Abstract
The dissolved organic carbon(DOC) content of rivers is the most active
part of the carbon cycle migration in the basin under consideration, and
it is the basis for a comprehensive understanding of the regional carbon
cycle. In this study, we periodically took samples from four monitoring
stations in the Xiying River Basin of the Qilian Mountains in the
northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We calculated the fluxes of organic
carbon in the rivers within the study area and will discuss the
influencing factors of Dissolved Organic Carbon concentration in these
rivers in this paper. Our results showed that: (1) The DOC concentration
and output flux in the inland river runoff area are basically the same
as those in the Heihe River Basin, but far lower than those in the
low-latitude monsoon climate zone and most of the basins in the Eurasian
Arctic region. This is mainly due to the small river runoff and low DOC
concentration in the area. (2) The Dissolved Organic Carbon
concentration and transport flux of the rivers show significant seasonal
changes, with the Dissolved Organic Carbon content in summer and autumn
being higher than in winter and spring. (3) The larger runoff causes
higher concentrations of dissolved organic carbon in rivers. Runoff is
the primary means of carbon migration in the Inland River Basin. There
are significant carbon migrations from the upstream to the middle and
downstream sections of the Inland River Basin.