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There are few detailed carbon (C) budgets of mangrove forests, yet these are important for understanding C sequestration in mangrove forests, how they support the productivity of the coast and their vulnerability to environmental change. Here, we develop C budgets for mangroves on the islands of Twin Cays, Belize. We consider seaward fringing forests and interior scrub forests that have been fertilized with phosphorus (P), which severely limits growth of trees in the scrub forests. We found that respiration of the aboveground biomass accounted for 60%–80% of the fixed C and that respiration of the canopy and aboveground roots were important components of respiration. Soil respiration accounted for only 7%–11% of total gross primary production (GPP) while burial of C in soils was ~4% of GPP. Respiration by roots can account for the majority of soil respiration in fringing forests, while microbial processes may account 80% of respiration in scrub forests. Fertilization of scrub forests with P enhanced GPP but the proportion of C buried declined to ~2% of GPP. Net ecosystem production was 17%–27% of GPP similar to that reported for other mangrove forests. Carbon isotope signatures of adjacent seagrass suggest that dissolved C from mangroves is exported into the adjacent ecosystems. Our data indicate that C budgets can vary among mangrove forest types and with nutrient enrichment and that low productivity mangroves provide a disproportionate share of exported C.

An ecosystem model called the “EMAGIN-B.C. ver 1.0 (Ecosystem Model for Aquatic Geologic Integrated Network for Blue Carbon)”, describing the Carbon-Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Oxygen-Calcium cycle was developed to estimate/predict carbon capture and storage in estuaries. EMAGIN-B.C. analyzes (1) carbon burial, wherein carbon is captured biologically in the pelagic and benthic ecosystems and stored in deeper sediments, (2) CO 2 uptake at the ocean surface while considering the carbonate chemistry with total alkalinity and Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) production/consumption due to biochemical processes, (3) DIC capture associated with grazing at the trophic level among phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthic fauna, (4) the effects of hypoxia on benthic fauna and bacteria by precise modeling of the biochemical oxygen production/consumption and the resultant hypoxia, and (5) the carbon transport by integration with the hydrodynamic model. EMAGIN-B.C. was applied to Tokyo Bay, a eutrophic, shallow coastal area, and reproduced the observations well. From the model outputs, it can be observed that Tokyo Bay shows functions of climate change mitigation. In the one-year carbon budget, Tokyo Bay captured 16.6% of the DIC from the atmosphere and river as organic matter by biological processes, and 3.9% of the total carbon flowing from the atmosphere and river was stored in the deeper sediment layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Mangroves are recognized as one of the richest carbon storage systems. However, the factors regulating carbon sinks in mangrove ecosystems are still unclear, particularly in the subtropical mangroves. The biomass, production, litterfall, detrital export and decomposition of the dominant mangrove vegetation in subtropical (Kandelia obovata) and tropical (Avicennia marina) Taiwan were quantified from October 2011 to July 2014 to construct the carbon budgets. Despite the different tree species, a principal component analysis revealed the site or environmental conditions had a greater influence than the tree species on the carbon processes. For both species, the net production (NP) rates ranged from 10.86 to 27.64 Mg C ha−1 year−1 and were higher than the global average rate due to the high tree density. While most of the litterfall remained on the ground, a high percentage (72%–91%) of the ground litter decomposed within 1 year and fluxed out of the mangroves. However, human activities might cause a carbon flux into the mangroves and a lower NP rate. The rates of the organic carbon export and soil heterotrophic respiration were greater than the global mean values and those at other locations. Only a small percentage (3%–12%) of the NP was stored in the sediment. The carbon burial rates were much lower than the global average rate due to their faster decomposition, indicating that decomposition played a critical role in determining the burial rate in the sediment. The summation of the organic and inorganic carbon fluxes and soil heterotrophic respiration well exceeded the amount of litter decomposition, indicating an additional source of organic carbon that was unaccounted for by decomposition in the sediment. Sediment‐stable isotope analyses further suggest that the trapping of organic matter from upstream rivers or adjacent waters contributed more to the mangrove carbon sinks than the actual production of the mangrove trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lacustrine ecosystems are directly influenced by terrestrial soil erosion, and excessive sediment loading constitutes a significant and widespread environmental issue. In order to investigate the response of catchment soil erosion and organic carbon burial to climate change and human activity, a sediment core spanning the last 160 years was retrieved from Lake Chenghai in southwest China. Multi-proxy analysis including grain-size composition and geochemical indicators were undertaken in this study. The result of grain-size vs. standard deviation method shows that the sensitive component with a modal size of 13.2 µm is related to fluvial processes and sensitive to the catchment soil erosion. The increasing intensity of soil erosion was mainly determined by the weakening of Indian summer monsoon and global warming, as well as intensive human activities during the middle of 20th century, which resulted in decreasing vegetation cover in Lake Chenghai catchment. The organic carbon burial rate was also attributed to the catchment disturbance, indicating that increased catchment soil erosion may impact the terrestrial carbon recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine red beds (MRBs) occur in many locations in the world during the Telychian Stage but it is unclear how they were related with the highly dynamic Silurian Earth system. To address this question, we conducted a case study involving geochronology, palaeogeographic reconstruction, facies analysis and sea-level history of the middle Telychian MRBs on the western Yangtze Platform of South China. Their distribution pattern indicates that the clastic MRBs owe their origin to the nearby oldlands. Facies analysis indicates that rocks during the study interval generally fall into three depositional belts: shallow subtidal, deep subtidal and shaly basinal belts. A chronostratigraphic framework constrained by both biostratigraphic data and eustatic events shows that, during the early Monoclimacis crenulata interval, olive-gray strata dominated both shallower (shallow and deep subtidal belts) and deeper (shaly basinal belt) settings, while distribution of the MRBs was restricted to deeper waters (shaly basinal belt) on the open-sea side of the platform. This situation changed after the middle M . crenulata interval when the MRB deposition was dominant in both shallower and deeper settings. The diachronous onset pattern of the MRBs coincided with prominent transitions in climatic conditions (from cooler to warmer), eustatic states (from regression to transgression), benthic faunas (decline of normal marine fauna and development of euryhaline assemblages) and reduced primary productivity in the shelf settings, most likely indicative of a change between different oceanic modes. Comparative studies suggest that, the widespread Telychian MRBs in both shallow and deeper water settings owe their origin to a very low organic carbon burial rate, which could be results of higher oxygen content in the ocean water and lower primary productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field measurements of water quality in Iowa lakes contradict paleolimnological studies that used 210Pb dating techniques in 33 lakes to infer accelerating eutrophication and sediment accumulation in recent decades. