A study led by Professor Qi Yulin’s team reveals how rainfall events reshape CO₂ emissions and carbon cycling in karst regions. Published in Water Research, the research highlights rainfall’s role in mobilizing terrestrial carbon into waterways, altering dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition, and reducing CO₂ emission potential.
Key findings from the Houzhai watershed in Guizhou, China:
· Rainfall decreased water-air pCO₂ by 8.19%, cutting CO₂ emissions by ~624 t C.
· DOM shifted toward younger carbon and oxygen-rich compounds, with unsaturated CHO/CHOS molecules as key CO₂ indicators.
The study underscores the need to account for hydrological events in carbon budgets. First author Jin Feng Ge, with Professor Qi Yulin as corresponding author, collaborated with Professor Li Siliang and Peng Tao of the Puding Karst Ecosystem Research Station
Jinfeng Ge, Yulin Qi*, Yuanbi Yi, Chao Ma, Wenrui Yao, Xin Liu, Haoyang Wang, Keyan Li, Fu-Jun Yue, Tao Peng, Si-Liang Li (2025). Rainfall shapes CO₂ emission and dissolved organic matter dynamics in a karst catchment: controlling factors revealed by isotopic and molecular signatures. Water Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2025.124875
