Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2772
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2772
18 Sep 2024
 | 18 Sep 2024

Riverine dissolved organic matter responds to alterations differently in two distinct hydrological regimes from Northern Spain

Selin Kubilay, Edurne Estévez, José Barquín Ortiz, and Gabriel Singer

Abstract. Iberian rivers are characterized by flow regimes with high seasonal flow variation. They also host one-fifth of Europe’s reservoirs for hydropower generation, irrigation or water supply needs, and thus many rivers have heavily altered flow regimes. Such flow conditions, also alter the natural dynamics of Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM), with likely implications for carbon cycling due to changed conditions for transformation, transportation and storage of carbon. Here we looked into the effects of flow alteration on the “DOM regime”, i.e. the seasonal variation of DOM concentration and composition, in 20 rivers belonging to two different hydrological classes (i.e., Mediterranean and Atlantic) in Northern Spain. To further investigate which flow regime components influence DOM properties, we linked the turnover of DOM composition to a range of hydrological indices.

We found that Atlantic rivers with a natural flow regime have on average lower DOC concentration than their altered equivalents, but this is not mirrored in Mediterranean rivers. Moreover, we did not observe much difference in annual DOM composition due to flow alterations in either hydrological class. However, the turnover of DOM composition is higher in natural Atlantic rivers compared to the altered ones. We linked this turnover in DOM composition to the effects of upstream-located reservoirs, creating flow regimes with homogenized or even reversed seasonality. Our results suggest that Mediterranean rivers may have higher resistance to flow alterations, at least in the sense of not showing unusual DOM behaviour, while Atlantic rivers affected by flow alterations lose their naturally high annual variability of DOM composition.

Competing interests: At least one of the (co-)authors is a member of the editorial board of Biogeosciences. The peer-review process was guided by an independent editor, and the authors also have no other competing interests to declare.

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this preprint. The responsibility to include appropriate place names lies with the authors.
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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

10 Jul 2025
Responses of riverine dissolved organic matter to damming in two distinct hydrological regimes in northern Spain
Selin Kubilay, Edurne Estévez, José Barquín Ortiz, and Gabriel Singer
Biogeosciences, 22, 3279–3300, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3279-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3279-2025, 2025
Short summary
Selin Kubilay, Edurne Estévez, José Barquín Ortiz, and Gabriel Singer

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2772', Anonymous Referee #1, 29 Oct 2024
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Dilara Selin Kubilay, 13 Jan 2025
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2772', Ji-Hyung Park, 09 Dec 2024
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Dilara Selin Kubilay, 13 Jan 2025

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2772', Anonymous Referee #1, 29 Oct 2024
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Dilara Selin Kubilay, 13 Jan 2025
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2772', Ji-Hyung Park, 09 Dec 2024
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Dilara Selin Kubilay, 13 Jan 2025

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
ED: Reconsider after major revisions (16 Jan 2025) by Ji-Hyung Park
AR by Dilara Selin Kubilay on behalf of the Authors (09 Mar 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (12 Mar 2025) by Ji-Hyung Park
RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (25 Mar 2025)
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (25 Mar 2025) by Ji-Hyung Park
AR by Dilara Selin Kubilay on behalf of the Authors (01 Apr 2025)  Author's response   Manuscript 

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

10 Jul 2025
Responses of riverine dissolved organic matter to damming in two distinct hydrological regimes in northern Spain
Selin Kubilay, Edurne Estévez, José Barquín Ortiz, and Gabriel Singer
Biogeosciences, 22, 3279–3300, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3279-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3279-2025, 2025
Short summary
Selin Kubilay, Edurne Estévez, José Barquín Ortiz, and Gabriel Singer

Data sets

Chemical Dataset Selin Kubilay https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13354316

Model code and software

Data analysis and Visualisations Selin Kubilay https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13354231

Selin Kubilay, Edurne Estévez, José Barquín Ortiz, and Gabriel Singer

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Short summary
Here, we studied how dams change the natural flow of rivers and their organic matter dynamics in Northern Spain. We found that in Atlantic rivers, natural rivers showed a higher turnover of organic material quality, which we believe is due to the interference of dams with the natural seasonal flow patterns. This suggests that Mediterranean rivers might be more resilient to flow regime alterations while Atlantic rivers lose their natural variability in organic material.
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