Immobilization of relic anthropogenic dissolved organic matter from alpine rivers in the Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau in winter

The Tibetan Plateau is a critical ecosystem that sensitively responds to ongoing glacier shrinkage and permafrost thaw. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in Tibetan Alpine rivers plays pivotal roles in the biogeochemical cycling of elements and nutrients at regional and even global scales, impacting water quality, downstream environments, and climate. However, little is known about the characteristics and dynamics of DOM in these watersheds. We investigated five major Himalayan rivers in the southern Tibetan Plateau, utilizing bulk dissolved organic carbon (DOC), optical properties, and molecular formulas. We found extremely low DOC and fluorescent DOM (FDOM) levels in the rivers (average DOC: 0.25–0.87 mg L⁻¹, FDOM: 0.02–0.05 RU) with a highly degraded molecular signature, which was enriched with heteroatomic molecular formulas (S-containing: 58–72%, N-containing: 61–86%) and condensed aromatics (31–39% vs. ∼11% in world major rivers). Further, 81–99% of the condensed aromatics was identified as dissolved black nitrogen (DBN) with multiple nitrogen atoms, typical for grassy biomass combustion. The findings highlighted potentially fast DOM remineralization leading to the release of CO₂ and enriched apparently anthropogenic condensed aromatics and heteroatomic formulas in what have been considered pristine Tibetan rivers. These findings should be considered in future biogeochemical models and ecosystem management.