柴北缘鱼卡地区中侏罗统石门沟组含煤层段沉积有机相分析

柴达木盆地北缘鱼卡地区中侏罗统石门沟组含煤段中发育有油页岩、煤、碳质泥岩和泥岩等富有机质细粒沉积.为了研究其沉积有机相的类型及煤和油页岩形成的控制因素,本文通过岩心观察、工业分析结合有机地球化学测试分析等方法将含煤段细粒沉积物划分为了类型A(三角洲平原沉积环境)、B(三角洲前缘-浅湖沉积环境)、C1(湖沼非油页岩亚相)及C2(湖沼油页岩亚相)四种类型,其中类型C1沉积物中发育煤,类型C2中发育油页岩,且煤较油页岩具有更高的含油率、水分、挥发分以及发热量值.有机质类型特征方面,沉积有机相类型A、B及C1沉积物有机质类型均为Ⅱ2-Ⅲ型、有机质来源均以陆源和混合来源两种有机质来源为主,而类型C2中主要为Ⅱ2型,以混合有机质来源为主;类型A及C2其沉积物有机质均处于未成熟阶段,而类型B和C1中有机质均处于未成熟-低成熟阶段;有机质保存条件方面,类型A沉积物主要形成于缺氧的淡水环境,类型B主要形成于贫氧-缺氧的淡水-半咸水环境,类型C1形成于贫氧-缺氧的淡水-半咸水环境,而类型C2则主要形成于缺氧的淡水-半咸水环境.其中类型B较类型A,类型C2较类型C1,其沉积物均形成于更为还原且盐度更高的水体环境中.石门沟组含煤段是煤和油页岩的形成层位,稳定的沉积环境、丰富的湖泊有机质来源、良好的保存条件及较少的陆源碎屑的稀释共同促进了类型C2中油页岩的形成,而丰富的陆源植物供给及良好的保存条件则促进了类型C1中煤层的形成.     

Iron, sulfur, and carbon diagenesis in sediments of Tomales Bay, California

Analysis of 3-m sediment cores revealed that profiles of carbon (C), sulfur (S), and iron (Fe) varied with relative distance from marine and terrestrial sediment sources in Tomales Bay California. Despite relatively high sedimentation rates throughout the bay (historically 3–30 mm yr⁻¹), sulfate reduction of deposited organic matter led to free-sulfide accumulation in sediments only at the location farthest from terrestrial runoff, the source of reactive iron. Acid-volatile sulfide concentrations in all sediments (<10 μmol g⁻¹) were low relative to concentrations of chromiumreducible sulfide (up to 400 μmol g⁻¹ farthest from the reactive iron source). A calculated index of iron availability, used to describe sediment resistance to build-up of free sulfide, was lowest at this location. Recent, upward shifts in reactive Fe concentration and in the relative contribution of terrestrial orgnic carbon (measured as a shift in δ¹³C of bulk sediment organic matter) in all cores indicated that erosion and transport of sediments from the watershed surrounding Tomales Bay increased after European settlement in the 1850s.     

火山活动与海侵影响下的典型湖相页岩有机质保存差异分析

黑色富有机质页岩是页岩油气生成和赋存的主要母体,是强还原环境水体的沉积产物,在其形成过程中,细菌硫酸盐还原作用(BSR)对水体环境影响明显,但BSR强度如何影响有机质的保存尚未得到关注。我国陆相湖盆富有机质泥页岩广泛发育,形成过程中常常伴随有火山活动或者海侵等事件,大量硫酸盐进入湖盆,改变水体的沉积环境,不同环境下BSR对黑色页岩有机质保存的影响明显不同。本次研究选取鄂尔多斯盆地延长组长7段页岩、松辽盆地青山口组和嫩江组页岩作为对象,同时与现代沉积物进行对比。研究表明,TOC与TS之间关系复杂,但细菌硫酸盐还原强度指数(SRI)与TOC呈现幂指数变化,且表现出两阶段变化的特征。当SRI大于1.375时,TOC整体偏低,指示了强硫酸盐还原作用消耗大量有机质;当SRI小于1.375时,TOC明显较高,指示了弱硫酸盐还原作用对有机质消耗相对较少,更有利于有机质保存。火山活动和海侵作用均向水体提供了大量硫酸盐,但对陆相湖盆页岩中有机质的保存影响不同。火山活动影响的长7段页岩SRI普遍小于1.375,BSR对有机质消耗相对弱,页岩TOC高。而受海侵影响的青山口组一段底部和嫩江组一段底部页岩SRI大于1.375,BSR过度消耗了大量有机质,使得页岩TOC偏低。嫩江组一段下部SRI指数更高,海侵强度更大,BSR反应更强,更不利于有机质保存。     

