Download or read book Changes to Modern and Aged Dissolved Organic Matter Inputs Into the Kolyma River written by Jennifer A. Rogers and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is radically altering the Arctic. These alterations are expected to have immense and cascading implications on the carbon cycling of the region. In particular, our interest lies in the Kolyma River (KR) as it is the largest Arctic watershed entirely lined below with continuous organic-rich permafrost and is equally subject to shrubification. On one hand, it appears that permafrost is predicted to thaw with the potential to release large quantities of ancient organic carbon. On the other hand, nutrient liberation, increased moisture, and warming allow vegetation to colonize more effectively increasing modern sources of organic carbon. The decomposition of permafrost soil organic matter has been postulated to release permafrost-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) into stream and riverine networks that is exceptionally old and aliphatic in nature. We aimed to improve the evaluation of permafrost dissolved organic carbon (DOC) inputs and fate by implementing ramped pyrolysis oxidation (RPO) and isotopic analysis coupled with ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry. Bioincubation analyses were fundamental in replicating the transformations that occur to DOM during riverine transport. We found that highly aliphatic molecular formulae identified in undegraded permafrost DOM contrasts with the comparatively aliphatic-poor composition of KR DOM, suggesting that limited quantities of undegraded permafrost DOM are present in the KR. RPO radiocarbon analysis of KR DOC fractions exhibited no "hidden" aged component indicative of permafrost influence. Consistent with radiocarbon results, thermostability analysis indicated limited biodegraded permafrost DOC in the KR. A mixing model allowed us to estimate permafrost inputs to the KR DOC. Ultimately, our findings highlight that export of modern terrestrial DOM is currently overwhelming any permafrost DOM signature in the KR. This emphasizes the important ramifications of vegetation changes on the composition and biolability of transported DOM in this region with increasing shrubs dominance over herbaceous vegetation and bare ground. To investigate this, we subjected leachates of representative vegetation and soils both to biodegradation incubations and analysis using ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry. Biolability was seen to primarily be driven by lower relative abundances of highly unsaturated and phenolic compounds and higher relative abundances of aliphatic compounds and an overall low nominal oxidation state of carbon. In particular, DOC derived from shrubs has a lower biolability when compared to non-woody vegetation, containing on average nearly half as much %BDOC. This indicates that this DOC may persist in the water column which may have large implications as we continue attempts to quantify a permafrost DOC flux. It may be that studies will need to appraise the role vegetation cover plays in altering the age and composition of DOM of a region before investigating inputs of aged sources.

Download or read book Biogeochemistry of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter written by Dennis A. Hansell and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2024-07-04 with total page 870 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biogeochemistry of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter, 3rd edition is the most up-to-date revision of the fundamental reference for the biogeochemistry of marine dissolved organic matter. Since its original publication in June 2002, the science, questions, and priorities have advanced, and the editors of this essential guide, have added nine new chapters, including one on the South China Sea. An indispensable manual edited by the most distinguished experts in the field, this book is addressed to graduate students, marine scientists, and all professionals interested in advancing their knowledge of the field. Features up-to-date knowledge on DOM, including 9 new chapters Presents the only published work to synthesize recent research on dissolved organic carbon in the South China, a region receiving a great deal of attention in recent decades Offers contributions by world-class research leaders

