Modelling multiseasonal preferential transport of dissolved organic carbon in a shallow forest soil: Equilibrium versus kinetic sorption

摘要

Parameterization of transformation and transport processes of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in soils is challenging especially under variable hydrological conditions. In this study, DOC concentrations in stormflow were analysed with a physically based modelling approach. A one-dimensional dual-continuum vertical flow and transport model was applied to simulate subsurface processes in a macroporous forest hillslope soil over a period of 4.5 years. Microbially mediated transformations of DOC were assumed to depend primarily on soil moisture and soil temperature. Two conceptually different descriptions of the sorption of DOC to soil were examined with equilibrium and kinetic approaches. In order to quantify the uncertainties associated with the model parameterization, Monte Carlo analyses in conjunction with Latin hypercube sampling was performed. Despite the complexity of microbial transformations, the simulated temporal patterns of DOC concentrations in stormflow showed similar behaviour to those reflected in the observed DOC fluxes. Due to preferential flow, the hillslope DOC export (5.0 +/- 0.5 g C center dot m(-2) center dot year(-1)) was higher than the amounts usually reported in the literature. Overall DOC transport in hillslope scenarios could be described appropriately using the equilibrium sorption assumption. The performed analyses showed that the inclusion of the kinetic description of DOC sorption only slightly improved the predictions of the DOC hillslope export. Moreover, influences of seasonal hydro-climatological conditions on hillslope export of DOC could be observed. Reduced DOC transport during an extreme warm and dry summer was described with lower accuracy, thus indicating the difficulties in the representation of DOC transformations under dry conditions.