Search

We present cospatial, contemporary archival records of biotic and abiotic terrestrial processes operating over the past ∼25 ky within the Rio Fajardo watershed, in northeastern Puerto Rico. The proxy records were derived from a 5-m-thick stratigraphic section exposed by cut bank incision. We interpreted ecosystem dynamics from changes in the stable carbon isotopic ratio of sedimentary organic material compared to δ 13C ratios of contemporary carbon sources. Sedimentary organic material had δ 13C values ranging from −29.715 to −15.291. We derived a record of paleo-erosion rates in the catchment from the concentration of meteoric 10Be in layers of the floodplain sediments. Paleo-erosion rates ranged from 13 to 356 mm ky−1. The chronology of the sediments was constrained with the radiocarbon ages of organic deposits, the oldest age was calibrated to ∼22.4 ky BP (thousand years before present) and retrieved at 440 cm depth. We collected grain size data, clay mineralogies, and analyzed geochemical indices including the chemical weathering index, salinization, and base cation loss down profile. This stratigraphic sequence captures major shifts in the Caribbean climate, the intensification of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, and the arrival of humans on the island. During the last glacial and early Holocene epochs both biotic (δ 13C) and abiotic proxies (10Be met and geochemical data) indicated dynamic equilibrium with climate. The past five thousand years (ky) of record are characterized instead by pulsed responses to disturbances in both systems. Colonial-era land use drove changes that significantly exceeded natural variability in any proxy over the period of record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prospect of changing climate has led to uncertainty about the resilience of forested mountain watersheds in the tropics. In watersheds where frequent, high rainfall provides ample runoff, we often lack understanding of how the system will respond under conditions of decreased rainfall or drought. Factors that govern water supply, such as recharge rates and groundwater storage capacity, may be poorly quantified. This paper describes 8-year data sets of water stable isotope composition ( δ 2 H and δ 18 O) of precipitation (4 sites) and a stream (1 site), and four contemporaneous stream sample sets of solute chemistry and isotopes, used to investigate watershed response to precipitation inputs in the 1780-ha Río Mameyes basin in the Luquillo Mountains of northeastern Puerto Rico. Extreme δ 2 H and δ 18 O values from low-pressure storm systems and the deuterium excess ( d -excess) were useful tracers of watershed response in this tropical system. A hydrograph separation experiment performed in June 2011 yielded different but complementary information from stable isotope and solute chemistry data. The hydrograph separation results indicated that 36% of the storm rain that reached the soil surface left the watershed in a very short time as runoff. Weathering-derived solutes indicated near-stream groundwater was displaced into the stream at the beginning of the event, followed by significant dilution. The more biologically active solutes exhibited a net flushing behavior. The d- excess analysis suggested that streamflow typically has a recent rainfall component (∼25%) with transit time less than the sampling resolution of 7 days, and a more well-mixed groundwater component (∼75%). The contemporaneous stream sample sets showed an overall increase in dissolved solute concentrations with decreasing elevation that may be related to groundwater inputs, different geology, and slope position. A considerable amount of water from rain events runs off as quickflow and bypasses subsurface watershed flowpaths, and better understanding of shallow hillslope and deeper groundwater processes in the watershed will require sub-weekly data and detailed transit time modeling. A combined isotopic and solute chemistry approach can guide further studies to a more comprehensive model of the hydrology, and inform decisions for managing water supply with future changes in climate and land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]