Download or read book Dissolved Organic Matter in Major Rivers Across the Pan Arctic from Remote Sensing written by Claire Genevieve Griffin and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate-driven changes in Arctic hydrology and biogeochemistry are impacting transport of water and water-borne material from land to ocean. This includes massive amounts of organic matter that are mobilized and exported from the pan-Arctic watershed via rivers each year. Dissolved organic matter (DOM), an important part of the Arctic carbon cycle, has received growing attention in recent years, yet long-term studies of riverine biogeochemistry remain rare in these remote and logistically challenging regions. Remote sensing of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM, the portion of the DOM pool that absorbs light), provides a unique opportunity to investigate variations in DOM in major Arctic rivers over multiple decades. CDOM is a useful proxy for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and is essential to photochemical processes in surface waters. This dissertation presents the development and application of remote sensing regression models across six major Arctic rivers: the Kolyma, Lena, Mackenzie, Ob’, Yenisey and Yukon. Frozen, archival samples of CDOM were used to develop calibration data for remote sensing regressions. Remote sensing methods estimated CDOM with R2 of 85% across all rivers, although individual rivers varied in their predictability in association with sediment loading and hydrology. As with previous studies of Arctic systems, concentrations and export of CDOM and DOC were highest during spring freshet in most of these rivers. Interannual variability in DOM export may be linked to the Arctic Oscillation. Within the Mackenzie, Ob’, and Yenisey rivers, observations of DOM concentration and export were extended back to the 1980s, the first known empirical records of this length for Arctic rivers that span both continents. Although no pan-Arctic trends in CDOM export were detected, there is some evidence of long-term changes in riverine DOM. For example, discharge-specific CDOM concentrations decreased in the Yenisey River and increased in the Ob’ River. Additionally, CDOM concentrations increased over the past ~30 years within the Mackenzie River. This dissertation also includes results from experiments used to quantify the effects of cryopreservation on CDOM analyses, and potential approaches for ameliorating freezing effects. These experiments showed that freezing for preservation introduces some error into CDOM measurements, although these effects vary between river systems. Sonication may improve CDOM measurements in some river systems, but the effects of both cryopreservation and sonication should be quantified on a case-by-case basis. Overall, this dissertation work demonstrates that 1) remote sensing of CDOM is a viable tool for tracking fluvial DOM in the major Arctic rivers, 2) only the Mackenzie River showed significant increases in CDOM concentration from the 1980s to present and 3) long-term changes in discharge-specific CDOM concentrations have occurred in the Yenisey and Ob’ rivers. These long-term trends cannot be definitively linked to climate change, but may be related to effects of warming on permafrost, hydrology, and biogeochemistry within in Arctic watersheds with consequences for carbon cycling on both regional and global scales.

Download or read book Dissolved Organic Matter Discharge in the Six Largest Arctic Rivers chemical Composition and Seasonal Variability written by Amanda J. Rinehart and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The vulnerability of the Arctic to climate change has been realized due to disproportionately large increases in surface air temperatures which are not uniformly distributed over the seasonal cycle. Effects of this temperature shift are widespread in the Arctic but likely include changes to the hydrological cycle and permafrost thaw, which have implications for the mobilization of organic carbon into rivers. The focus of this research was to describe the seasonal variability of the chemical composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the six largest Arctic rivers (Yukon, Mackenzie, Ob, Yenisei, Lena and Kolyma) using optical properties (UV-Vis Absorbance and Fluorescence) and lignin phenol analysis. We also investigated differences between rivers and how watershed characteristics influence DOM composition. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations followed the hydrograph with highest concentrations measured during peak river flow. The chemical composition of peak-flow DOM indicates a dominance of freshly leached material with elevated aromaticity, larger molecular weight, and elevated lignin yields relative to base-flow DOM. During peak flow, soils in the watershed are still frozen and snowmelt water follows a lateral flow path to the river channels. As the soils thaw, surface water penetrates deeper into the soil horizons leading to lower DOC concentrations and likely altered composition of DOM due to sorption and microbial degradation processes. The six rivers studied here shared a similar seasonal pattern and chemical composition. There were, however, large differences between rivers in terms of total carbon discharge reflecting the differences in watershed characteristics such as climate, catchment size, river discharge, soil types, and permafrost distribution. The large rivers (Lena, Yenisei), with a greater proportion of permafrost, exported the greatest amount of carbon. The Kolyma and Mackenzie exported the smallest amount of carbon annually, however, the discharge weighted mean DOC concentration was almost 2-fold higher in the Kolyma, again, indicating the importance of continuous permafrost. The quality and quantity of DOM mobilized into Arctic rivers appears to depend on the relative importance of surface run-off and extent of soil percolation. The relative importance of these is ultimately determined by watershed characteristics.