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing a series of water quality measurements taken in 24 of these lakes during the period 1972-2010. There was little change in the trophic state variables. Total phosphorus and algal chlorophylls did not increase, and Secchi depths did not decrease with no evidence that the lakes had become more eutrophic. Changes in daily sediment loads in the Raccoon River also did not match the paleolimnological inferred rates of soil erosion for the period 1905-2005, and an independent estimate of soil erosion rates showed a decline of 40% in the 1977 to 2012 period rather than an increase. We hypothesized that sediment mixing by benthivorous fish could be responsible for violating the basic assumption of 210Pb sediment dating that the sediments are not disturbed once they are laid down. We developed a mathematical model that demonstrated that sediment mixing could lead to false inferences about sediment dates and sediment burial rates. This study raises the possibility that sediment mixing in Iowa lakes and similar shallow, eutrophic lakes with benthivorous fish may cause significant sediment mixing that can compromise dating using 210Pb dating of sediment cores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continental margin systems collectively receive and store vast amounts of organic carbon (OC) derived from primary productivity both on land and in the ocean, thereby playing a central role in the global carbon cycle. The land-ocean interface is however extremely heterogeneous in terms of terrigenous input, marine primary productivity, sediment transport processes and depositional conditions (e.g. such as bottom water oxygen level). Continental margins are also highly dynamic, with processes occurring over a broad range of spatial and temporal scales. The rates of OC burial and oxidation are consequently variable over both space and time, hindering our ability to derive a global picture of OC cycling at the land-ocean interface. Here, we review the processes controlling the fate of organic matter in continental margin sediments, with a special emphasis on “hot spots” and “hot moments” of OC burial and oxidation. We present a compilation of compositional data from a set of illustrative settings, including fjords, small mountainous river margins, large deltaic systems and upwelling areas. Bulk OC stable isotope and radiocarbon compositions reveal the diversity and complexity characteristic of OC buried in marginal seas. This primarily relates to differences in marine and terrestrial inputs, the composition of the terrestrial component (e.g. vascular plant OC, soil, and petrogenic OC inputs), and processes modulating the fate of OC within the marine environment (e.g. priming). This widely contrasting behavior of OC among these systems illustrates that the reactivity of OC is a product of its chemical composition and regional conditions. Interpreted in the context of bulk compositional data as well as that obtained on specific molecular markers (e.g. lignin-derived phenols), the possibility exists to tease apart complex mixtures of terrestrial and marine inputs, and to shed light on the role of the myriad of depositional and post-depositional processes. Finally, we discuss a set of hot topics that warrant further investigation – such as the role of photochemistry, fungi, halogenation and reactive iron in dictating the fate of OC in the (changing) coastal ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate disrupts aquatic ecosystems directly through changes in temperature, wind, and precipitation, and indirectly through watershed effects. Climate-induced changes in northern lakes include longer ice-free season, stronger stratification, browning, shifts in algae, and more cyanobacterial blooms. We compared retrospective temperature-depth relationships modeled using MINLAKE2012 with biogeochemical changes recorded in sediment cores. Four lakes in Voyageurs National Park (VOYA) and four lakes in Isle Royale National Park (ISRO) were studied. Meteorological data from International Falls and Duluth, Minnesota, were used for VOYA and ISRO, respectively. Model output was processed to analyze epilimnetic and hypolimnetic water temperatures and thermal gradients between two periods (1962-1986, 1987-2011). Common trends were increased summer epilimnion temperatures and, for deep lakes, increased frequency and duration of thermoclines. Changes in diatom communities differed between shallow and deep lakes and the parks. Based on changes in benthic and tychoplanktonic communities, shallow lake diatoms respond to temperature, mixing events, pH, and habitat. Changes in deep lakes are evident in the deep chlorophyll layer community of Cyclotella and Discostella species, mirroring modeled changes in thermocline depth and stability, and in Asterionella and Fragilaria species, reflecting the indirect effects of in-lake and watershed nutrient cycling and spring mixing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land management history can influence soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks over centuries. In this study, the impact of medieval ridge and furrow cropland management on SOC in forests was assessed. Continuous clockwise ploughing in rectangular fields moved topsoil from the outer part of strip-shaped fields towards the centre, thus forming a corrugated microtopography with peripheral furrows and central ridges. This tillage technique led to the burial of former topsoil under the ridges. The effect of this human-created microtopography and the centuries old topsoil burial on forest SOC spatial distribution and stocks was investigated. Five sites with ridge and furrow field strips under deciduous forests on soils of differing texture in Germany were sampled, with three orthogonal transects of the field strips and a defined reference position where neither net soil removal nor accumulation occurred. Reforestation took place between the 17th and 19th century. At 0 to 10 cm depth, average SOC content was 28 ± 3 g kg − 1 at ridges, 37 ± 3 g kg − 1 at reference positions and 47 ± 5 g kg − 1 at furrows. SOC stocks were 7 ± 5% lower at ridges and 8 ± 4% higher at furrows than at reference positions. Enhanced C input at furrows through leaf litter accumulation was indicated by higher SOC content in the free light fraction at furrows (10 ± 5 g kg − 1 ) than at ridges (6 ± 3 g kg − 1 ), higher specific SOC mineralisation (37 ± 4 μg CO 2 -C g − 1 SOC at furrows and 31 ± 3 μg CO 2 -C g − 1 SOC at ridges) and wider C/N ratio at furrows (18 ± 1) compared with ridges (17 ± 1). Buried topsoil under ridges (20 to 33–52 cm depth) did not contain significantly less SOC than corresponding samples at furrows and reference positions. However, SOC content was 0.4 to 0.9 g kg − 1 higher at ridges than at reference positions, indicating long-term preservation of former topsoil SOC by burial under ridges, although enhanced SOC stocks at ridges due to carbon burial could not be significantly confirmed for all sites. It can be concluded that preserved microtopography over centuries and ancient topsoil burial, a legacy of medieval ridge and furrow cultivation, still influences forest SOC spatial distribution and stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a model of the biogeochemical and sedimentation behaviour of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in lakes, designed to be used in long-term (decades to centuries) and large-scale (10 4 –10 5 km 2 ) macronutrient modelling, with a focus on human-induced changes. The model represents settling of inflow suspended particulate matter, production and settling of phytoplankton, decomposition of organic matter in surface sediment, denitrification, and DOM flocculation and decomposition. The model uses 19 parameters, 13 of which are fixed a priori. The remaining 6 were obtained by fitting data from 109 temperate lakes, together with other information from the literature, which between them characterised the stoichiometric incorporation of N and P into phytoplankton via photosynthesis, whole-lake retention of N and P, N removal by denitrification, and the sediment burial of C, N and P. To run the model over the long periods of time necessary to simulate sediment accumulation and properties, simple assumptions were made about increases in inflow concentrations and loads of dissolved N and P and of catchment-derived particulate matter (CPM) during the 20th century. Agreement between observations and calculations is only approximate, but the model is able to capture wide trends in the lakewater and sediment variables, while also making reasonable predictions of net primary production. Modelled results suggest that allochthonous sources of carbon (CPM and dissolved organic matter) contribute more to sediment carbon than the production and settling of algal biomass, but the relative contribution due to algal biomass has increased over time. Simulations for 8 UK lakes with sediment records suggest that during the 20th century average carbon fixation increased 6-fold and carbon burial in sediments by 70%, while the delivery of suspended sediment from the catchments increased by 40% and sediment burial rates of N and P by 131% and 185% respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies suggest that coastal ecosystems can bury significantly more C than tropical forests, indicating that continued coastal development and exposure to sea level rise and storms will have global biogeochemical consequences. The Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research (FCE LTER) site provides an excellent subtropical system for examining carbon (C) balance because of its exposure to historical changes in freshwater distribution and sea level rise and its history of significant long-term carbon-cycling studies. FCE LTER scientists used net ecosystem C balance and net ecosystem exchange data to estimate C budgets for riverine mangrove, freshwater marsh, and seagrass meadows, providing insights into the magnitude of C accumulation and lateral aquatic C transport. Rates of net C production in the riverine mangrove forest exceeded those reported for many tropical systems, including terrestrial forests, but there are considerable uncertainties around those estimates due to the high potential for gain and loss of C through aquatic fluxes. C production was approximately balanced between gain and loss in Everglades marshes; however, the contribution of periphyton increases uncertainty in these estimates. Moreover, while the approaches used for these initial estimates were informative, a resolved approach for addressing areas of uncertainty is critically needed for coastal wetland ecosystems. Once resolved, these C balance estimates, in conjunction with an understanding of drivers and key ecosystem feedbacks, can inform cross-system studies of ecosystem response to long-term changes in climate, hydrologic management, and other land use along coastlines.