Spatial and temporal variations in terrestrially-derived organic matter from sediments of the Delaware estuary

Terrestrially-derived organic matter in sediments of the Delaware Estuary originates from riverine transport of soils and fresh litter, sewage and industrial wastes, and marsh export of organic matter. The quantity, composition, and spatial distribution of terrigenous organic matter in sediments was determined by elemental (C and N), lignin, and stable carbon isotope analyses. Sediments in the upper Delaware Estuary had low organic carbon content and high lignin content. In contrast, sediments in the lower Delaware Estuary had high organic carbon content and low lignin content. There was a slight decrease in the proportion of syringyl and cinnamyl phenols relative to vanillyl phenols between the upper estuary and lower estuary. Differences in lignin and stable carbon isotope compositions between sediments of the Delaware Estuary and sediments of the Broadkill River estuary (an adjoining salt-marsh estuary) supported previous observations that marshes do not export substantial quantities of organic matter to estuaries. Additional results suggested that lignin-rich sediments were concentrated in the upper estuary, most likely in the zone of high turbidity. Furthermore, algal material diluted lignin-rich sediments, particularly in the lower estuary. The weaker algal signal in bottom sediments compared to that in suspended particulate matter suggested algal material was decomposed either in the water column or at the sediment-water interface. Physical sorting of sediments prior to deposition was also indicated by observations of compositional differences between the upper and lower estuary bottom sediments. Finally, seasonal variations in primary productivity strongly influenced the relative abundance of terrestrial organic matter. In fall, however, the proportion of lignin was greatest because of a combination of greater inputs of terrestrially-derived organic matter, lower river discharge, and a decrease in algal biomass.     

Lignin geochemistry of sediments from the Narragansett Bay Estuary

Cupric oxide oxidation has been employed to characterize the lignin geochemistry of Narragansett Bay sediments. Lignin concentrations throughout the estuary are low when expressed on a carbon-normalized basis, but can be characterized as enriched when expressed on a mass-normalized basis. This implies substantial dilution of the sedimentary lignin by inputs of lignin-poor carbon. Lignin concentrations do not correlate with the ¹³C isotopic composition of the sedimentary organic matter. These results are consistent with a sediment lignin component consisting of varying amounts of vascular plant debris and lignin-depleted organic matter, the latter originating from both marine (planktonic) and terrestrial (uncharacterized) sources. Compositional plots of lignin-derived phenols show that sediments in the upper estuary are influenced to a greater extent by gymnosperm lignin sources than those in the mid-and lower estuary. Given the extent to which the upper estuary is affected by pollution sources, inputs from anthropogenic discharges are the most likely cause of these compositional differences. However, an evaluation of processed paper products as an “anthropogenic” lignin source indicates that the lignin content of these materials is insufficient to account for the levels found in the sediments. Subsurface lignin compositions at an upper estuary site reveal that lignin originating from the inferred anthropogenic sources disappears at a depth shallower than that which would be expected based on the distribution of other trace organic pollutants (hydrocarbons and several synthetic organic compounds). We speculate that differences in either the depositional history or the degree of preservation of these two compound classes are responsible for the observed trends.     