Download or read book Changes in Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter in the Blackstone River Watershed written by Abby M. Beilman and published by . This book was released on 2024 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Climatic Change and Global Warming of Inland Waters written by Charles R. Goldman and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-11-20 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Effects of global warming on the physical, chemical, ecological structure and function and biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems are not well understood and there are many opinions on how to adapt aquatic environments to global warming in order to minimize the negative effects of climate change. Climatic Change and Global Warming of Inland Waters presents a synthesis of the latest research on a whole range of inland water habitats – lakes, running water, wetlands – and offers novel and timely suggestions for future research, monitoring and adaptation strategies. A global approach, offered in this book, encompasses systems from the arctic to the Antarctic, including warm-water systems in the tropics and subtropics and presents a unique and useful source for all those looking for contemporary case studies and presentation of the latest research findings and discussion of mitigation and adaptation throughout the world. Edited by three of the leading limnologists in the field this book represents the latest developments with a focus not only on the impact of climate change on freshwater ecosystems but also offers a framework and suggestions for future management strategies and how these can be implemented in the future. Limnologists, Climate change biologists, fresh water ecologists, palaeoclimatologists and students taking relevant courses within the earth and environmental sciences will find this book invaluable. The book will also be of interest to planners, catchment managers and engineers looking for solutions to broader environmental problems but who need to consider freshwater ecology.

Download or read book Sources and Fate of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter in the Arctic Ocean and Surrounding Watersheds written by Sally Annette Walker and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Given the pace of climate change in the Arctic, it is vital to better constrain terrigenous dissolved organic matter (tDOM) fluctuations in large Arctic Rivers and the role that climate change may bring to tDOM inputs into the Arctic Ocean and to the global carbon cycle. This project uses the optical properties of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) to investigate the quality, quantity and fate of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in large Arctic Rivers and the interior Arctic Basin. In large rivers surrounding the Arctic, peak discharge CDOM is largely derived from fresh terrestrial plant material whereas during base flow the CDOM pool has a greater microbial imprint, particularly in the Mackenzie. The higher microbial imprint in the Mackenzie can be explained by longer water residence times, which may be important in a warming climate where increased precipitation rates will likely lead to increased hydrological connectivity and therefore longer water residence times. In surface waters of the Canadian Archipelago, 17 % of the DOM pool is of terrestrial origin, even though waters are diluted with sea ice melt, suggesting the likelihood of a subsurface plume of tDOM entrained within river runoff from Arctic Rivers. In the interior Arctic, an elevated terrestrial CDOM signal in the Eurasian Basin (EB) points to the presence of Eurasian river CDOM entrained within river runoff in the Transpolar Drift. In contrast, autochthonous/microbial CDOM sources become more important the Canadian Basin (CB) and the terrestrial CDOM signal is much lower relative to the EB. A good constraint on the nature and distributions of freshwater (FW) in the Arctic Ocean is paramount to understand the role climate change may play for the Arctic0́9s hydrological cycle. During this study, we used the spatial patterns of terrestrially derived CDOM to better understand the distribution and nature of river runoff across the upper Arctic Basin. This study illustrates the usefulness of CDOM to finger-print water masses within the Arctic Ocean and shows promise to improve our understanding of upper Arctic Ocean ventilation patterns.

Download or read book Influence of Climate Change on the Changing Arctic and Sub Arctic Conditions written by Jacques Nihoul and published by Springer. This book was released on 2009-01-25 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The current warming trends in the Arctic may shove the Arctic system into a seasonally ice-free state not seen for more than one million years. The melting is accelerating, and researchers were unable to identify natural processes that might slow the deicing of the Arctic. Such substantial additional melting of Arctic and Antarctic glaciers and ice sheets would raise the sea level worldwide, flooding the coastal areas where many of the world's population lives. Studies, led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Arizona, show that greenhouse gas increases over the next century could warm the Arctic by 3-5°C in summertime. Thus, Arctic summers by 2100 may be as warm as they were nearly 130,000 years ago, when sea levels eventually rose up to 6 m higher than today.