In their recent review, ‘Geoengineering with seagrasses: is credit due where credit is given?,’ Johannessen and Macdonald ( 2016 ) invoke the prospect of carbon offset-credit over-allocation by the Verified Carbon Standard as a pretense for their concerns about published seagrass carbon burial rate and global stock estimates. Johannessen and Macdonald ( 2016 ) suggest that projects seeking offset-credits under the Verified Carbon Standard methodology VM0033: Methodology for Tidal Wetland and Seagrass Restoration will overestimate long-term (100 yr) sediment organic carbon (SOC) storage because issues affecting carbon burial rates bias storage estimates. These issues warrant serious consideration by the seagrass research community; however, VM0033 does not refer to seagrass SOC ‘burial rates’ or ‘storage.’ Projects seeking credits under VM0033 must document greenhouse gas emission reductions over time, relative to a baseline scenario, in order to receive credits. Projects must also monitor changes in carbon pools, including SOC, to confirm that observed benefits are maintained over time. However, VM0033 allows projects to conservatively underestimate project benefits by citing default values for specific accounting parameters, including CO _2 emissions reductions. We therefore acknowledge that carbon crediting methodologies such as VM0033 are sensitive to the quality of the seagrass literature, particularly when permitted default factors are based in part on seagrass burial rates. Literature-derived values should be evaluated based on the concerns raised by Johannessen and Macdonald ( 2016 ), but these issues should not lead to credit over-allocation in practice, provided VM0033 is rigorously followed. These issues may, however, affect the feasibility of particular seagrass offset projects.

In their comment on the review paper, ‘Geoengineering with seagrasses: is credit due where credit is given?,’ Oreska et al 2018 state that some of the concerns raised in the review ‘warrant serious consideration by the seagrass research community,’ but they argue that these concerns are either not relevant to the Voluntary Carbon Standard protocol, VM0033, or are already addressed by specific provisions in the protocol. The VM0033 protocol is a strong and detailed document that includes much of merit, but the methodology for determining carbon sequestration in sediment is flawed, both in the carbon stock change method and in the carbon burial method. The main problem with the carbon stock change method is that the labile carbon in the surface layer of sediments is vulnerable to remineralization and resuspension; it is not sequestered on the 100 year timescale required for carbon credits. The problem with the carbon burial method is chiefly in its application. The protocol does not explain how to apply ^210 Pb-dating to a core, leaving project proponents to apply the inappropriate methods frequently reported in the blue carbon literature, which result in overestimated sediment accumulation rates. Finally, the default emission factors permitted by the protocol are based on literature values that are themselves too high. All of these problems can be addressed, which should result in clearer, more rigorous guidelines for awarding carbon credits for the protection or restoration of seagrass meadows.

Field measurements of water quality in Iowa lakes contradict paleolimnological studies that used 210Pb dating techniques in 33 lakes to infer accelerating eutrophication and sediment accumulation in recent decades. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing a series of water quality measurements taken in 24 of these lakes during the period 1972–2010. There was little change in the trophic state variables. Total phosphorus and algal chlorophylls did not increase, and Secchi depths did not decrease with no evidence that the lakes had become more eutrophic. Changes in daily sediment loads in the Raccoon River also did not match the paleolimnological inferred rates of soil erosion for the period 1905–2005, and an independent estimate of soil erosion rates showed a decline of 40% in the 1977 to 2012 period rather than an increase. We hypothesized that sediment mixing by benthivorous fish could be responsible for violating the basic assumption of 210Pb sediment dating that the sediments are not disturbed once they are laid down. We developed a mathematical model that demonstrated that sediment mixing could lead to false inferences about sediment dates and sediment burial rates. This study raises the possibility that sediment mixing in Iowa lakes and similar shallow, eutrophic lakes with benthivorous fish may cause significant sediment mixing that can compromise dating using 210Pb dating of sediment cores.

Modern deep-marine levees have been shown to be an important reservoir of the world's total buried organic carbon; however, few studies have attempted to assess this in ancient systems. Deep-marine levees are extensive features that experience high rates of sedimentation, making them ideal sites for significant carbon burial, and therefore examining the distribution of organic material in ancient levee deposits could provide insight into paleoenvironmental conditions and the evolution of ancient ocean and climate systems. In this study, a 350-m-thick succession of mudstone-dominated levee deposits of the Windermere Supergroup in British Columbia, Canada, was stratigraphically logged in centimeter-scale detail and samples taken with 4–10 m spacing. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and total organic carbon (TOC), were conducted to evaluate the elemental composition and distribution of organic carbon to evaluate trends in paleoenvironmental conditions such as primary productivity, ocean redox, weathering intensity, and detrital flux. TOC ranges from <0.2% to 15.55% (corrected for the effects of metamorphism). Organic-rich strata, taken to be ≥ 1% TOC, are principally confined to a single 60 m-thick stratigraphic interval, and typically occur as anomalously thick, mud-rich sandstone turbidites, with organic matter occurring mostly as micro-scale carbon sorbed onto the surface of clay grains. In this same interval, trends in XRF data indicate an increase in primary productivity, weathering intensity, and detrital influx, and a decrease in ocean oxygenation levels. These data suggest that intense continental weathering, high terrigenous input, elevated sea level, and relatively low oxygenation conditions all act to enhance organic matter production, accumulation, and preservation. However, although all these components contributed to increased organic production, accumulation, and preservation on their own, the results of this study suggest that it is the temporal coincidence of all of them in a "perfect storm" that is required for significant organic carbon enrichment. • Deep-marine levees effectively sequester significant amounts of marine organic carbon (OC). • Marine OC in Neoproterozoic levee deposits primarily occurs as adsorbed films around clay mineral grains. • Elevated weathering, terrigenous input, and high sea level can increase primary productivity over the continental shelf. • Bottom-water anoxia increases the preservation potential of OC, but is not required for significant OC enrichment. • OC enrichment at this site only occurred when all the above factors aligned simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the motility of filamentous mat-forming cyanobacteria consisting primarily of Oscillatoria-like cells growing under low-light, low-oxygen and high-sulfur conditions in Lake Huron’s submerged sinkholes using in situ observations, in vitro measurements and time-lapse microscopy. Gliding movement of the cyanobacterial trichomes (100-10,000 µm long filaments, composed of cells ~10 µm wide and ~3 µm tall) revealed individual as well as group-coordinated motility. When placed in a petri dish and dispersed in ground water from the sinkhole, filaments re-aggregated into defined colonies within minutes, then dispersed again. Speed of individual filaments increased with temperature from ~50 µm minute-1 or ~15 body lengths minute-1 at 10°C to ~215 µm minute-1 or ~70 body lengths minute-1 at 35°C – rates that are rapid relative to non-flagellated/ciliated microbes. Filaments exhibited precise and coordinated positive phototaxis towards pinpoints of light and congregated under the light of foil cutouts. Such light-responsive clusters showed an increase in photosynthetic yield – suggesting phototactic motility aids in light acquisition as well as photosynthesis. Once light source was removed, filaments slowly spread out evenly and re-aggregated, demonstrating coordinated movement through inter-filament communication regardless of light. Pebbles and pieces of broken shells placed upon intact mat were quickly covered by vertically motile filaments within hours and became fully buried in the anoxic sediments over 3-4 diurnal cycles – likely facilitating the preservation of falling debris. Coordinated horizontal and vertical filament motility optimize mat cohesion and dynamics, photosynthetic efficiency and sedimentary carbon burial in modern-day sinkhole habitats that resemble the shallow seas in Earth’s early history. Analogous cyanobacterial motility may have played a key role in the oxygenation of the planet by optimizing photosynthesis while favoring carbon burial.