陆相湖盆沉积有机质富集机理研究进展

有机质富集机理的研究对于寻找优质烃源岩、评价盆地的含油气远景具有重要的意义,尤其在日益受到人们重视的页岩气、致密气、油页岩等非常规资源的勘探开发影响下,其研究就显得愈来愈重要和紧迫。而有机质富集机理总体研究程度并不高,对于陆相湖盆有机质的研究相对更为薄弱。以陆相湖盆为研究对象,开展大量国内外关于有机质富集机理的调研,从有机质的生产、有机质分解与保存、有机质的稀释作用三个方面系统总结了陆相湖盆有机质富集的控制因素,并对湖泊与海洋有机质形成的差异性进行了对比分析。研究表明,湖盆有机质的生产受地区光照率、营养盐供给、湖盆地貌、气候环境、湖泊水介质条件、藻类季节性勃发、自养型细菌等的影响;有机质分解与保存受水体分层、细菌生物、无机矿物、水介质条件、黏土矿物、沉积速率等的影响;有机质的稀释作用受沉积速率的影响,并最终得出湖盆中有机质的含量实际上是“有机质生产-有机质分解-有机质稀释”三者相互作用的结果。提出今后值得进一步关注和亟待深入研究的两个方向:自养型细菌在何种环境条件下可以创造高有机质生产力以及不同的水介质条件对有机质分解与保存的影响。     

贵州红枫湖沉积物有机质的酶及微生物降解

文章通过DNA、α-葡萄糖苷酶和硫酸盐还原菌等的变化,研究了贵州红枫湖沉积物中有机质的酶及微生物降解.有机质在微生物及其分泌的胞外酶的作用下被降解,在沉积物深度11cm以下被降解到相对较低的含量.DNA的分布表明表层9cm的沉积物深度内微生物的活动较为强烈,是微生物降解有机质的主要位置.α-葡萄糖苷酶在悬浮层含量最高,达0.75μmol/min*g干沉积物,提示有机质中的淀粉和糖原等物质在悬浮层降解较为激烈,被大量分解;随着沉积物深度的增加α-葡萄糖苷酶活性减弱,在有机质降解明显开始变缓的11cm沉积物中,α-葡萄糖苷酶活性已降低到0.17μmol/ming干沉积物.分子生物学的研究表明红枫湖沉积物表层7cm是硫酸盐还原菌的主要分布位置,结合有机质和SO_2-4含量的研究结果,提示红枫湖沉积物中SO_2-4不可能成为有机质氧化的主要电子受体,硫酸盐还原的限制因素也不是有机质供应.     

Sulfate reduction and the nature of organic matter in estuarine sediments

The reduction of sulfate by sulfate reducing bacteria in the anoxic zone is an extremely important process during early diagenesis of marine sediments. Our data from Great Bay, NH reinforce the proposal that the rate of sulfate reduction is directly proportional to the reactivity of the organic matter or the amount of readily metabolizable organic matter present in the sediment and, hence, the source of the organic material in the anoxic zone. It appears that organic matter rich in marine organic remains is more easily degraded in the anoxic zone and that sulfate reduction rates can vary considerably in an estuarine system where many types of organic material may be deposited.     

Bacterial hopanoids as tracers of organic carbon sources and processing across the western Arctic continental shelf

Tracing the inputs of bacterial organic carbon to marine systems has been constrained by the lack of distinguishing geochemical tracers and limited contribution in sediments compared to other sources of organic matter. Bacteriohopanepolyols (BHPs) provide a direct means to identify bacterial inputs which also reflect potential bacterial groups and their activities in aquatic systems. We applied recent analytical approaches to identify and quantify bacterial derived carbon contributions to surface sediments from the western Arctic Ocean using BHPs. The abundance and distribution of BHPs resemble trends of water column primary production and suggest active heterotrophic recycling of in situ production with some component of long term preservation. BHPs proposed as terrestrial derived signatures (i.e. adenosylhopanes) were also abundant in western Arctic sediments and reflect offshore trends of other terrigenous lipid signatures with a fraction representing their degradative products. Analysis of BHPs in organic rich peat and surface sediments from two Arctic rivers showed the highest inputs of adenosylhopanes, implying active bacterial recycling of recalcitrant terrigenous material. BHPs observed in western Arctic surface sediments reveal significant contributions of bacteria associated with organic carbon from multiple sources.     

