Stream water nutrient and organic carbon exports from tropical headwater catchments at a soil degradation gradient

Carbon and nutrient losses were quantified from four small headwater catchments in western Kenya in the year 2008. They include a forested catchment and three catchments under maize continuously cultivated for 5, 10 and 50 years following forest conversion. The C isotopic composition of dissolved organic C (DOC) in stream discharge suggested that soil organic C (SOC) derived from the original forest rather than OC from maize may have contributed...