For a long time, lakes were considered unimportant in the global carbon (C) cycle because of their small total area compared to the ocean. Over the last two decades, a number of studies have highlighted the important role of lakes in both sequestering atmospheric C and modifying the C flux from the catchment by degassing CO 2 and methane and burying calcite and organic matter in the sediment. Based on a full C mass balance, high frequency measurements of lake metabolism and stable isotope analysis of a large shallow eutrophic lake in Estonia, we assess the role alkaline lakes play in augmenting the strength of terrestrial carbonate weathering as a temporary CO 2 sink. We show that a large part of organic C buried in the sediments in this type of lakes originates from the catchment although a direct uptake from the atmosphere during periods of intensive phytoplankton growth in eutrophic conditions contributes to the carbon sink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate disrupts aquatic ecosystems directly through changes in temperature, wind, and precipitation, and indirectly through watershed effects. Climate-induced changes in northern lakes include longer ice-free season, stronger stratification, browning, shifts in algae, and more cyanobacterial blooms. We compared retrospective temperature-depth relationships modeled using MINLAKE2012 with biogeochemical changes recorded in sediment cores. Four lakes in Voyageurs National Park (VOYA) and four lakes in Isle Royale National Park (ISRO) were studied. Meteorological data from International Falls and Duluth, Minnesota, were used for VOYA and ISRO, respectively. Model output was processed to analyze epilimnetic and hypolimnetic water temperatures and thermal gradients between two periods (1962–1986, 1987–2011). Common trends were increased summer epilimnion temperatures and, for deep lakes, increased frequency and duration of thermoclines. Changes in diatom communities differed between shallow and deep lakes and the parks. Based on changes in benthic and tychoplanktonic communities, shallow lake diatoms respond to temperature, mixing events, pH, and habitat. Changes in deep lakes are evident in the deep chlorophyll layer community of Cyclotella and Discostella species, mirroring modeled changes in thermocline depth and stability, and in Asterionella and Fragilaria species, reflecting the indirect effects of in-lake and watershed nutrient cycling and spring mixing.

There are few detailed carbon (C) budgets of mangrove forests, yet these are important for understanding C sequestration in mangrove forests, how they support the productivity of the coast and their vulnerability to environmental change. Here, we develop C budgets for mangroves on the islands of Twin Cays, Belize. We consider seaward fringing forests and interior scrub forests that have been fertilized with phosphorus (P), which severely limits growth of trees in the scrub forests. We found that respiration of the aboveground biomass accounted for 60%-80% of the fixed C and that respiration of the canopy and aboveground roots were important components of respiration. Soil respiration accounted for only 7%-11% of total gross primary production (GPP) while burial of C in soils was ~4% of GPP. Respiration by roots can account for the majority of soil respiration in fringing forests, while microbial processes may account 80% of respiration in scrub forests. Fertilization of scrub forests with P enhanced GPP but the proportion of C buried declined to ~2% of GPP. Net ecosystem production was 17%-27% of GPP similar to that reported for other mangrove forests. Carbon isotope signatures of adjacent seagrass suggest that dissolved C from mangroves is exported into the adjacent ecosystems. Our data indicate that C budgets can vary among mangrove forest types and with nutrient enrichment and that low productivity mangroves provide a disproportionate share of exported C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the motility of filamentous mat-forming cyanobacteria consisting primarily of Oscillatoria-like cells growing under low-light, low-oxygen, and high-sulfur conditions in Lake Huron's submerged sinkholes using in situ observations, in vitro measurements and time-lapse microscopy. Gliding movement of the cyanobacterial trichomes (100-10,000 μm long filaments, composed of cells ~10 μm wide and ~3 μm tall) revealed individual as well as group-coordinated motility. When placed in a petri dish and dispersed in ground water from the sinkhole, filaments re-aggregated into defined colonies within minutes, then dispersed again. Speed of individual filaments increased with temperature from ~50 μm min-1 or 1 ~15 body lengths min-1 at 10°C to ~215 μm min- or ~70 body lengths min-1 at 35°C - rates that are rapid relative to non-flagellated/ciliated microbes. Filaments exhibited precise and coordinated positive phototaxis toward pinpoints of light and congregated under the light of foil cutouts. Such light-responsive clusters showed an increase in photosynthetic yield - suggesting phototactic motility aids in light acquisition as well as photosynthesis. Once light source was removed, filaments slowly spread out evenly and re-aggregated, demonstrating coordinated movement through inter-filament communication regardless of light. Pebbles and pieces of broken shells placed upon intact mat were quickly covered by vertically motile filaments within hours and became fully buried in the anoxic sediments over 3-4 diurnal cycles - likely facilitating the preservation of falling debris. Coordinated horizontal and vertical filament motility optimize mat cohesion and dynamics, photosynthetic efficiency and sedimentary carbon burial in modernday sinkhole habitats that resemble the shallow seas in Earth's early history. Analogous cyanobacterial motility may have played a key role in the oxygenation of the planet by optimizing photosynthesis while favoring carbon burial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An empirical function is derived for predicting the rate-depth profile of particulate organic carbon (POC) degradation in surface marine sediments including the bioturbated layer. The rate takes the form of a power law analogous to the Middelburg function. The functional parameters were optimized by simulating measured benthic O2 and NO3− fluxes at 185 stations worldwide using a diagenetic model. The novelty of this work rests with the finding that the vertically resolved POC degradation rate in the bioturbated zone can be determined using a simple function where the POC rain rate is the governing variable. Although imperfect, the model is able to fit 71% of paired O2 and NO3− fluxes to within 50% of measured values. It further provides realistic geochemical concentration-depth profiles, NO3− penetration depths, and apparent first-order POC mineralization rate constants. The model performs less well on the continental shelf due to the high sediment heterogeneity there. When applied to globally resolved maps of rain rate, the model predicts a global denitrification rate of 182 ± 88 Tg yr−1 of N and a POC burial rate of 107 ± 52 Tg yr−1 of C with a mean carbon burial efficiency of 6.1%. These results are in very good agreement with published values. Our proposed function is conceptually simple, requires less parameterization than multi-G-type models, and is suitable for nonsteady state applications. It provides a basis for more accurately simulating benthic nutrient fluxes and carbonate dissolution rates in Earth system models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lakes may store globally significant quantities of organic carbon (OC) in their sediments, but the extent to which burial rates vary across space and time is not well described. Using 210Pb-dated sediment cores, we explored patterns of OC burial in 116 lakes spanning several ecoregions and land use regimes in Minnesota, USA during the past 150-200 years. Rates for individual lakes (across all time periods) range from 3 to 204 g C m−2 yr−1 (median 33 g C m−2 yr−1) and show strong geographic separation in accordance with the degree of catchment disturbance and nutrient enrichment. Climate and basin morphometry exercise subordinate control over OC burial patterns, and diagenetic gradients introduce little bias to estimated temporal trends. Median burial rates in agricultural lakes exceed urban lakes and have increased fourfold since Euro-American settlement. The greatest increase in OC burial occurred prior to the widespread adoption of industrial fertilizers, during an era of land clearance and farmland expansion. Northern boreal lakes, impacted by historical logging and limited cottage development yet comparatively undisturbed by human activity, bury OC at rates 3X lower than agricultural lakes and exhibit much smaller increases in OC burial. Scaling up modern OC burial estimates to the entire state, we find that Minnesota lakes annually store 0.40 Tg C in their sediments, equal to 1.5% of annual statewide CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion. During