4.4 Implications for aquatic ecosystem health
Understanding and predicting solute mobilization is critical as changes in nitrate and DOC export can have severe consequences for human and ecosystem health (Emmerton et al., 2020; Harper et al., 2018; Hohner et al., 2019; Paul et al., 2022). For example, elevated nitrate levels can lead to eutrophication in aquatic systems inducing harmful algal blooms (Minshall, 2003; Smith et al., 2011). Additional inputs of pyrogenic carbon and harmful algal blooms could create disinfection byproducts (DBP) during water treatment processes making it unsafe to drink, resulting in the exceedance of drinking water standards presenting a concern for water providers following wildfire (Chow et al., 2019). Most studies that report increases in DOC concentration note that drinking water quality will degrade (Hohner et al., 2019). There is less literature discussing the potential implications for a decrease in DOC concentrations. Changes in DOC concentrations may influence in-stream metabolic processes post-fire (Betts & Jones, 2009). Additionally, an increase in aromatic compounds comprising DOC could decrease aquatic productivity as bacterial production is often stimulated by more labile forms of DOC (Santos et al., 2019). As wildfire is predicted to increase with climate change, it is critical to be able to constrain the effects of wildfire on DOC concentrations to improve management strategies for vulnerable communities (Hohner et al., 2016).