Silica fluxes and trapping in two contrasting natural impoundments of the upper Mississippi River

Human activities have altered riverine silica cycling and diminished the supply of silica to the oceans, but few rivers have been intensively monitored to evaluate the magnitude of these changes. In this study we measured dissolved silica (DSi) and amorphous silica (ASi) fluxes into and out of two large, culturally-impacted natural impoundments of the upper Mississippi River, Lakes St. Croix and Pepin, USA. ASi sedimentation rates and sediment–water fluxes of DSi were calculated for each lake, and a mass-balance approach was used to determine in-lake ASi production. ASi from terrestrial phytoliths in the lake sediments was determined to be only partially available to biotic recycling, and in-lake ASi dissolution was small relative to the total silica budgets. The river reaches upstream of the two lakes were found to have abundant DSi, and riverine diatom production was found to contribute significant amounts of ASi to each lake. The average total phosphorus concentration in Lake Pepin is four times that in Lake St. Croix but ASi production in Lake Pepin is only 2.3 times higher than in Lake St. Croix, indicating that diatom growth in Pepin is limited by factors such as turbidity. Lake St. Croix currently traps about 10% of the inflowing total bioavailable silica (TSi_b = DSi + ASi) while Lake Pepin traps closer to 20% of its inflowing TSi_b, clearly demonstrating the importance of silica retention in lakes and reservoirs along the land–ocean continuum.     

Emerging understanding of the ecosystem silica filter

The annual fixation of dissolved Si (DSi) into terrestrial vegetation has been estimated to range from 60 to 200 Tmole, or 10–40 times more than the yearly export of DSi and biogenic Si (BSi) from the terrestrial geobiosphere to the coastal zone. Ecosystems form a large filter between primary mobilization of DSi from silicate weathering and its eventual export to the oceans, and a large reservoir of BSi accumulates in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Although a number of synthesis activities within the last decade have discussed biological transformations in the terrestrial Si cycle, the timescales at which BSi is stored and recycled within ecosystems, BSi persistence and reactivity throughout soil profiles, the dependence of the BSi storage and recycling on ecological processes, the feedbacks to hydrology, the interaction with man’s activities and ultimately the global relevance in Si budgets are poorly constrained. Here we discuss 5 key controls on the ability of ecosystems to filter and control the export of DSi: ecosystem biodiversity, BSi dissolution rates and reactivity, hydrology, interaction with the geosphere and anthropogenic impacts. These controls need to be further studied to better quantify the global and local importance of the terrestrial biogeochemical Si cycle and specifically the BSi reservoir in ecosystems.     

Watershed land use alters riverine silica cycling

Recent research has highlighted that humans are perturbing the global silica (Si) cycle through land use change. Here we compare in-stream Si biogeochemistry across four rivers that lie along a gradient of land use change in New England, USA. Differences between basins were most notable during the late winter/early spring period when dissolved Si (DSi) concentrations declined significantly in all but the most urban site. Declines in DSi concentration could not be attributed to volumetric dilution by higher discharges, nor in-stream phytoplankton growth, as biogenic Si concentrations did not increase during this period. We provide evidence that uptake of Si by terrestrial vegetation, specifically trees, is responsible for the observed declines of in-stream DSi concentrations (a loss of 2.7 μM day^?1 at the most forested site). We hypothesize that sap flow during this late winter/early spring period is driving this accretion. We estimate that 68 kmol Si km^?2 is accreted annually by New England forests, falling well within the range of forest Si accretion rates found in published studies. This analysis increases our understanding of the mechanisms contributing to altered Si biogeochemistry in rivers draining watersheds with different land use.     

Deforestation causes increased dissolved silicate losses in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest

Globally significant increases in the riverine delivery of nutrients and suspended particulate matter have occurred with deforestation. We report here significant increases in streamwater transport of dissolved silicate (DSi) following experimental forest harvesting at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, NH, USA. The magnitude of the streamwater response varied with the type of disturbance with the highest DSi export fluxes occurring in the manipulations that left the most plant materials on the soil surface and disturbed the soil surface least. No measurable loss of amorphous silica (ASi) was detected from the soil profile; however, ASi was redistributed within the soil profile after forest disturbance. Mass‐balance calculations demonstrate that some fraction of the DSi exported must come from dissolution of ASi and export as DSi. Land clearance and the development of agriculture may result in an enhanced flux of DSi coupled with enhanced erosion losses of ASi contained in phytoliths.     