the period of Euro-American settlement (circa 1860-2000), cumulative OC burial amounted to 36 Tg C, 40% of which can be attributed to anthropogenic enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic and inorganic carbon isotope records reflect the burial of organic carbon over geological timescales. Permanent burial of organic carbon in the crust or mantle oxidizes the surface environment (atmosphere, ocean and biosphere) by removing reduced carbon. It has been claimed that both organic and inorganic carbon isotope ratios have remained approximately constant throughout Earth's history, thereby implying that the flux of organic carbon burial relative to the total carbon input has remained fixed and cannot be invoked to explain the rise of atmospheric oxygen (Schidlowski, 1988; Catling and others, 2001; Holland, 2002; Holland, 2009; Kump and others, 2009; Rothman, 2015). However, the opposite conclusion has been drawn from the same carbon isotope record (Des Marais and others, 1992; Bjerrum and Canfield, 2004). To test these opposing claims, we compiled an updated carbon isotope database and applied both parametric and non-parametric statistical models to the data to quantify trends and mean-level changes in fractional organic carbon burial with associated uncertainties and confidence levels. We first consider a conventional mass-balance model where carbon input to surficial reservoirs is balanced by burial of sedimentary carbonates and organic carbon. For this model, statistical analysis implies fractional organic burial has increased over Earth history by a factor of 1.5 relative to organic burial at 3.6 Ga, with the 95 percent confidence interval ranging from factors of 1.2 to 2.0. An increase in organic burial by a factor of 1.2 cannot explain the rise of oxygen, whereas an increase by a factor of 2 could conceivably explain the rise of oxygen. There is, however, a highly significant and well constrained increase in organic burial from the Proterozoic to the Phanerozoic. We also analyze changes in the difference between carbonate and organic carbon isotopic ratios over Earth history. There is a statistically significant increase in this difference from the early to late Archean, possibly caused by increased biological fractionation due to methanotrophic recycling. This transition is consistent with the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis at 2.8 Ga or earlier. Finally, we explore how these conclusions change if we modify the traditional mass balance model to include other carbon cycle fluxes, specifically ocean crust carbonatization and authigenic carbonates. Because the size of these fluxes has a large, poorly constrained range, our statistical analysis with this uncertainty implies that the carbon isotope record does not constrain the history of organic burial at all. However, it remains possible that the magnitude of these additional processes has been inconsequential throughout geologic time, in which case conclusions from the conventional model would be valid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work quantified the total carbon and 12 other sediment characteristics at 10 soil depths, in planted and or natural mangrove forests in comparison with non-vegetated soil for four seasons of the year 2009-2010 in the Vellar-Coleroon estuarine complex, India. The sediment characteristics varied significantly between mangrove-vegetated and non-vegetated habitats or seasons of analysis, but not between soil depths. The mangrove sediments were rich in total carbon and total organic carbon as compared to non-mangrove sediments ( p <0.01). Total carbon was 98.2% higher in mature mangroves and 41.8% in planted mangroves than that in non-mangrove soil. Total organic carbon was as much as 2.5 times greater in mature mangroves and 2 times greater in planted mangroves than that in unvegetated soil. Carbon contents also varied many fold by season. Total carbon content was 8.6 times greater during pre-monsoon, 4.1 times greater during post-monsoon and 2.5 times greater during monsoon than during summer ( p<0.01 in all cases). Similarly, total organic carbon was 5.9 times greater during pre-monsoon, 3.1 times greater during post-monsoon and 69% greater during monsoon than during summer. In general, higher levels of sediment carbon were recorded during pre and post-monsoon seasons than during other seasons. Total carbon concentration was correlated negatively to temperature, sand and phosphorus ( p <0.01); positively correlated with redox potential, silt, clay, C/N ratio, potassium ( p <0.01) and nitrogen ( p <0.05); but not correlated with soil depth, pH or salinity. This work revealed that the carbon burial was rapid at the annual rate of 2.8% for total carbon, and 6.7% for total organic carbon in mangrove-planted sediment. Clearing of mangroves can result in significantly and rapidly reduced carbon stores. Our study highlights the importance of natural and plantation mangrove stands for conserving sediment carbon in the tropical coastal domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research assessed carbon and nutrient burial during the past ~60 years within a Peruvian coastal marsh ecosystem affected by anthropogenic activities, by examining total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) tracers in two dated sediment cores. Significantly higher TOC and TN burial, up to 416.4 ± 65.0 and 0.7 ± 0.1 g m−2 year−1 respectively, were observed after an uncontrolled urban expansion starting in the early 1970's to the 1990's. The TOC and TN burial rates were up to twofold higher than those observed for preserved coastal marshes. Furthermore, the decreased δ13C values (−16.1 ± 0.6 ‰) and increasing δ15N values (+10.6 ± 2.6 ‰) indicate higher deposition of algal material and urban sewage during the same period. The higher burial rates during 1970's–1990's and reduced rates thereafter evidenced the role of coastal marsh ecosystems plays in sequestering carbon and nutrients. • Carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (TN) burial in a saltmarsh was studied to determine impact. • Significantly higher TOC and TN burial were observed after an urban expansion. • TOC and TN burial were twofold higher than those observed for preserved saltmarsh. • δ13C and δ15N values indicate higher heavy nitrogen and algal deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Regime shifts reduced burial ability of PAHs in both inland and coastal sediments. • Burial ability decline rate in costal sediments was higher than in inland sediments. • Decrease of burial ability in lake and lagoon were driven by different nutrients. • Organic matter aromaticity and source results in the discrepancy of burial ability. • PAHs with higher hydrophobicity were more ready to be buried by sediments. Huge synthetic chemicals and hydrocarbons have been released to inland waters and oceans, composing anthropogenic dissolved organic carbon (ADOC). They complement a large budget for CO 2. Burial by inland and coastal marine sediments is crucial to reduce this budget. How ecological regime shifts influence the burial ability of ADOC by inland waters and coastal oceans, and what are the differences between them remain largely unknown. We collected sediment cores from an inland lake (Lake Qianhu) and the largest coastal lagoon (Lagoon Pinqing) in China, and chose 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to address these issues. Burial ability of PAHs by sediments decreased by 55.1% - 98.5% in Lagoon Pinqing in the period from 1963 to 2018, and by 91.5% - 99.5% in Lake Qianhu in the period from 1970 to 2018. Burial ability and its decrease rate for most PAHs in Lagoon Pinqing were larger than those in Lake Qianhu in the same period. PAHs with higher hydrophobicity were more ready to be buried by both lake sediments and lagoon sediments. Burial ability of most PAHs in Lagoon Pinqing was negative correlated with total phosphorus concentration. In contrast, burial ability of most PAHs in Lake Qianhu was negative correlated with total nitrogen concentration. Regime shifted from phytoplankton to submerged macrophytes dominance in the year of 1976, and from submerged macrophytes to phytoplankton dominance in the year of 1999 in Lagoon Pinqing, driven by nitrogen. Regime shifted from vascular plants to phytoplankton dominance in Lake Qianhu in the year of 1991, driven by phosphorus. Different aromaticity and sources of organic matter related to regime shifts were responsible for the discrepancy of burial ability for PAHs by sediments of these two waters. Our study suggests that burial ability of ADOC by inland and coastal marine sediments will be reduced if eutrophication results in ecological regime shifts, which may undermine the efforts to mitigate global warming. Graphical Abstract [Display omitted]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Mangrove ecosystems are acknowledged as a significant carbon reservoir, with a potential key role as carbon sinks. Little however is known on sediment/soil capacity to store