STORAGE AND CONTENT OF ORGANIC CARBON IN ALPINE FOREST STREAM IN THE UPPER REACHES OF THE YANGTZE RIVER

Organic carbon in headwater streams can not only directly influence the carbon cycle of forest ecosystems, but also play an important role in material circulation and energy flow between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem. However, there has been lack of necessary attention. Therefore, a study was carried out in an alpine forest in the upper reaches of Yangtze River in August 2015. The storage and concentration of organic carbon was investigated in streams of a 4.31 km(2) catch-ment. The storage of organic carbon of unit area in the catchment was 2224.30 kg.km(-2), and unit area water body in the streams was 17.77 g.m(-2), respect- ively. Organic carbon storage of different compo- nents in the streams showed the order as: sediment> woody debris>non-woody debris>water. Organic carbon storage of each component increased with increasing stream length, but organic carbon storage in woody debris and water was significantly corre- lated with the stream velocity. The results provided new idea and basic data in the carbon storage in the alpine forest.