Dynamics of dissolved and biogenic silica in the freshwater reaches of a macrotidal estuary (The Scheldt, Belgium)

Temporal evolution of dissolved and biogenic silica concentrations along the Scheldt tidal river and in its tributaries was investigated during 1 year in 2003. In the tributaries, dissolved silica (DSi) concentrations remained high and biogenic silica (BSi) concentrations were low throughout the year. In the tidal river during summer, DSi was completely consumed and BSi concentrations increased. Overall, most of the BSi was associated with living diatoms during the productive period in the tidal river. Nevertheless, the detrital BSi was a significant fraction of the total BSi pool, of which less than 10% could be attributed to phytoliths. The tidal river was divided into two zones for budgeting purposes. The highest productivity was observed in the zone that received the highest water discharge, as higher riverine DSi input fluxes induced presumably a less restrictive DSi limitation, but the discharge pattern could not explain all by itself the variations in DSi consumption. Silica uptake and retention in the tidal river were important at the seasonal time-scale: from May to September, 48% of the riverine DSi was consumed and 65% of the produced BSi was deposited, leading to a silica (DSi + BSi) retention in the tidal river of 30%. However, when annual fluxes were considered, DSi uptake in the tidal river amounted to 14% of the DSi inputs and only 6% of the riverine silica (DSi + BSi) was retained in the tidal river.     

Changes in amorphous silica sequestration with eutrophication of riverine impoundments

The effect of eutrophication on particulate amorphous silica (ASi) sequestration was isolated and quantified in Lake St. Croix and Lake Pepin, two natural, human-impacted impoundments of the upper Mississippi River. In contrast to impoundments behind engineered dams, where silica (Si) fluxes may be changed by various aspects of dam construction, these two riverine lakes have long (9,000+ years) sedimentary sequences that record the entire span of cultural eutrophication and the resulting silica sequestration. The concentrations of dissolved silicate (DSi) and ASi in the lake inflows were measured for 1 year to obtain the total flux of bioavailable silica (TSi_b = DSi + ASi) to each impoundment. Historical rates of Si sequestration in each lake were determined using ASi burial in multiple sediment cores and modeled estimates of historical TSi_b fluxes. The Si trapping efficiency of each lake was found to have increased exponentially with cultural eutrophication (estimated two- to fivefold increase in Lake St. Croix and 9- to 16-fold increase in Lake Pepin over the last 100 years), indicating the degree to which eutrophication of impoundments can reduce silica export to downstream coastal and marine ecosystems. Because these two lakes presently exhibit different degrees of eutrophication, together they depict a relationship between phosphorus concentration and Si trapping efficiency that may be applied to other impoundments, including human-made reservoirs.     

Human activities directly alter watershed dissolved silica fluxes

Controls on chemical weathering, such as bedrock geology, runoff, and temperature, are considered to be the primary drivers of Si transport from the continents to the oceans. However, recent work has highlighted terrestrial vegetation as an important control over Si cycling. Here we show that at the regional scale (Southern New England, USA), land use/land cover (LULC) is an important variable controlling the net transport of Si from the land to the sea, accounting for at least 40% of dissolved Si (DSi) fluxes. A multiple linear regression model using average DSi fluxes from 25 rivers (>2,300 observations) shows the percent forest cover, as well as development and agricultural land use, to be significant (p < 0.05) drivers of DSi flux. This was true regardless of watershed size and lithology. Furthermore, forest cover is significantly negatively correlated, while development is significantly positively correlated, with Si concentrations and fluxes. We hypothesize that these relationships are due to several mechanisms, specifically the ability of terrestrial vegetation to store large amounts of Si within its biomass, the altered watershed hydrology that accompanies LULC change, and the capability of urban regions to serve as sources of Si to aquatic systems. Thus, we conclude that anthropogenic activities may be directly perturbing the global Si cycle through land use change and we offer a conceptual model which highlights a new approach to understanding the non-geochemical controls on Si fluxes.     

Decreased Silica Land–sea Fluxes through Damming in the Baltic Sea Catchment – Significance of Particle Trapping and Hydrological Alterations

We tested the hypothesis that reservoirs with low water residence time and autochthonous production influence river biogeochemistry in eutrophied river systems draining cultivated watersheds. The effect of a single artificial water reservoir and consecutive reservoirs on silica (Si) river fluxes is exemplified by the moderately dammed Vistula River and the heavily regulated Daugava River that are compared with the practically undammed Oder River. The sum of the discharge weighted annual mean biogenic silica (BSi) and dissolved silicate (DSi) concentrations in the rivers Oder, Vistula and Daugava were about 160 μ M (40 + 120 μ M), 150 μ M (20 + 130 μ M) and 88 μ M (6 + 82 μ M), respectively. Assuming BSi and DSi concentrations as observed in the Oder River as typical for eutrophied but undammed rivers, complete trapping of this BSi could have lowered Si fluxes to the Baltic Sea from rivers with cultivated watersheds by 25%. The superimposed effect of hydrological alterations on reduced Si land–sea fluxes is demonstrated by studies in the boreal/subarctic and oligotrophic rivers Kalixälven and Lueälven. The DSi yield of the heavily dammed Luleälven (793 kg km^?2 yr^?1) constituted only 63% of that was found in the unregulated Kalixälven (1261 kg km^?2 yr^?1), despite the specific runoff of the Luleälven (672 mm m^?2 yr^?1) being 19% higher than that of theKalixälven (563 mm m^?2 yr^?1); runoff normalized DSi yield of the former, regulated watershed, was only half the DSi yield of the latter, unperturbed watershed. Based on these findings, it is hypothesized here that perturbed surface water–groundwater interactions are the major reasons for the reduced annual fluctuations in DSi concentrations as also seen in the heavily dammed and eutrophic river systems such as the Daugava and Danube.     

Lack of steady-state in the global biogeochemical Si cycle: emerging evidence from lake Si sequestration

Weathering of silicate minerals releases dissolved silicate (DSi) to the soil-vegetation system. Accumulation and recycling of this DSi by terrestrial ecosystems creates a pool of reactive Si on the continents that buffers DSi export to the ocean. Human perturbations to the functioning of the buffer have been a recent research focus, yet a common assumption is that the continental Si cycle is at steady-state. However, we have no good idea of the timescales of ecosystem Si pool equilibration with their environments. A review of modelling and geochemical considerations suggests the modern continental Si cycle is in fact characterised in the long-term by an active accumulation of reactive Si, at least partially attributable to lakes and reservoirs. These lentic systems accumulate Si via biological conversion of DSi to biogenic silica (BSi). An analysis of new and published data for nearly 700 systems is presented to assess their contribution to the accumulating continental pool. Surface sediment BSi concentrations (n = 692) vary between zero and >60 % SiO₂ by weight, apparently independently of lake size, location or water chemistry. Using sediment core BSi accumulation rates (n = 109), still no relationships are found with lake or catchment parameters. However, issues associated with single-core accumulation rates should in any case preclude their use in elemental accumulation calculations. Based on lake/reservoir mass-balances (n = 34), our best global-scale estimate of combined lake and reservoir Si retention is 1.53 TMol year^?1, or 21–27 % of river DSi export. Again, no scalable relationships are apparent, suggesting Si retention is a complex process that varies from catchment to catchment. The lake Si sink has implications for estimation of weathering flux generation from river chemistry. The size of the total continental Si pool is poorly constrained, as is its accumulation rate, but lakes clearly contribute substantially. A corollary to this emerging understanding is that the flux and isotopic composition of DSi delivered to the ocean has likely varied over time, partly mediated by a fluctuating continental pool, including in lakes.     

Retention of dissolved silica within the fluvial system of the conterminous USA

Dissolved silica (DSi) is an important nutrient in aquatic ecosystems. Increased DSi retention within the fluvial system due to damming and eutrophication has led to a decrease in DSi exports to coastal waters, which can have severe consequences for coastal areas where ecosystem functioning depends on fluvial DSi inputs. The analysis of fluvial DSi fluxes and DSi retention at regional to global scales is thus an important research topic. This study explores the possibility to empirically assess regional DSi retention based on a spatially explicit estimation of DSi mobilization and fluvial DSi fluxes calculated from hydrochemical monitoring data. The uncertainty of DSi retention rates (r_DSi) estimated for particular rivers is high. Nevertheless, for the St. Lawrence River (r_DSi = 91 %) and the Mississippi River (r_DSi = 13 %) the estimated DSi retention rates are reasonable and are supported by literature values. The variety of sources of the uncertainty in the DSi retention assessment is discussed.     

