The transfer and transformations of carbon (C) along the land to ocean aquatic continuum (LOAC) have recently been recognized as an important component of the present-day global carbon cycle. Although carbon and associated greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4) budgets of the LOAC are increasingly constrained at regional and global scales, large uncertainties remain regarding their present-day spatio-temporal variability. Furthermore, past and future changes in LOAC carbon fluxes remain poorly quantified.

This session invites contributions on LOAC carbon cycle research across a broad range of scales, from the watershed to the globe. We invite both observational and modeling studies that identify and characterize the linkages between terrestrial, freshwater and marine biogeochemical cycles. In addition, we are interested in studies that quantify time-dependent and coupled responses of LOAC biogeochemical fluxes and transformations and link these to anthropogenic drivers, including (i) atmospheric CO2, (ii) climate, (iii) land-use & land-cover change, and/or (iv) hydraulic management. In this context, we seek contributions that unravel the spatial variability and seasonal to multi-decadal changes in carbon fluxes and processes in streams, rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal environments, as well as investigate their linkages with terrestrial and marine biogeochemical processes. More broadly, we welcome studies focusing on the impacts of LOAC carbon fluxes on land and open ocean carbon cycles and their contribution to the global budgets of CO2 and CH4.

Solicited speaker: Prof. Bernhard Wehrli (ETH Zurich - Eawag) and Corinna Schrum (Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht)