The effects of long-term drainage and short-term restoration on DOC concentrations and optical properties in the Baijianghe Peatland
Description
This dataset contains DOC and environmental variables for the surface water of the natural, drained, and restored sites along the elevation gradient of the Baijianghe Peatland, northeast China. Specific variables include TN, NH4+, NO3-, TP, total dissolved Fe, DOC, E2:E3, E4:E6, SUVA254, and C:C from 2017-2020. Major findings include that drainage consistently decreased DOC concentration and quality compared with the natural area, with larger effects on DOC concentration and quality upstream than downstream. Specifically, in the upstream area, the natural site (S2) contained DOC of higher molecular weight, more fulvic contributions, and lower aromaticity, indicated by the lower E2:E3 (larger compounds), higher E4:E6 (more fulvic acid contribution), and lower SUVA254 (less aromatic) than the upstream drained site (S3). These patterns, however, were no longer significant in the downstream area. Restoration, on the other hand, did not cause any significant changes in the DOC quantity and quality.