Lithologic controls on biogenic silica cycling in South African savanna ecosystems

The efficacy of higher plants at mining Si from primary and secondary minerals in terrestrial ecosystems is now recognized as an important weathering mechanism. Grassland ecosystems are a particularly large reservoir of biogenic silica and are thus likely to be a key regulator of Si mobilization. Herein, we examine the effects of parent material (basaltic and granitic rocks) on the range and variability of biogenic silica pools in grass-dominated ecosystems along two precipitation gradients of Kruger National Park, South Africa. Four soil pedons and adjacent dominant plant species were characterized for biogenic silica content. Our results indicate that although soils derived from basalt had less total Si and dissolved Si than soils derived from granite, a greater proportion of the total Si was made up of biogenically derived silica. In general, plants and soils overlying basaltic versus granitic parent material stored greater quantities of biogenic silica and had longer turnover times of the biogenic silica pool in soils. Additionally, the relative abundance of biogenic silica was greater at the drier sites along the precipitation gradient regardless of parent material. These results suggest that the biogeochemical cycling of Si is strongly influenced by parent material and the hydrologic controls parent material imparts on soils. While soils derived from both basalt and granite are strongly regulated by biologic uptake, the former is a “tighter” system with less loss of Si than the latter which, although more dependent on biogenic silica dissolution, has greater losses of total Si. Lithologic discontinuities span beyond grasslands and are predicted to also influence biogenic silica cycling in other ecosystems.     

Temporal variation in river nutrient and dissolved lignin phenol concentrations and the impact of storm events on nutrient loading to Hood Canal, Washington, USA

Rapid rainfall events can be responsible for a large proportion of annual nutrient and carbon loading from a watershed. The bioavailability of organic matter during these rapid loading events increases, suggesting that storms play a relevant role in the mobilization of potentially labile terrestrial carbon. A high correlation between river discharge rates and dissolved and particulate nutrient and carbon concentrations during autumn and winter storms was observed in several temperate Pacific Northwest rivers. Dissolved and particulate lignin concentrations also increased with river discharge; for example, in October 2009 dissolved lignin concentrations increased roughly 240% with a 200% increase in river discharge. During these storms a unique phenolic composition was observed for dissolved lignin that was rapidly mobilized from surface soils relative to the base flow of dissolved lignin. The observed increase in Ad/Al ratios with discharge indicates that rapidly mobilized dissolved lignin is more degraded than the base flow of dissolved lignin. Similarly, a marked increase in C/V ratios and decrease in the S/V ratio of dissolved lignin phenols with increasing river discharge was observed. These results may indicate a difference in source between mobilized and base flow pools, or, more likely, preferential degradation and mobilization/retention of specific lignin phenols. The cumulative results from this year-long data set indicate that a shallow nutrient-rich pool of particulate and dissolved organic matter accumulates in watersheds during periods of soil-saturation deficiency (summer). Autumn and winter storms mobilize this pool of accumulated nutrients from surface soils, which is exhausted with successive winter storms.     

Terrestrial fluxes of carbon in GCP carbon budgets

The Global Carbon Project (GCP) has published global carbon budgets annually since 2007 (Canadell et al. [2007], Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 104, 18866–18870; Raupach et al. [2007], Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 104, 10288–10293). There are many scientists involved, but the terrestrial fluxes that appear in the budgets are not well understood by ecologists and biogeochemists outside of that community. The purpose of this paper is to make the terrestrial fluxes of carbon in those budgets more accessible to a broader community. The GCP budget is composed of annual perturbations from pre‐industrial conditions, driven by addition of carbon to the system from combustion of fossil fuels and by transfers of carbon from land to the atmosphere as a result of land use. The budget includes a term for each of the major fluxes of carbon (fossil fuels, oceans, land) as well as the rate of carbon accumulation in the atmosphere. Land is represented by two terms: one resulting from direct anthropogenic effects (Land Use, Land‐Use Change, and Forestry or land management) and one resulting from indirect anthropogenic (e.g., CO₂, climate change) and natural effects. Each of these two net terrestrial fluxes of carbon, in turn, is composed of opposing gross emissions and removals (e.g., deforestation and forest regrowth). Although the GCP budgets have focused on the two net terrestrial fluxes, they have paid little attention to the gross components, which are important for a number of reasons, including understanding the potential for land management to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere and understanding the processes responsible for the sink for carbon on land. In contrast to the net fluxes of carbon, which are constrained by the global carbon budget, the gross fluxes are largely unconstrained, suggesting that there is more uncertainty than commonly believed about how terrestrial carbon emissions will respond to future fossil fuel emissions and a changing climate.     

