Seminar: Cheng Huang

Snowmelt events are known to mobilize large amounts of organic matter in a short period of time, which are transported down the soil profile. Plant litter-derived matter, which is highly aromatic, and soil-derived matter, which is more aliphatic, are integral parts of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) that is mobilized during snowmelt events. Here, we present a case study from the Hainich Critical Zone Exploratory, Germany on two snowmelt events. We found that forest soil seepage was more variable in DOM concentration and composition than grassland soil seepage. The peak in forest DOM was characterized by increased aromatic components, whereas grassland DOM consistently rose with nitrogen-rich components. An overall greater molecular richness and more diverse functional metabolic potentials in grassland potentially contributed to its relatively greater stability in DOM compared to forest during peak snowmelt fluxes.