The role of catchment soils and land cover on dissolved organic matter (DOM) properties in temperate lakes

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a critical component in freshwater ecosystem functioning. The main sources of DOM in lakes are allochthonous inputs from the catchment and autochthonous in-lake production. This study focused on the role of catchment characteristics on the qualitative and quantitative properties of DOM in small temperate lakes along a gradient of alkalinity. We examined DOM properties based on the optical absorbance and fluorescence measurements of water from 34 Estonian lakes. The content and composition of DOM were highly diverse in the lakes studied, e.g. the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations varied from 3.2 to 53.0 mg L−1. Land cover, soil, and catchment hydrology and geology had substantial effects on DOM in lakes. Stock of soil organic carbon (SOC) in the catchment and water exchange rate (a descriptor of catchment hydrology, reciprocal of water residence time) had major positive effects on DOC concentrations. The aromaticity and molecular weight of DOM, i.e. the relative abundance of humic substances, and the dominance of allochthonous DOM increased with the drainage ratio (catchment area/lake area) and the percentages of bogs, and Dystric and Fibric Histosols (peat soils in transitional mires and bogs, respectively) in the catchments. Dominance of non-humic over humic substances and autochthonous over allochthonous DOM in lakes corresponded to calcareous catchments and higher percentages of Gleyic Rendzinas (thin soils on calcareous rock), Sapric Histosols (peat soils in mires) and open spaces (areas with little vegetation). Our results showed that soil variables had in general a greater effect than land cover and were more informative for describing the role of catchment characteristics on DOM in lakes. Patterns in DOM quantity and quality found in our study were similar to patterns found in other temperate lakes; therefore, our results have important implications for understanding catchment-lake interactions across the temperate region.