Download or read book The Organic Carbon Cycle in the Arctic Ocean written by Rüdiger Stein and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-06-27 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The flux, preservation, and accumulation of organic carbon in marine systems are controlled by various mechanisms including primary p- duction of the surface water, supply of terrigenous organic matter from the surrounding continents, biogeochemical processes in the water column and at the seafloor, and sedimentation rate. For the world's oceans, phytoplankton productivity is by far the largest organic carbon 9 source, estimated to be about 30 to 50 Gt (10 tonnes) per year (Berger et al. 1989; Hedges and Keil 1995). By comparison, rivers contribute -1 about 0. 15 to 0. 23 Gt y of particulate organi.

Download or read book Dissolved Organic Matter in Arctic Watersheds and Coastal Waters written by Craig Thomas Connolly and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Arctic warming is already affecting the movement of freshwater and dissolved organic matter (DOM) from watersheds to the coastal ocean in the Arctic. Improved understanding of DOM in freshwater sources and linkages to DOM characteristics in Arctic coastal waters is needed to assess responses to and feedbacks with climate change. This work focuses on DOM characteristics that couple watershed and coastal systems in the Arctic, with specific considerations of river and groundwater inputs to lagoon ecosystems along the eastern Alaska Beaufort Sea coast. We found that spring and summer river-borne concentrations of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen (DOC and DON) are strongly linked to variations in watershed slope and soil organic matter coverage across space and scale in the Arctic. The quantities and composition of DOM in lagoons of the eastern Alaska Beaufort Sea coast vary markedly between seasons. Specifically, lagoons experience a shift from high to low DOC and DON concentrations between the late spring sea ice break-up and winter ice-covered periods, but these concentrations are more variable during the summer open water period. Distinct seasonal transitions in ice coverage, runoff from land, and water exchange with the Beaufort Sea strongly influence the availability of lagoon DOM. During the summer, concentrations of DOC and DON in supra-permafrost groundwater (SPGW) inputs to lagoons are much higher than those found in local rivers and lagoons. Late-summer fluxes of SPGW DOM to the northern Alaska coastline are substantial and may be the principal source of DOM to lagoons without river inputs. This SPGW DOM is sourced from readily leachable organic matter in surface soils and deeper soil horizons that likely extend into thawing permafrost. SPGW DOM contains aromatic carbon compounds that are largely resistant to microbial degradation on the order of days to months. While nearby river and lagoon water DOM has a similar composition and degradability, SPGW contains a portion of bioavailable and reactive DOM that is not present in river and lagoon waters. Inputs of SPGW DOM provide a potentially important source of energy for lagoon food webs along the Alaskan Beaufort Sea coast during the late summer