The sequestration of terrestrial organic carbon in Arctic Ocean sediments: A comparison of methods and implications for regional carbon budgets

A variety of approaches have previously been developed to estimate the fraction of terrestrial or marine organic carbon present in aquatic sediments. The task of quantifying each component is especially important for the Arctic due to the regions’ sensitivity to global climate change and the potential for enhanced terrestrial organic carbon inputs with continued Arctic warming to alter carbon sequestration. Yet it is unclear how each approach compares in defining organic carbon sources in sediments as well as their impact on regional or pan-Arctic carbon budgets. Here, we investigated multiple methods: (1) two end-member mixing models utilizing bulk stable carbon isotopes; (2) the relationship between long-chain n-alkanes and organic carbon (ALKOC); (3) principal components analysis (PCA) combined with scaling of a large suite of lipid biomarkers; and (4) ratios of branched and isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether lipids (the BIT index) to calculate the fraction of terrestrial organic matter components preserved in Arctic marine sediments.Estimated terrestrial organic carbon content among approaches showed considerable variation for identical sediment samples. For a majority of the samples, the BIT index resulted in the lowest estimates for terrestrial organic carbon, corroborating recent suggestions that this proxy may represent a distinct fraction of terrestrial organic matter; i.e., peat or soil organic matter, as opposed to markers such as n-alkanes or long-chain fatty acids which measure higher plant wax inputs. Because of the patchy inputs of n-alkanes to this region from coastal erosion in the western Arctic, the ALKOC approach was not as effective as when applied to river-dominated margins found in the eastern Arctic. The difficulties in constraining a marine δ¹³C end-member limit the applicability of stable isotope mixing models in polar regions. Estimates of terrestrial organic carbon using the lipid-based PCA method and the bulk δ¹³C mixing model approach varied drastically at each site, suggesting that organic matter fractions such as amino acids or carbohydrates may affect bulk organic matter composition in a manner that is not captured in the lipid-based analysis. Overall, terrestrial organic matter inputs to the Chukchi and western Beaufort Seas using the average of the methods at each site ranged from 11% to 44%, indicating that land-derived organic matter plays a substantial role in carbon dynamics in the western Arctic Ocean.     

Distribution of n-alkanes in lacustrine sediments from subtropical lake in Brazil

The geochemical composition of lake bed sediments of a tropical reservoir in Brazil have been investigated. The C, N, P composition showed almost no variation between the different sampling points. All samples contained inorganic phosphorus (IP) ranging from 52 to 70%. The Redfield ratios show that the lake is without significant anthropogenic inputs. Most of the organic matter is composed by higher plants decomposition revealed in the total organic carbon (TOC):nitrogen (N) ratio ranging from 15.4 to 57.2. Also, TOC:organic phosphorus (OP) ranged from 265.3 to 933.6, suggesting that most of the organic matter has terrestrial origin from wood plants. The ratios suggest that most organic matter is influenced by the terrestrial characteristics of the watershed. Furthermore, the relative abundance of n-alkane homologues in the sediments was investigated. All samples have been analyzed for the n-alkanes C₈ to C₄₀. The sediments were dominated by n-alkanes C₂₅–C₃₈. It is concluded that n-alkane in sediments mainly come from terrestrial plants, however there is a contribution of submerged aquatic plants, especially in those sites in deeper areas of the lake. On the basis of P_aq index the n-alkanes in sediments comes from terrestrial plants, however there is a contribution from emerged/floating plants.The investigated lake seems to be considered as meso to eutrophic. Because of the relatively high primary productivity in the lakes, there is a substantial organic-matter flux to the sediments, which rapidly becomes anoxic. According to the pristine/phytane ratio the sediments represent an anoxic environment with values found between 0.38 and 1.72.     

Paleoceanographic Setting and Preservation of Buried Manganese Deposits in DSDP/ODP Cores