Grazers: biocatalysts of terrestrial silica cycling

Silica is well known for its role as inducible defence mechanism countering herbivore attack, mainly through precipitation of opaline, biogenic silica (BSi) bodies (phytoliths) in plant epidermal tissues. Even though grazing strongly interacts with other element cycles, its impact on terrestrial silica cycling has never been thoroughly considered. Here, BSi content of ingested grass, hay and faeces of large herbivores was quantified by performing multiple chemical extraction procedures for BSi, allowing the assessment of chemical reactivity. Dissolution experiments with grass and faeces were carried out to measure direct availability of BSi for dissolution. Average BSi and readily soluble silica numbers were higher in faeces as compared with grass or hay, and differences between herbivores could be related to distinct digestive strategies. Reactivity and dissolvability of BSi increases after digestion, mainly due to degradation of organic matrices, resulting in higher silica turnover rates and mobilization potential from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems in non-grazed versus grazed pasture systems (2 versus 20 kg Si ha⁻¹ y⁻¹). Our results suggest a crucial yet currently unexplored role of herbivores in determining silica export from land to ocean, where its availability is linked to eutrophication events and carbon sequestration through C–Si diatom interactions.     

典型喀斯特流域旱雨季交替下溶解硅的输送特征

河流溶解硅（DSi）作为营养物质对维持陆地、河流及海洋生态系统稳定性起到至关重要的作用。选取贵州典型喀斯特流域为研究对象,通过对DSi湿沉降过程,基流过程及降雨径流过程的动态变化进行全年监测分析,探讨DSi在旱雨季交替下的输送特征及河流DSi浓度变化引起的环境效应。结果表明：①湿沉降过程降雨量越大,DSi浓度越小,河流DSi浓度变化有明显的旱、雨季特征,雨季DSi浓度较高,旱季较低,地表水径流量及DSi浓度对降雨径流过程的响应比地下水明显。②DSi沉降通量及输出通量呈明显的旱、雨季差异,雨季DSi湿沉降通量占全年的69.5%,地表水雨季DSi输出负荷占全年的98.1%,地下水占51.4%。③流域硅酸盐岩风化过程不强烈,主要受到碳酸盐岩及蒸发岩控制。流域DSi浓度受人为水库影响明显,经过水库后河流中DSi浓度旱季下降29.0%、雨季下降70.9%。研究为全面认识硅在陆地生态系统中的生物地球化学循环提供科学依据。     

Tree species impact the terrestrial cycle of silicon through various uptakes

The quantification of silicon (Si) uptake by tree species is a mandatory step to study the role of forest vegetations in the global cycle of Si. Forest tree species can impact the hydrological output of dissolved Si (DSi) through root induced weathering of silicates but also through Si uptake and restitution via litterfall. Here, monospecific stands of Douglas fir, Norway spruce, Black pine, European beech and oak established in identical soil and climate conditions were used to quantify Si uptake, immobilization and restitution. We measured the Si contents in various compartments of the soil–tree system and we further studied the impact of the recycling of Si by forest trees on the DSi pool. Si is mainly accumulated in leaves and needles in comparison with other tree compartments (branches, stembark and stemwood). The immobilization of Si in tree biomass represents less than 15% of the total Si uptake. Annual Si uptake by oak and European beech stands is 18.5 and 23.3 kg ha^?1 year^?1, respectively. Black pine has a very low annual Si uptake (2.3 kg ha^?1 year^?1) in comparison with Douglas fir (30.6 kg ha^?1 year^?1) and Norway spruce (43.5 kg ha^?1 year^?1). The recycling of Si by forest trees plays a major role in the continental Si cycle since tree species greatly influence the uptake and restitution of Si. Moreover, we remark that the annual tree uptake is negatively correlated with the annual DSi output at 60 cm depth. The land–ocean fluxes of DSi are certainly influenced by geochemical processes such as weathering of primary minerals and formation of secondary minerals but also by biological processes such as root uptake.     

