The Hydrological Flux of Organic Carbon: A Case Study of the Cotter River Catchment

Terrestrial carbon accounting to date has largely ignored the hydrological flux of organic carbon. However, recent studies have suggested that this is an important lateral process that may constitute a significant stock and flux of organic carbon at the catchment scale. The major objectives of this study are to: (i) investigate the hydrological flux of organic carbon in the river environment of the Cotter River Catchment and (ii) evaluate the contribution of this flux to terrestrial carbon account. The research focuses on using a hydrological simulation model (IHACRES) to analyse organic carbon samples from stream and tributaries in the Cotter River Catchment. Potential inputs of organic carbon across the catchment are being estimated using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) process based-model of net primary production (NPP). The relationship between the hydrological organic carbon data and predicted terrestrial productivity in the catchment is being investigated.