Download or read book Hydrobiogeochemistry of major asian rivers written by Shafi Mohammad Tareq and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2023-06-30 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Dissolved Organic Matter in Atmospheric Deposition written by Lidiia Iavorivska and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the atmosphere affects air quality and climate. Unlike inorganic constituents that typically consist of single compounds, DOM is a mixture of multiple organic compounds having varying molecular weights, reactivity and solubility. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is typically used as a measure of the total DOM present in solution. In the atmosphere, DOC originates from emissions of various biogenic and anthropogenic sources, such as vegetation, incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biomass burning, and sea-spray. The ultimate fate of atmospheric DOC is to be oxidized to inorganic forms of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, or to be removed from the atmosphere and transferred to the landscape through deposition. Deposition can occur as wet deposition via precipitation and as dry deposition via surface settling of particles and gases. The concentration, or quantity, of DOC in precipitation plays an important role in the carbon cycle and in other elemental cycles; while the chemical composition, or quality, of DOC in precipitation largely determines its fate in the environment. Rain and snow deposited to the landscape are a source of nutrient enrichment to ecosystems and water bodies, and are especially important as an input of carbon in coastal regions. Since DOC in precipitation is highly chemically reactive and bioavailable it influences rates of productivity in aquatic ecosystems. Despite the significance of DOC to many ecosystem processes, knowledge about its contributions to landscapes in precipitation remains limited. With anthropogenic influences on the carbon cycle now widely recognized, the need for synthesis of existing datasets on atmospheric deposition of DOC and further determining its rates and drivers is great. My dissertation is focused on wet deposition of DOC and assesses the magnitude and patterns of variation of organic matter in precipitation over space and time. The dissertation is organized into four manuscripts. Chapter 1 is a literature review where I provide a new data synthesis from 83 contemporary, peer-reviewed studies where organic carbon (OC) in precipitation was measured at sites around the world. Data regarding the concentrations of OC in precipitation and rates of atmospheric deposition were compiled in a common set of units and presented along with the summary statistics. These data give insights into the magnitude and regional variability of OC in precipitation. Organic carbon was ubiquitous in precipitation in rural and urban locations; with DOC in precipitation spanning several orders of magnitude between locations. This synthesis brings attention to atmospheric deposition as an under-sampled piece of the global carbon cycle; highlights gaps in data availability and challenges for data inter-comparison; and provides a unique data set that can be used for toward exploring future changes in the carbon cycle. Chapter 2 aims to understand how DOC concentration and composition in precipitation change temporally from storm to storm. Precipitation samples were collected at the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory watershed (Pennsylvania, USA) during 90 storm events. Observational data revealed temporal variability associated with seasonality and meteorological conditions. Using a mixed modeling statistical approach, I showed that there are multiple processes that work in synergy to influence the quantity and quality of DOC in precipitation. Factors related to storm properties, emission sources, and to the chemical composition of the atmosphere could explain more than 60% of the storm to storm variability in DOC concentrations. This study provided observations on changes in DOC that can be useful in modeling of atmospheric chemistry and in considering temporal changes in ecosystem nutrient balances and microbial activity.Chapter 3 explores how DOC concentration and composition vary throughout the course of storm events. I measured DOC in sequential samples during 13 storms at the Shale Hills watershed. The observational data generated hypotheses about potential factors that influence variability of DOC within storms. While previous studies have observed that concentrations of other elements in precipitation typically decrease over the course of individual storms, results from this study showed that DOC concentrations are highly variable. During most storms concentrations decreased towards the end of the event; however increasing concentrations in the later stages of some storms highlight that DOC removal with precipitation is not merely an exponential decay process. The variability of DOC during events is related to the balance between the cloud microphysics, atmospheric chemical transformations, and synoptic scale gradients in the abundance of organic compounds in the boundary layer. This work advances understanding of physicochemical processes occurring during storms that are relevant to studies of atmospheric chemistry, carbon cycling, and ecosystem responses.Chapter 4 quantifies spatial gradients in wet atmospheric DOC deposition across the state of Pennsylvania (USA). DOC concentrations were measured in selected precipitation samples collected for six years at a network of atmospheric deposition monitoring sites. A simple modeling approach was used to estimate the first statewide, annual estimates of wet atmospheric DOC deposition. Results showed that DOC inputs with wet deposition in Pennsylvania represented about one-third as much as literature reported values for DOC exported by rivers from watersheds in the region. The rates of DOC wet deposition showed a pronounced seasonality and spatial distribution, with highest deposition rates observed in the summer, especially at the sites located in western Pennsylvania.

Download or read book Chemical Biomarkers in Aquatic Ecosystems written by Thomas S. Bianchi and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2011-02-28 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This textbook provides a unique and thorough look at the application of chemical biomarkers to aquatic ecosystems. Defining a chemical biomarker as a compound that can be linked to particular sources of organic matter identified in the sediment record, the book indicates that the application of these biomarkers for an understanding of aquatic ecosystems consists of a biogeochemical approach that has been quite successful but underused. This book offers a wide-ranging guide to the broad diversity of these chemical biomarkers, is the first to be structured around the compounds themselves, and examines them in a connected and comprehensive way. This timely book is appropriate for advanced undergraduate and graduate students seeking training in this area; researchers in biochemistry, organic geochemistry, and biogeochemistry; researchers working on aspects of organic cycling in aquatic ecosystems; and paleoceanographers, petroleum geologists, and ecologists. Provides a guide to the broad diversity of chemical biomarkers in aquatic environments The first textbook to be structured around the compounds themselves Describes the structure, biochemical synthesis, analysis, and reactivity of each class of biomarkers Offers a selection of relevant applications to aquatic systems, including lakes, rivers, estuaries, oceans, and paleoenvironments Demonstrates the utility of using organic molecules as tracers of processes occurring in aquatic ecosystems, both modern and ancient

