Date of Award

Fall 2026

Abstract

Atmospheric wet deposition delivers important inputs of organic and inorganic compounds to ecosystems, yet the drivers of dissolved organic matter variability in wet deposition remain poorly understood. Dissolved organic matter (DOM), composed of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), can make up a substantial fraction of total carbon and nitrogen delivered through wet deposition and may play a role in shaping ecosystem nutrient inputs. Although vegetation emissions have been hypothesized as drivers of DOM wet deposition due to increased concentrations of DOC and DON during the growing season, no study has directly evaluated whether metrics of vegetative growth and productivity predict spatial and seasonal variability in DOM wet deposition. Using archived samples from 27 monitoring sites across eastern temperate forests in North America, I measured concentrations of DOC and DON in precipitation and evaluated how concentrations varied with remotely sensed and modeled metrics of vegetation growth, phenology, transpiration. Results show DOM wet deposition, particularly DOC concentrations, peaked during warm periods with denser vegetation cover and increased transpiration, indicating a link between temperature, plant growth and emissions with DOC wet deposition. Metrics of plant growth and transpiration were weaker with DON highlighting additional atmospheric reactions that must occur to produce DON in wet deposition or alternative emission sources. DOM wet deposition serves as a key link in land-atmosphere carbon and nitrogen cycling, transferring organic carbon and nitrogen from the atmosphere back to terrestrial ecosystems. However, the organic matter emission-deposition pathway remains sparsely measured and poorly characterized. Improving monitoring of DOM wet deposition and emission sources is essential for accurately representing land-atmosphere carbon and nitrogen exchanges and begin understanding the potential role of these inputs for ecosystems.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

First Advisor

Adam Wymore

Second Advisor

Alexandra Contosta

Third Advisor

Scott Ollinger

Department or Program

Natural Resources

Degree Name

Master of Science

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