organic carbon and the impact of benthic fauna on soil organic carbon (SOC) stock in mangrove C-poor soils. This study aimed to investigate the effects of macrobenthos on SOC storage and dynamic in mangrove forest at Gazi Bay (Kenya). Although the relatively low amount of organic carbon (OC%) in these soils, they resulted in the presence of large ecosystem carbon stock comparable to other forest ecosystems. SOC at Gazi bay ranged from 3.6kgm−2 in a Desert-like belt to 29.7kgm−2 in the Rhizophora belt considering the depth soil interval from 0cm to 80cm. The high spatial heterogeneity in the distribution and amount of SOC seemed to be explained by different dominant crab species and their impact on the soil environment. A further major determinant was the presence, in the subsoil, of horizons rich in organic matter, whose dating pointed to their formation being associated with sea level rise over the Holocene. Dating and soil morphological characters proved to be an effective support to discuss links between the strategies developed by macrobenthos and soil ecosystem functioning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Seagrass meadows are important carbon sinks, and they are experiencing a global decline. Restoration of seagrass meadows provides a strategy to mitigate climate change while conserving these important ecosystems., We examined the long-term carbon sequestration expected for seagrass restoration programmes by developing a model that combined models of patch growth, patch survival in seagrass planting projects and estimates of seagrass CO2 sequestration per unit area for the five seagrass species commonly used in restoration programmes., The model results indicated that the cumulative C sequestered increased rapidly over time and with planting density to reach an asymptote at a planting density of 100 units ha−1 (or 6 m spacing between units). At this planting density, the modelled cumulative C sequestered ranges from 177 to over 1337 tons CO2 ha−1 after 50 years., The value corresponding to this carbon sequestration suggests that the costs of seagrass restoration programmes may be fully recovered by the total CO2 captured in societies with a carbon tax in place, providing additional ecosystem services derived from the role of seagrasses in providing ecosystem services, such as enhanced biodiversity., Synthesis and applications. Seagrass restoration programmes are economically viable strategies to mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration, particularly in subtropical and tropical island states where land-based options have a limited scope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There existed synchronous variations in organic and inorganic carbon of Karst lakes. • Sediment carbon flux was enhanced with lake damming, and agricultural expansion. • Eutrophication increased lake algal production and TOC burial. • TIC flux was significantly higher than that of TOC in our less-impacted deep lake. • Catchment land uses altered coupled changes in organic and inorganic carbon burial. Hydrological regulation and land uses are known to alter lake organic carbon stock, while inorganic carbon cycling in karst landscapes may as well be shifted due to its rapid kinetic rate. To date, the synchronous pattern in the variations of sediment organic carbon (TOC) and inorganic carbon (TIC) burial in karst lakes largely remains to be quantified along the gradient of catchment development. Two karst lakes with contrasting nutrient level and water depth from Southwest China, both of which were converted to medium-sized reservoirs in ∼1985, were selected for sediment multi-proxy analyses on the temporal and spatial variation of carbon burial in the last ∼80 years. While hydrological fluctuations were well recorded by the sediment variation of particle size, the gradual decrease in median grain size showed a trend of increasing water depth that is consistent with the damming events for both lakes. Meanwhile, the nutrient variables revealed an acceleration of eutrophication since ∼2000 when a rapid expansion of catchment croplands was documented for both lakes. While diatom assemblage showed a significant response to hydro-climatic fluctuation and nutrients at both lakes, algal production (i.e. chlorophyll and cyanobacterial pigments) significantly increased with eutrophication at both lakes. The TIC content in the mesotrophic Taiping Lake and the TOC content in the eutrophic lake of Sanjiaohai both showed a significant increase with agricultural expansion, however, the contents of TOC in Taiping and of TIC in Sanjiaohai remained relatively stable over time. While a significant increase in the sediment flux with decreasing bulk sediment C:N ratios suggests elevated autochthonous input, the temporal change of TIC and TOC flux showed a significant synchrony at both lakes. Meanwhile, the sediment content and flux of TIC is significantly higher than those of TOC in Taiping Lake with a higher rate of carbon turnover, but lower than those of TOC in Sanjiaohai. Thus, the accumulation of TIC was disproportionally promoted in deep lakes while the burial of TOC is more favorable in eutrophic and shallow lakes. Overall, our sediment evidence highlights that agricultural expansion and hydrological regulation could interact in altering the sediment stock of TIC and TOC, and their synchronous variation in Karst landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we analyze the organic geochemistry of four sediment cores recovered from a cross-shelf transect offshore from the Pearl River Estuary, China, in an attempt to determine the impact of anthropogenic activity on carbon burial and phytoplankton community structure over the past century. Downcore total organic carbon (TOC) was found to be predominantly of marine origin, as indicated by the TOC:TN ratio, δ13Corg, and the branched and isoprenoid tetraether (BIT) index. Profiles of degradation-corrected marine organic carbon (MOCcorr) show an asynchronous history, with a gradual increase beginning in the 1940s at the proximal sites (A9 and A7), in the 1970s at the central site (A6), and after 2000 at the distal site (A5). Following this gradual increase, a concurrent but more rapid rise in MOCcorr occurred after about 1980, except at site A5. This rise in MOCcorr is probably associated with enhanced primary productivity related to an increase in the fluvial nutrient influx, as indicated by upcore increases in δ13Corg, δ15N, and phyto-sterol lipids. At sites A7 and A6, phyto-sterol compound ratios suggest a progressive decrease in diatoms, but an increase in non-diatom algae in the community since the 1940s. However, inshore at site A9, the community structure, as well as δ15N, remained almost unchanged. Distance from the shore may be one cause of the asynchronous increase in MOCcorr along the cross-shelf transect. However, our results imply that changes in community structure may also modulate MOC burial by partially offsetting the effect of growth in primary productivity. In addition, the CaCO3:MOCcorr ratio decreased significantly at sites A7 and A6 over the past 30years, which may suggest a relative decrease in marine carbonate production that may have acted as a negative feedback to limit atmospheric CO2 rises. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The influence of inland water bodies on the global carbon cycle and the great potential for long-term carbon burial in them is an important component of global limnology. We used paleolimnological methods to estimate changes in carbon burial rates through time in a suite of natural lakes in the US state of Iowa which has watersheds that have been heavily modified over the last 150 years. Our results show increasing carbon burial for all lakes in our study as agriculture intensified. Our estimates of carbon burial rates, before land clearance, are similar to the published worldwide averages for nutrient-poor lakes. In nearly all the cases, burial rates increased to very high levels (up to 200 g C m y) following agricultural development. These results support the idea that the increased autochthonous and allochthonous carbon flux, related to anthropogenic change, leads to higher rates of carbon burial. Further, these results imply that the fraction of global carbon buried by lakes will be increasingly important in the future if worldwide trends in anthropogenic eutrophication continue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In order to evaluate the sources and fate of organic matter (OM) in the Pichavaram mangrove–estuarine ecosystem, Corg, Ntot, C/Natm, and stable isotopes (δ13Corg and δ15Norg) of five 210Pb dated sediment cores were investigated. Core A was collected from the Vellar Estuary, cores B, C, and D from mangrove forests, and core E was from the Coleroon Estuary. In mangrove sediments, Corg, Ntot, and C/Natm concentration varied from 1.2±0.52%, 0.08±0.03%, and 16.6±4.1%, respectively. In the estuaries, Corg, Ntot, and C/Natm varied from 0.37±0.19%, 0.03±0.01%, and 12.3±2.9%, respectively. In