EVALUATION OF WEATHERING FLUX CACLULATION METHODOLOGIES FOR TROPICAL MOUNTAINOUS RIVERS USING A MULTI-YEAR DATASET FROM PANAMA

Tropical small mountainous rivers have garnered recent attention as they have been shown to deliver a disproportionate amount of solute, carbon and sediment fluxes to the global ocean. While the importance of determining accurate flux calculations from these settings is high they are often difficult to study as long-term hydrologic and constituent sampling data can be difficult to obtain. Furthermore, localized precipitation data used for rainwater input corrections may not be reflective of terrains with high geomorphic variability. Here we utilize a multi-year dataset, which traverses Panama from Lago Bayano to the Costa Rican border and includes rivers from the Azuero Peninsula, to explore a variety of precipitation correction and flux calculation (spot sampling, seasonal averages, and runoff correlation) techniques. Calculated fluxes are ultimately compared to a high sample frequency dataset to determine their relative accuracy. Discrepancies between calculation methodologies are subsequently explored in an effort to explore data representativeness and establish a benchmark for future studies.