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Reservoir Construction Has Reduced Organic Carbon Deposition in the East China Sea by Half Since 2006
Author(s) -
Wang Chenglong,
Hao Zhe,
Gao Jianhua,
Feng Ziyue,
Ding Yongcheng,
Zhang Chuchu,
Zou Xinqing
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2020gl087357
Subject(s) - deposition (geology) , total organic carbon , sediment , environmental science , carbon sequestration , china sea , seabed , carbon sink , erosion , geology , sedimentary rock , carbon fibers , oceanography , flux (metallurgy) , china , hydrology (agriculture) , earth science , geochemistry , geomorphology , environmental chemistry , climate change , carbon dioxide , ecology , geotechnical engineering , chemistry , materials science , composite number , metallurgy , composite material , biology , political science , law
River‐dominated marginal seas are important carbon sinks on Earth. However, their carbon sequestration capacities are changing due to increased anthropogenic perturbations. Herein, we employ substantial datasets to study the characteristics of organic carbon (OC) from the East China Sea (ECS) in 2006 and 2018 and reveal the impacts of reservoir construction on the OC deposition in this region. We show that the distribution of sedimentary OC in the ECS is primarily controlled by riverine input and seabed erosion processes. Hydrodynamic processes influence the OC deposition due to both the scouring of fine‐grained sediments and selective degradation of OC associated with the sediment mobilization. The deposition flux of OC in the ECS decreased by 48% after reservoir construction. These findings demonstrate that reservoir construction seriously affected the OC deposition in the ECS and may be applicable to river‐dominated continental shelves worldwide.