Open AccessContributions of terrestrial organic carbon to northern lake sediments
Author(s) -
Gudasz Cristian,
Ruppenthal Marc,
Kalbitz Karsten,
Cerli Chiara,
Fiedler Sabine,
Oelmann Yvonne,
Andersson August,
Karlsson Jan
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2378-2242
DOI - 10.1002/lol2.10051
Subject(s) - terrestrial plant , boreal , sediment , arctic , terrestrial ecosystem , environmental science , algae , total organic carbon , organic matter , isotopes of carbon , oceanography , geology , environmental chemistry , ecology , ecosystem , geomorphology , chemistry , paleontology , biology
Sediments of northern lakes sequester large amounts of organic carbon (OC), but direct evidence of the relative importance of their sources is lacking. We used stable isotope ratios of nonexchangeable hydrogen ( δ 2 H n ) in topsoil, algae, and surface sediments in order to measure the relative contribution of terrestrial OC in surface sediments of 14 mountainous arctic and lowland boreal lakes in Sweden. The terrestrial contribution to the sediment OC pool was on average 66% (range 46–80) and similar between arctic and boreal lakes. Proxies for the supply of terrestrial and algal OC explained trends in the relative contribution of terrestrial OC across lakes. However, the data suggest divergent predominant sources for terrestrial OC of sediments in Swedish lakes, with dissolved matter dominating in lowland boreal lakes and particulate OC in mountainous arctic lakes.