Download or read book Aquatic Organic Matter Fluorescence written by Paula G. Coble and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 407 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A core text on principles, laboratory/field methodologies, and data interpretation for fluorescence applications in aquatic science, for advanced students and researchers.

Download or read book Aquatic Redox Chemistry written by Paul Tratnyek and published by OUP USA. This book was released on 2012-06-14 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides a comprehensive overview of aquatic redox chemistry through chapters contributed by many of the leading investigators in the field.

Download or read book The Evolution of Stream Dissolved Organic Matter Composition Following Glacier Retreat in Coastal Watersheds of Southeast Alaska written by Amy Dehner Holt and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is melting glaciers and altering watershed biogeochemistry across the globe, particularly in regions dominated by mountain glaciers, such as southeast Alaska. Glacier dominated watersheds exhibit distinct dissolved organic matter (DOM) characteristics compared to forested and vegetated watersheds. However, there is a paucity of information on how stream DOM composition changes as glaciers retreat and terrestrial ecosystem succession ensues. Importantly, it is unclear over what timescales these transformations occur. Here, we used bulk, isotopic and ultrahigh resolution molecular-level techniques to assess how streamwater DOM composition evolves in response to glacier retreat and subsequent terrestrial ecosystem succession. For this, water samples were collected from eleven streams across a chronosequence spanning a temporal gradient 0 to ~1,400 years since glacier retreat in coastal, southeast Alaska. During the first ~200 years since glacier retreat, stream DOM showed marked and consistent changes in bulk, isotopic, and molecular-level composition. In particular, there was a decreased abundance of ancient, energy-rich (e.g., elevated aliphatic contribution), low aromaticity (e.g., low SUVA254 and AImod) DOM and an increased abundance of soil and vegetation derived aromatic DOM (e.g., more depleted d13C, elevated condensed aromatic and polyphenolic contribution) that had a modern radiocarbon age. After ~200 years of ecosystem development, DOM composition was comparable to that observed for other temperate and arctic forested watersheds without permafrost influence. These results underscore the timelines on which glacier retreat may have substantial impacts on watershed biogeochemistry and coastal ecosystems that receive DOM subsidies from these rapidly changing landscapes.

Download or read book Controls on Microbial Processing of Dissolved Organic Matter in Boreal Forest Streams written by Marie Schmidt and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the boreal forest, permafrost thaw is resulting in changes in vegetation and deepening of watershed flowpaths. Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed contains sub-catchments underlain with varying permafrost extents (4-53% cover), providing the opportunity to study how permafrost extent affects water chemistry and nutrient cycling. I measured nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and carbon (C) processing ectoenzyme activity in the water column and sediment of headwater streams, and related ectoenzyme activity to nutrient and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration. Additionally, I used nutrient diffusing substrata (NDS) to grow biofilms with enhanced inorganic N and P and labile C alone and in combination and measured ectoenzyme activity and respiration of biofilms in response to resource amendments. High P-processing enzyme activity across streams of the CPCRW indicated microbial P limitation. Respiration and organic matter processing enzymes of biofilms grown on NDS increased with labile C or labile C in combination with nutrient additions, implying that labile C limited or co-limited rates of DOM processing. Our results suggest that as climate warming and subsequent permafrost thaw alters terrestrial inputs of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and inorganic nutrients into streams, changes in inorganic P and labile C availability will control microbial processing of DOM.