Research Progress of Leaf-wax Hydrogen Isotope Paleoaltimetry

Leaf waxes/lipids which are derived from terrestrial higher plants are ubiquitous in fluvial, lake, and marine sediments. N-alkanes are an important component of leaf waxes. Modern leaf wax n-alkanes from terrestrial higher plants are characterized with long chains with 27 to 33 carbon atoms (nC₂₇-nC₃₁) and high carbon preference index (CPI) values (>5). The hydrogen isotopes in n-alkanes are determined by meteoric water compositions, which makes them a potential proxy in paleoaltimetry studies. The lapse rates at which n-alkane hydrogen isotopes in modern soils change with altitude vary in different areas, implying that local calibration has to be conducted. The enrichment due to evapotranspiration and difference in fractionation during biosynthesis also influence n-alkane hydrogen isotopes values. When using long-chain n-alkanes to reconstruct paleoaltitude, many factors such as paleoclimate, paleolatitude and paleobotany should be considered.