Dissolved Organic Carbon Export from Sacramento and San Joaquin River Watersheds as Impacted by Precipitation and Agricultural Land Use

Most of the agricultural activities in California occur within the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins, where, as a consequence, water quality as well as quantity have been significantly affected over the last century. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and fluxes from the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins have received much attention because riverine DOC flux is an important part of the carbon cycle connecting terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems and because DOC concentration can influence public health as a precursor of carcinogenic disinfectant byproducts (DBPs) such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids. Studies on the fate of DOC in watersheds and its relationship with land use are crucial to improve drinking water quality. Considering that water yield from a watershed is one of the main factors governing riverine DOC flux, it is essential to understand factors affecting riverine discharge from watersheds such as precipitation variability, wetland surface area, soil moisture content, and irrigation methods. We investigated the role of precipitation, crop species, and agricultural practices including flood irrigation on watershed water budget and DOC export from subwatersheds of the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins using GIS analysis. The preliminary results indicate that agricultural practices effect on DOC fluxes may deserve further attention due to its impacts on watershed water budget, which will be critical for watershed management of DBP precursors.