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Sources and distributions of sedimentary organic matter in the Columbia River drainage basin, Washington and Oregon 1
Author(s) -
Hedges John I.,
Turin H. J.,
Ertel John R.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1984.29.1.0035
Subject(s) - tributary , geology , organic matter , sedimentary rock , sedimentary organic matter , drainage basin , green river formation , sediment , hydrology (agriculture) , oceanography , environmental science , structural basin , geochemistry , ecology , geomorphology , biology , cartography , geotechnical engineering , geography
Nonwoody angiosperm tissues and gymnosperm woods are the major types of vascular plant debris in bottom sediments from 16 sites within the Columbia River and its tributaries. In tributary sediments relative abundances of these types of tissue vary regionally and are consistent with drainage basin vegetation. Within the extensively dammed main river, vascular plant debris mixtures are more uniform, indicating downstream mixing of sedimentary material from reservoir to reservoir. Vascular plant tissues account for an average of a third of the total sedimentary organic matter at the 16 river sites. The remaining organic material has an atomic C:N of 10–15 and a stable carbon isotope composition similar to “average” land plants. Organic matter in sediments of the Columbia River system is generally enriched in nonwoody angiosperm tissues and lignin‐poor organic matter in comparison to Columbia River‐derived organic matter in modern marine sediments from the southern Washington continental shelf.