The impact of damming on geochemical behavior of dissolved inorganic carbon in a karst river

To determine the impact of damming on the geochemical behavior of dissolved inorganic carbon(DIC)in the Wujiang River basin,field measurements and samples were collected semimonthly for a year.The surface waters of the reservoirs contained concentrations of chlorophyll a up to 5.6 times higher than the upstream river.Compared with the entering waters,the contributions of HCO3-and dissolved CO2to DIC decreased,and the contribution of CO32-to DIC and the carbon isotopic composition of DIC(d13CDIC)increased in the surface waters of the reservoirs,while in the waters released,the DIC species showed reverse geochemical behaviors.The d13CDICranged from-10.2%to 2.5%,indicating that significant contributions were from carbonate weathering,photosynthesis,and respiration.After the damming of a river,the bioactivity of phytoplankton was enhanced,and this affected the geochemistry of DIC compared to an unimpacted river and d13CDICcan be used to discern these changes.High-frequency monitoring of river-reservoir systems is necessary to evaluate the efflux of CO2and provide a better understanding of the carbon sinks and sources in the impounded river.