Trends in the Output of First-order Basins at Turkey Lakes Watershed, 1982–96

In 1981, we began to monitor the stream flow and chemistry of 13 first-order basins at the Turkey Lakes Watershed, with the objective of measuring the response of an undisturbed forested ecosystem to acid deposition. There was no trend in total annual precipitation received by the watershed, but the average annual water yield (percentage of annual precipitation) declined over the observation period. The proportion of runoff occurring in different seasons also changed, decreasing in the winter and increasing in the spring. In most streams the concentration of SO₄ ²⁻ has decreased coincident with the decline in precipitation inputs. Recovery of the basins from acid deposition (as evidenced by increased pH, increased alkalinity, and decreasing base cation fluxes) has not been uniform. Basins that do not show signs of recovery are characterized by deeper flowpaths and greater potential neutralizing capacity, which minimizes the impacts of acid deposition. Basins that are dominated by shallow flowpaths and lower levels of potential neutralizing capacity are showing some signs of recovery, but their recovery is not complete and it is possible that cation depletion may prevent or retard it. Received 5 October 1999; accepted 9 May 2001.     

海南岛西南部土壤生物硅分布的时空差异及其驱动机制

地球表层元素硅(Si)的生物地球化学循环影响全球初级生产力和全球碳循环进而影响地球环境变化。土壤生物硅(BSi)因其易溶解而成为岩石圈-土壤圈-生物圈-水圈等圈层之间Si迁移-转化的枢纽。采集海南岛西南部的热带季雨林、经济林(橡胶林、桉树林、芒果林)和农作物(香蕉、甘蔗)土壤样品。采用热碱消化连续提取法萃取BSi;运用相关分析和主成分分析法识别土壤BSi含量变化的主要驱动因素。结果表明：研究区不同植物群落土壤BSi含量从大到小依次为：香蕉地((2.38±0.72)mg/g)>热带季雨林((1.86±1.34) mg/g)>橡胶林((1.42±0.81) mg/g)>桉树林((1.22±0.28) mg/g)>芒果林((0.98±0.71) mg/g)>甘蔗地((0.62±0.74) mg/g);研究区土壤BSi含量存在随群落变化的季节变化：森林群落土壤 BSi含量干季大于湿季,农业草本群落(香蕉和甘蔗)土壤BSi含量则出现湿季大于干季的特征。研究区土壤BSi含量变化主要受生物因素(总氮和碳/氮(C/N))和非生物因素(化学风化程度)耦合驱动。在全球尺度上,海南岛西南部土壤BSi含量(1.43 mg/g)低于热带雨林土壤BSi含量(2.5 mg/g),揭示水热同期的季风气候区山地土壤较活跃的微生物活动和较强的降雨、径流侵蚀作用,均有利于土壤BSi发生迁移-转换,最终以溶解态硅的形式随地表径流注入南海,在一定程度上保持南海生态系统的营养成分结构,确保南海生态系统良性循环。     

Nitrogen Cycles: Past, Present, and Future

This paper contrasts the natural and anthropogenic controls on the conversion of unreactive N₂ to more reactive forms of nitrogen (Nr). A variety of data sets are used to construct global N budgets for 1860 and the early 1990s and to make projections for the global N budget in 2050. Regional N budgets for Asia, North America, and other major regions for the early 1990s, as well as the marine N budget, are presented to Highlight the dominant fluxes of nitrogen in each region. Important findings are that human activities increasingly dominate the N budget at the global and at most regional scales, the terrestrial and open ocean N budgets are essentially disconnected, and the fixed forms of N are accumulating in most environmental reservoirs. The largest uncertainties in our understanding of the N budget at most scales are the rates of natural biological nitrogen fixation, the amount of Nr storage in most environmental reservoirs, and the production rates of N₂ by denitrification.     

Catchment nutrient budgets and geological weathering in Eucalyptus regnans ecosystems in Victoria

The movement of water and nutrients (N, P, K, Na, Mg, and Ca) through Eucalyptus regnans dominated catchments in the Maroondah catchment near Melbourne were determined. Nutrient fluxes in precipitation and streamflow are discussed and used to prepare simple precipitation input – stream flow output catchment budgets. These budgets are similar to those found elsewhere in Australia and overseas with the exception of nitrogen. This was probably due to errors in measurement and incomplete quantification of nitrogen fluxes. Catchment sodium budgets were used to estimate geological weathering rates by two different methods. Both methods yielded similar results. Data from two other studies in Victorian forested catchments yielded results similar to those obtained from Maroondah. It was concluded that the bedrock weathering rate at Maroondah was approximately 700 kg ha^-1 year^-1 which is very similar to that found elsewhere. Nutrient inputs from geological weathering were then estimated and possible errors discussed.