Abstract. The occurrence, lithology, and stratigraphic setting of buried manganese deposits and associated host sediments in cores obtained on Legs 123–210 of the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) are examined in order to establish the formative environment and conditions of preservation. Fossil manganese nodule and crusts are found to have formed or deposited throughout the period from 100 Ma to the present, with an additional example of formation near 137 Ma, suggesting that the deep-sea environment has been oxic and suitable for the formation of manganese nodules and crusts since the Cretaceous. Many manganese nodules and crusts occur on horizons corresponding to hiatuses in sedimentation or periods of slow sedimentation, consistent with the environment in which modern nodules form (sedimentation rate less than 10 m/m.y.). Sediments overlying the fossil nodules and crusts are oozes or biogenic sediments with sedimentation rates of 1–18 m/m.y. Low total organic carbon (<0.1 wt%) in the overlying sediments and high sulfate content (>25 mM) in interstitial water around the manganese horizon suggest that no strong reduction occurred within the overlying sediments. Coverage by biogenic sediments containing only small amounts of organic matter is therefore considered important for the preservation of manganese nodules and crusts. Manganese carbonate occurs sporadically as nodules, concretions or thin layers in various host sediments, including clay, calcareous ooze and siliceous ooze with sedimentation rates of 6–125 m/m.y. Hiatuses are rare around the host sediments of manganese carbonate. Higher total organic carbon (0.2–1.8 wt%) in the host sediments and lower sulfate content (0–25 mM) in interstitial water around the manganese carbonate horizon suggest that reduction in association with decomposition of organic matter would have proceeded in the host sediments.     

Solid-state C NMR analysis of size and density fractions of marine sediments: Insight into organic carbon sources and preservation mechanisms

Burial of organic carbon (OC) in ocean sediments acts as the ultimate long-term sink for both terrestrial and marine carbon, however, the mechanisms controlling the preservation of this carbon are poorly understood. To better understand these mechanisms, we applied solid-state ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, along with elemental, stable carbon isotopic (δ¹³C) and lignin phenol analyses, to size and density fractions of sediments influenced by either mixed terrestrial and marine OC inputs (Washington Coast slope) or dominantly marine inputs (Mexican Margin). Elemental, isotopic and lignin analyses all reveal that within the Washington Coast sediment, the OC mixes linearly between nitrogen-poor and ¹³C-depleted, lignin-rich OC in the large and light fractions and nitrogen-rich and ¹³C-enriched, lignin-poor OC in the small and dense fractions, suggesting that this sediment contains a two-component mixture of terrestrial vascular plant- and marine-derived OC. The integral areas of each of seven NMR spectral regions in the different samples trend linearly when plotted versus δ¹³C signature, with most R² values of 0.78 or greater, demonstrating that the NMR spectra of the two sources of carbon also mix linearly between the two endmembers. The terrestrial endmember in this sediment appears to be dominated by lignin and black carbon whereas the source of the marine endmember is less clear from the NMR spectra. In contrast, all of the analyses indicate that OC in the Mexican Margin sediment fractions is homogenous and derives almost exclusively from marine sources. It appears that selective preservation of (bio)chemically recalcitrant lignin and black carbon is the primary mechanism of preservation of terrestrial OC, whereas mineral-protection is the dominant mechanism preserving marine OC in the Washington coast sediment. There is little evidence showing that either preservation mechanism functions in the Mexican Margin sediments.     

Organic matter enrichment in the first member of the Xiagou formation of the lower Cretaceous in the Jiuquan Basin,China

The sources and enrichment of organic matter in a sediment core in the first member of the Xiagou Formation (K₁g¹) from the Chang 2-2 borehole of the Jiuquan Basin, NW China, have been examined using Rock–Eval, maceral, carbon isotopes and biomarker data. This data indicates that highly variable organic matter sources and preservation conditions in response to climate change. TOC content, HI, and δ¹³C value were strongly correlated with the abundance of gammacerane, woody organic matter content, steranes/hopanes ratio, and C₂₉ sterane content. This correlation demonstrates the importance that the control of the salinity of the depositional environment and organic matter sources can have upon the enrichment, type, and carbon isotopic composition of organic matter. In the Jiuquan Basin’s relatively high temperature and arid climate, high salinity lakes with high primary productivity of algae, planktons, and bacteria, and good organic matter preservation conditions (anoxic bottom water) resulted in the enrichment of isotopically-light algae-bacterial organic matter. In the Jiuquan Basin’s regions with a relatively low temperature and wet climate, fresh lakes with low primary productivity of algae, planktons, and bacteria received significant terrigenous high plants input, resulting in the deposition of a low abundance of isotopically heavier terrestrial organic matter.     

