Controls on Dissolved Organic Carbon Bioavailability Across an Urban Stream Network: Disturbance, Metabolism, and Seasonality

Urban impacts on aquatic ecosystems are heterogeneous, and the drivers of these impacts vary across space and time. One area that remains poorly understood is how urbanization impacts the bioavailability of dissolved organic carbon (BDOC), a measure of how readily heterotrophic microorganisms utilize organic carbon. BDOC depends on the size and molecular composition of the dissolved organic carbon pool, both of which are shaped by watershed characteristics and seasonal hydrology. We hypothesized