mangrove forests the δ13Corg and δ15Norg values varied from −24.3±1.8‰ and 4.2±0.86‰, whereas in estuaries these values were −23.2±1.6‰ and 5.1±1.3‰, respectively. The variation represents variable inputs of marine and terrestrial OM in these area, OM degradation, replacement of native vegetation due to increasing salinity, and early diagenetic changes. Some of these changes could be attributed to anthropogenic activities that have been happening in the Pichavaram complex over the last few decades. OM once deposited in the sediments is rapidly decomposed or remineralized in both mangrove and estuarine sites. The rate of Corg burial is more in mangrove forests than estuaries. Early diagenetic changes are modeled in the cores based on C/N stoichiometry. This was most applicable in mangrove sediments (core C) where ~56% C was remineralized representing a first order diagenetic model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Episodes of widespread distribution of organic-rich marine facies within relatively narrow stratigraphic intervals have been interpreted as Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs). There are a number of such intervals in the Upper Cretaceous, some of which also exhibit significant positive excursions in carbon isotope records. As a result, a general model of the relationship between enhanced organic carbon burial and positive C-isotope shifts has emerged. Carbon isotope stratigraphy has, therefore, developed the dual utility of a chronostratigraphic tool and a means to help identify and define intervals of exceptional organic matter burial and preservation. However, variations in regional carbon isotope records of globally documented events suggest that the relationship between organic carbon burial flux and magnitude of carbon isotope excursion may not be entirely straightforward. For example, strata of Coniacian–Santonian age have long been recognized for enhanced organic content in many areas, but the designation of Oceanic Anoxic Event III for this interval has been rather equivocal in the literature, mostly due to the weak positive δ13C excursion (≤0.5‰). Yet, in some areas organic carbon accumulation rates for Coniacian–Santonian strata are roughly double that of the older OAE II, which is marked by a 2–4‰ shift in δ13C. Interestingly, the burial flux of carbonate, which leads to depletion rather than enrichment of the C-isotope signal, is also significantly elevated during Coniacian–Santonian time. In this study, the role of variations in organic carbon and carbonate accumulation rates on carbon isotopic expression are explored through application of data on the composition, accumulation rate, and areal distribution of end member facies types to the development of a global carbon isotopic mass balance model. The results are used to explore the hypothesis that net organic carbon burial during OAE III was not accurately represented in the carbon isotopic record. These results have important implications for interpretation of C-isotope records related to past perturbations of the global carbon cycle. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Continental shelves are believed to play a major role in carbon cycling due to their high productivity. To improve our understanding of carbon dynamics on continental margins, a dissolved organic matter (DOM) model was developed and imbedded within an existing coupled ocean circulation-biogeochemical model of the U.S. East coast. A model simulation with the DOM module was compared with the reference model (without the DOM module) to illustrate the role of DOM dynamics in coastal ocean biogeochemical cycling. Model results reveal that the progressive release of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in the ocean’s upper layer during summer increases the regenerated primary production by 30–300%, which, in turn, enhances the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) production mainly from phytoplankton exudation in the upper layer and solubilization of particulate organic matter (POM) deeper in the water column. This analysis suggests that DOM is a necessary component for representing ecosystem functioning and organic fluxes in models because DOM (1) is a major organic pool directly related to primary production, (2) decouples partially the carbon and nitrogen cycles (through carbon excess uptake, POM solubilization and DOM mineralization) and (3) is intimately linked to the residence time of water masses for its distribution and export. The seasonally produced DOC on the shelf can be exported to the open ocean by horizontal transport at comparable rates (1–2 mol C m−2 yr−1) to particulate organic carbon burial in the southern U.S. Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The coprecipitation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and phosphate with Fe(III) at the sediment-water interface plays an important role in the biogeochemical cycle of organic carbon (OC) and phosphorus (P) in aquatic ecosystems. However, studies remain limited towards understanding the strength of ternary DOM-phosphate-Fe(III) coprecipitation in sequestering OC and P. Here, we investigated the behaviors of humic acid (HA) and phosphate during their coprecipitation with Fe(III) and compared the coprecipitation behaviors with those during the adsorption process. The results showed that the coprecipitation of HA and phosphate with Fe(III) enhanced as pH decreased or initial Fe(III) concentrations increased. The presence of phosphate had a moderate inhibition effect on HA coprecipitation, leading to 3%–37% of reduction in precipitated HA. Changes in optical properties of DOM (i.e., SUVA 254 , E 2 /E 3 , and fluorescent components) showed that macromolecular, aromatic molecules preferentially coprecipitated, and this selectivity pattern was not influenced by the presence of phosphate. Compared to the adsorption of HA and phosphate to goethite, coprecipitation with Fe(III) displayed stronger binding ability, sequestering more than10 times of HA and phosphate, and was more efficient in sequestering protein-like compounds. The inhibitory effect of phosphate on HA sequestration was weaker during coprecipitation than during adsorption. Moreover, coprecipitation led to a lower degree of compositional fractionation of HA than adsorption, which may be explained by that inclusion, an important pathway for coprecipitation, has low selectivity for chemical compositions. Collectively, our results demonstrate that coprecipitation plays a crucial role in sequestering both OC and P in aquatic systems, arguing that the formation of ternary OC-Fe-P coprecipitates may be an important pathway for sequestering OC and P over a long term and reducing the internal loading of P in eutrophic lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Agglutinated foraminifera are benthic organisms that occur in marginal marine to bathyal environments. Though some taxa can live in oxygen deficient environments, they require at least some oxygen in order to persist at the seafloor. The discovery that they occur widely in Late Devonian black shales has a bearing on the boundary conditions required for episodes of extensive carbon sequestration in marine sediments and their connection to atmospheric composition and global climate. Devonian black shales of the eastern US have been studied extensively to determine the fundamental controls on carbon burial, and a range of mechanisms has been proposed. Finding agglutinated benthic foraminifera in these black shales refocuses the debate about their origin and points to limitations of earlier models. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Regional climate modelling for the Late Cretaceous greenhouse and high-resolution marine stratigraphic records from both sides of the low latitude Atlantic show that tropical South American and African hydrology and watersheds had a strong effect on freshwater transfer into the Equatorial Atlantic and subsequently the marine carbon record. This conclusion is derived from new detailed geochemical records from Demerara Rise off Suriname drilled at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1261 combined with frequency analyses and climate simulations providing evidence for mainly eccentricity-driven changes in carbon burial in the western tropical Atlantic. Shorter orbital frequencies, in particular precession, clearly dominating black shale cycles off tropical Africa (ODP Site 959), are far less dominant at Demerara Rise despite comparable time resolution of the geochemical records. We suggest that these different frequency patterns in carbon burial were related to the regional evolution of Cretaceous watersheds and hydrology in tropical South America and Africa. River discharge deduced from simulations indicates higher and less variable discharge from South America compared to western Africa at that time. This runoff pattern would have supported more permanent anoxic conditions off South America compared to Africa, at least indirectly, and caused the lack of strong higher frequency geochemical cycles in the western sector of the Equatorial Atlantic. Furthermore, climate simulations show a general switch of primary runoff from either side of the Cretaceous Equatorial Atlantic every half precession cycle (i.e. every ~10 kyr). Similarities between the developments of Cretaceous and Holocene hydrology in the tropical Atlantic area imply that orbital-scale evolution of watersheds is a robust feature through time that is independent from the mean global climate state. Based upon the comparison of Cretaceous and Holocene trends in hydrology we infer that future hydrology in the study region may develop in a comparable direction to the one observed in the Cretaceous. If true, this suggests that the modern Amazon rain forest could shrink over the next millennium due to a ~30% loss of moisture while the Congo rain forest in Africa is likely to expand in response to a 14% gain in moisture. