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Student Class

2026

Student Affiliation

Senior Honors Thesis

First Advisor

Carl Renshaw

First Advisor Department

Department of Earth Sciences

Second Advisor

Joshua Landis

Second Advisor Department

Department of Earth Sciences

Abstract

Headwater streams play a critical role in the global carbon cycle, serving as significant sites of carbon storage. While there have been recent efforts to quantify carbon storage in headwater streams in the western United States, there remains limited understanding of both the volume and timescale of carbon storage in northeastern forests which often have extensive logging and agricultural histories. Here, we quantify the carbon stock, residence time, and flux of a zero-to-first order headwater stream in Charles Downer State Forest (DF), VT using novel fallout radionuclide (FRN) chronometry. We find DF headwaters have a carbon stock of 66.2 Mg ha-1 stored on average for 10.6 years. The corresponding flux of 613 g m-2 y-1 is many times higher than other fluvial margins and temperate forests, driven by funnelling of organic matter and high permeability floodplain soils. Northeastern residence times are inconsistent with the model of sediment transport controlled carbon storage proposed for the Pacific Northwest, suggesting carbon dynamics in Northeast systems differ and are driven by a combination of high subsurface flux, microbial respiration, and hyporheic flow. The decadal residence time of carbon in the northeast indicates that these headwaters are sensitive on timescales of climate change and that strategic management of these systems, such as through the reintroduction of logjams, could significantly increase their carbon storage potential on timeframes relevant to the green energy transition.

Publication Date

2026

Disciplines

Geochemistry | Soil Science

Carbon Storage in Headwaters Can Respond Rapidly to Climate Change

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