Nature and geochemistry of surface sediments of the mangrove environment along the Egyptian Red Sea coast

Grain size and geochemical analyses have been carried out on 58 samples collected from different areas of mangrove environment of the Egyptian Red Sea coast. The texture characteristics of mangrove sediments show that the mean size decreases in sediments of coastal areas while increase in island sediments and the sediment type generally changes from sand to slightly gravelly muddy sand. The sediments are composed mainly of poorly sorted, negatively nearly symmetrical and leptokurtic fine sands. Cluster analysis showed that, distribution of gravel, sand and mud fractions is related to bottom facies and type of sediment source. Generally, sand fraction is the main category among the three constituents. Geochemically the factor controlling the carbonate content of studied sediments includes material supply of biogenic and terrigenous components. Therefore, sediments of Hamata area, km 17 south Safaga, Wadi El-Gemal Island and Abu-Minqar Island are terrigenous sediments, while sediments of km 37 north Quseir are highly carbonates. In general organic matter is higher in the mangrove sediments relative to adjacent areas. The high organic matter in the mangrove sediments is primarily due to the high supply from primary productivity, terrestrial and reworked sediments. Texture is the main controlling factor for the organic matter enrichment. Spatial variations in the phosphorus content in the different studied localities are related to the sources of phosphorus to the area. In comparison, cluster analysis indicates that phosphorus might be transported from terrestrial source to the sea through wadis draining the excavated Upper Cretaceous phosphate rocks. Also, the abundance of phosphorus content may be attributed to phosphatization of calcareous skeletons. Our observations provide knowledge on the physico-chemical effects and will be useful in the management and suitable development of the areas under study. In addition it represent database in the future.     

From land to sea: provenance,composition, and preservation of organic matter in a marine sediment record from the North-East Greenland shelf spanning the Younger Dryas–Holocene

The organic matter content of marine sediments is often used to infer past changes in ocean conditions. However, the organic carbon pool preserved in coastal sediments is a complex mixture derived from different sources and may not reflect in situ processes. In this study, we combine taxonomic identification of reworked palynomorphs with pyrolysis organic geochemistry and reflected-light organic petrographic microscopy to investigate the provenance, composition and preservation of organic matter in a marine sediment core retrieved from the NE Greenland shelf. Our study reveals continuous yet variable input of land-derived organic carbon to the marine environment throughout the late Younger Dryas–Holocene, with the highest input of inert carbon in the late Younger Dryas. Although the sediments contain some recent marine palynomorphs, there is no other evidence of fresh marine organic carbon. In contrast, our results indicate that these shelf sediments represent a significant sink of recycled organic carbon. The results of pyrolysis geochemistry revealed that ~90% of the total organic carbon in the sediments is inert. The organic petrography analyses revealed that >70–84% of the organic carbon in the sediment core is terrigenous. Reworked dinoflagellate cysts showed a continuous provenance of Cretaceous land-derived material, most likely from the nearby Clavering Island. Our study points to the importance of constraining the organic matter origin, composition and preservation in marine sediments to achieve more accurate palaeoenvironmental reconstructions based on organic proxies.     

Compositions,sources and depositional environments of organic matter from the Middle Jurassic clays of Poland

The comprehensive biomarker characteristics from previously undescribed Middle Jurassic clays of Poland are presented. The molecular composition of the organic matter (OM) derived from clays of Aalenian to Callovian age has not changed significantly through time. High relative concentrations of many biomarkers typical for terrestrial material suggest a distinct dominance of OM derived from land plants. Increasing concentrations of C₂₉-diaster-13(17)-enes towards the northern part of the basin indicate an increase in terrestrial input. This terrestrial material would have originated from the enhanced transport of organic matter from land situated at the northern bank of the basin, i.e., the Fennoscandian Shield. The organic matter was deposited in an oxic to suboxic environment, as indicated by relatively low concentrations of C₃₃–C₃₅ homohopanes, moderate to high Pr/Ph ratio values, an absence of compounds characteristic for anoxia and water column stratification, such as isorenieratane, aryl isoprenoids and gammacerane, as well as common benthic fauna and burrows. δ¹⁸O measurements from calcitic rostra of belemnites suggest that the mean value of the Middle Jurassic sea-water temperature of the Polish Basin was 13.1 °C. It is suggested that this mirrored the temperature of the lower water column because belemnites are considered here to be necto-benthic. The organic matter from the Middle Jurassic basin of Poland is immature. This is clearly indicated by a large concentration of biomarkers with the biogenic configurations, such as ββ-hopanes, hop-13(18)-enes, hop-17(21)-enes, diasterenes and sterenes. The identification of preserved, unaltered biomolecules like ferruginol, 6,7-dehydroferruginol and sugiol in Protopodocarpoxylon wood samples from these sediments present particularly strong evidence for the presence of immature OM in the Middle Jurassic sediments. Moreover, the occurrence of these polar diterpenoids is important due to the fact that they are definitely the oldest known natural products detected in geological samples.     

