The case will introduce you to theories in hydrology, terrestrial ecology, stream ecology, biogeochemistry, and technological advances in data collection.
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