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Although studies on carbon burial in lake sediments have shown that lakes are disproportionately important carbon sinks, many studies on gaseous carbon exchange across the water–air interface have demonstrated that lakes are supersaturated with CO2 and CH4 causing a net release of CO2 and CH4 to the atmosphere. In order to more accurately estimate the net carbon source/sink function of lake ecosystems, a more comprehensive carbon budget is needed, especially for gaseous carbon exchange across the water–air interface. Using two methods, overall mass balance and gas exchange and carbon burial balance, we assessed the carbon source/sink function of Lake Donghu, a subtropical, eutrophic lake, from April 2003 to March 2004. With the overall mass balance calculations, total carbon input was 14 905t, total carbon output was 4950t, and net carbon budget was +9955t, suggesting that Lake Donghu was a great carbon sink. For the gas exchange and carbon burial balance, gaseous carbon (CO2 and CH4) emission across the water–air interface totaled 752t while carbon burial in the lake sediment was 9477t. The ratio of carbon emission into the atmosphere to carbon burial into the sediment was only 0.08. This low ratio indicates that Lake Donghu is a great carbon sink. Results showed good agreement between the two methods with both showing Lake Donghu to be a great carbon sink. This results from the high primary production of Lake Donghu, substantive allochthonous carbon inputs and intensive anthropogenic activity. Gaseous carbon emission accounted for about 15% of the total carbon output, indicating that the total output would be underestimated without including gaseous carbon exchange. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Accumulation rates of marine and terrigenous organic carbon in the continental margin sediments off southwestern Taiwan were estimated from the measured concentrations and isotopic compositions of total organic carbon (TOC) and previously reported sedimentation rates. Surficial sediments were collected from the study area spanning from the narrow shelf near the Kaoping River mouth to the deep slope with depths reaching almost 3000m. The average sediment loading of Kaoping River is 17Mt/yr, which yields high sediment accumulation rates ranging from 0.08 to 1.44gcm−2 yr−1 in the continental margin. About half of the discharged sediments were deposited on the margin within 120km of the river mouth. Carbon isotopic compositions of terrestrial and marine end-members of organic matter were determined, respectively, based on suspended particulate matter (SPM) collected from three major rivers in the southwestern Taiwan and from an offshore station. All samples were analyzed for the TOC content and its isotopic composition (δ 13Corg). The SPM samples were also analyzed for the total nitrogen (TN) content. TOC content in marine sediments ranges from 0.45% to 1.35% with the highest values on the upper slope near the Kaoping River mouth. The TOC/TN ratio of the SPM samples from the offshore station is 6.8±0.6, almost identical to the Redfield ratio, indicating their predominantly marine origin; their δ 13Corg values are also typically marine with a mean of −21.5±0.3‰. The riverine SPM samples exhibit typical terrestrial δ 13Corg values around −25‰. The δ 13Corg values of surficial sediments range from −24.8‰ to −21.2‰, showing a distribution pattern influenced by inputs from the Kaoping River. The relative contributions from marine and terrestrial sources to sedimentary organic carbon were determined by the isotope mixing model with end-member compositions derived from the riverine and marine SPM. High fluvial sediment inputs lead to efficient trapping of organic carbon over a wide range of water depth in this continental margin. The marine organic accumulation rate ranges from 1.6 to 70gCm−2 yr−1 with an area weighted mean of 4.2gCm−2 yr−1, which is on a par with the mean terrestrial contribution and accounts for ∼2.3% of mean primary production. The depth-dependent accumulation rate of marine organic carbon can be simulated with a function involving primary productivity and mineral accumulation rate, which may be applicable to other continental margins with high sedimentation rates. Away from the nearshore area, the content of terrigenous organic carbon in surficial sediments decreases with distance from the river mouth, indicating its degradation in marine environments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Time-series data on the freshwater inflow of total organic carbon (TOC) to the Stockholm Archipelago, Baltic Sea, covering four full years, showed a distinct seasonal pattern with six times higher monthly flow in winter–spring than in the summer with an annual freshwater TOC input of 28 Gg year−1. Estimation of burial flux and source apportionment of sedimentary OC in the Inner Archipelago (IA) was based on extensive sediment sampling of seismically surveyed accumulation bottom areas. The resulting IA-averaged OC content was 56±16 mg g dw−1 sediment, yielding an IA-wide bottom sediment deposition for the 1992–1995 period of 3.1 Gg year−1. The sediments in the eastern Lake Mälaren (LM), IA, and Outer Archipelago (OA) were geochemically distinguishable based on their stable carbon isotope signatures (δ 13C). The δ 13C values were −28.2±0.6, −25.4±1.0, and −23.6±0.3, respectively, for LM (n=15), IA (n=17), and OA (n=31). These spatial trends were consistent with the C:N ratios, which were 9.96±1.2, 9.29±0.73, and 9.13±0.22 for the same subsystems. Using a simple isotopic mass balance model, it was deduced that about one-third (39%) of the OC burial in the IA sediments was of Lake Mälaren runoff origin. Hence, a low archipelago-trapping efficiency of only 4% for the runoff TOC was found to be accumulating in the sediments underlying the approximately 30 km transect through the IA eastward of Stockholm. This scenario suggests that the organic matter and associated substances added by the Lake Mälaren outflow, passing through urban Stockholm, are largely either remineralised and released to the IA water column, or transported with the currents to more pristine offshore Baltic ecosystems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Mangrove ecosystems may be a source of organic carbon and nutrients to adjacent coastal systems on one hand and provide a sedimentary sink for organic carbon on the other. The balance between these two functions may be sensitive to both natural and anthropogenically induced variability, yet these effects have not been thoroughly evaluated in mangrove ecosystems. We determine organic matter sources and carbon burial rates over the past 160 years in three lagoons on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Carbon isotopes and C/N elemental ratios are utilized to trace the three sources contributing to sedimentary organic matter, mangroves, seagrasses and phytoplankton, while nitrogen isotopes are used to elucidate potential post-depositional biogeochemical transformations in mangrove lagoon sediments. All three organic matter sources contribute to organic carbon burial. Phytoplankton and mangroves are the dominant sources of organic matter in lagoon bank sediments and seagrasses are a significant source to central lagoon sediments. Organic carbon burial rates are higher at the lagoon fringes, where mangrove vegetation dominates, than in seagrass-dominated mid-lagoon areas. A reduction in mangrove contribution to the sedimentary organic matter pool concurrent with reduced total organic carbon burial rates is observed in the recent past at all three lagoons studied. Natural cycles in sediment organic matter source over the past 160 years are observed in a high-resolution core. These fluctuations correspond to climatic variability in this region, as recorded in deep-sea foraminiferal assemblages. Additional work is required in order to differentiate between recent anthropogenic perturbations and natural variability in organic carbon sources and burial rates within these ecosystems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]