Temperature induced decoupling of enzymatic hydrolysis and carbon remineralization in long-term incubations of Arctic and temperate sediments

Extracellular enzymatic hydrolysis of high-molecular weight organic matter is the initial step in sedimentary organic carbon degradation and is often regarded as the rate-limiting step. Temperature effects on enzyme activities may therefore exert an indirect control on carbon mineralization. We explored the temperature sensitivity of enzymatic hydrolysis and its connection to subsequent steps in anoxic organic carbon degradation in long-term incubations of sediments from the Arctic and the North Sea. These sediments were incubated under anaerobic conditions for 24 months at temperatures of 0, 10, and 20 °C. The short-term temperature response of the active microbial community was tested in temperature gradient block incubations. The temperature optimum of extracellular enzymatic hydrolysis, as measured with a polysaccharide (chondroitin sulfate), differed between Arctic and temperate habitats by about 8-13 °C in fresh sediments and in sediments incubated for 24 months. In both Arctic and temperate sediments, the temperature response of chondroitin sulfate hydrolysis was initially similar to that of sulfate reduction. After 24 months, however, hydrolysis outpaced sulfate reduction rates, as demonstrated by increased concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total dissolved carbohydrates. This effect was stronger at higher incubation temperatures, particularly in the Arctic sediments. In all experiments, concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFA) were low, indicating tight coupling between VFA production and consumption. Together, these data indicate that long-term incubation at elevated temperatures led to increased decoupling of hydrolytic DOC production relative to fermentation. Temperature increases in marine sedimentary environments may thus significantly affect the downstream carbon mineralization and lead to the increased formation of refractory DOC.     

南海北部神狐水合物赋存区浅表层沉积物自生矿物特征及其成因探讨

通过对南海北部神狐海域Site5B和Site4B站位岩心柱沉积物中自生矿物的类型、形貌特点、丰度和稳定同位素特征的研究,探讨了自生矿物的成因机制。研究表明,沉积物中主要发育黄铁矿和碳酸盐类自生矿物。两个站位中发育的自生矿物的丰度、分布位置、晶体形貌和个体大小等存在明显差异,可能与不同站位中甲烷通量和深部构造有关。自生黄铁矿可能是硫酸盐与甲烷等烃类气体或有机质的厌氧氧化作用的产物,极低负值的硫同位素值可能与硫酸盐还原菌和单质硫歧化菌共同参与有关。自生碳酸盐矿物的成因则相对复杂,其形成过程受多种因素的综合影响。碳同位素值未表现出极低负值,可能是甲烷、有机质和正常海水等碳源混合的结果。     

藏南白垩系黑-红层沉积岩有机质组成分布特征

对藏南江孜县床得剖面白垩系黑层和红层沉积岩进行的有机地球化学研究表明,黑层有机碳含量高于红层5～10倍,红层和黑层饱和烃主峰碳数分别为nC25和nC23;黑层和红层沉积有机质的母质来源都以水生植物和菌藻类等低等生物为主,陆源有机质的输入非常有限;但饱和烃的分布和主峰碳数的差异可能反映了有机母源物质在种群方面的差异,而这种差异可能主要是水体温度存在差异造成的,即红层发育时期水体温度可能高于黑层沉积时期.而在高温度条件下,水生生物和陆生植物的生长发育受到限制,造成原始有机质产率和有机质沉积保存量低可能是红层沉积岩形成的主要原因.