南海表层沉积物与沉降颗粒物中有机碳的δ13C对比研究及其古环境再造意义

对南海表层沉积物与沉降颗粒物有机碳的δ13C进行了对比研究,从古环境再造方面探讨了陆源和海源对南海表层沉积物的贡献。南海表层沉积物有机碳的δ13C比沉降颗粒物中有机碳的δ13C偏重表明,Suess效应对南海现代过程的影响不可忽视,两者的δ13C差值反映了Suess效应对南海现代过程的影响程度。利用两者的δ13C差值,对现代陆源和海源有机碳的δ13C进行修正后,计算得到,在南海陆架周围表层沉积物的有机碳中,陆源的比例为48%,海源的比例为52%;在远离陆架的表层沉积物的有机碳中,陆源的比例为14%,海源的比例为86%。     

Organic carbon accumulation over the last 16 kyr off Vancouver Island,Canada: evidence for increased marine productivity during the deglacial

The organic carbon content of marine sediments is commonly used as a proxy for export production. However, in continental margin sediments a large fraction of the organic matter may be of terrestrial origin, and it is necessary to correct the total organic carbon data accordingly. Radiocarbon dating of bulk organic carbon, organic geochemistry and isotope data (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) are used here to characterize the type of organic matter present in Core JT96-09 collected at a water depth of 920 m on the slope off Western Canada. The quantities of marine and terrestrial organic carbon are then estimated using the δ¹³C data. The 16 kyr record obtained from Core JT96-09 suggests that accumulation of total organic carbon was highest during the late glacial and deglacial, but geochemical data indicate that as much as 70% of this carbon is terrestrial in origin. When the palaeo-record is corrected for this terrigenous input it is observed that accumulation of marine organic matter, and presumably marine export production, increased at the end of the last glacial contemporaneous with the Bølling, and that it peaked during the Allerød. Data from other palaeoproductivity proxies (i.e., bio-barium, opal and alkenones) also indicate relatively high productivity during the deglacial. These results indicate a return to modern upwelling conditions and high marine export production at ∼14.3 calendar kyr BP and a period of enhanced upwelling, relative to the present, during the Allerød.     

稳定碳同位素在第四纪古环境研究中的应用

文章对陆相沉积物、湖沼相沉积物以及脊椎动物牙齿中的δ¹³C研究作了系统的综述,特别对存在的问题提出了一些看法,认为黄土-古土壤序列中有机质δ¹³C与碳酸盐δ¹³C变化趋势相反的原因是CO₂与碳酸盐交换平衡时的分馏系数在古土壤堆积时和黄土发育时不一致造成的;陆相沉积物的有机质δ¹³C较碳酸盐δ¹³C能更加直接地反映沉积时地表植被状况,陆相沉积物的碳酸盐δ¹³C在古生态中的应用还有待于对它的形成机制和形成过程进行进一步的研究;我国黄土高原末次冰期的气候不利于C4的生长.文章强调古环境、古生态研究应该从现代过程入手,了解现代植物δ13C与气候参数的关系以及现代C4植物的分布规律.同时还认为分子化石的稳定同位素研究这一新研究手段将会给第四纪研究带来更新的活力.     

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.     

Drivers of ecosystem and climate change in tropical West Africa over the past ∼540 000 years

A paucity of empirical non‐marine data means that uncertainty surrounds the impact of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems in tropical regions beyond the last glacial period. The sedimentary fill of the Bosumtwi impact crater (Ghana) provides the longest continuous Quaternary terrestrial archive of environmental change in West Africa, spanning the last ～1.08 million years. Here we explore the drivers of change in ecosystem and climate in tropical West Africa for the past ～540 000 years using pollen analysis and the nitrogen isotope composition of bulk organic matter preserved in sediments from Lake Bosumtwi. Variations in grass pollen abundance (0?99%) indicate transitions between grassland and forest. Coeval variations in the nitrogen isotopic composition of organic matter indicate that intervals of grassland expansion coincided with minimum lake levels and low regional moisture availability. The observed changes responded to orbitally paced global climate variations on both glacial–interglacial and shorter timescales. Importantly, the magnitude of ecosystem change revealed by our data exceeds that previously determined from marine records, demonstrating for the first time the high sensitivity of tropical lowland ecosystems to Quaternary climate change.

     

Matrix protected organic matter in a river dominated margin: A possible mechanism to sequester terrestrial organic matter?

The provenance of organic matter in surface sediments from the northern Gulf of Mexico was investigated by analyzing the compositions of lipid biomarkers (n-alkanes, fatty acids, sterols) liberated after a series of chemical treatments designed to remove different organo-mineral matrix associations (i.e. freely extractable, base-hydrolyzable, unhydrolyzable). Bulk analyses of the organic matter (carbon content, carbon:nitrogen ratios, stable and radiocarbon isotopic analyses) were also performed on the intact sediments and their non-hydrolyzable, demineralized residue. We found recognizable lipids from distinct sources, including terrestrial vascular plants, bacteria and marine algae and zooplankton, within each of the isolated fractions. Based on the lipid signatures and bulk compositions, the organic matter within the unhydrolyzable fractions appeared to be the most diagenetically altered, was the oldest in age, and had the highest abundance of terrigenous lipids. In contrast, the base-hydrolyzable fraction was the most diagentically unaltered, had the youngest ages and was most enriched in N and marine lipids. Our results indicate that fresh, autochthonous organic matter is the most important contributor to base-hydrolyzable lipids, whereas highly altered allochthonous sources appear to be predominant source of unhydrolyzable lipids in the surface sediments from the Atchafalaya River shelf. Overall, the lipid biomarker signatures of intact sediments were biased towards the autochthonous source because many of the organic compounds indicative of degraded, terrigenous sources were protected from extraction and saponification by organo-mineral matrices. It is only after these protective matrices were removed by treatment with HCl and HF that these compounds became evident.     

Constraining Sources of Organic Matter to Tropical Coastal Sediments: Consideration of Nontraditional End-members

Molar organic carbon to total nitrogen to organic phosphorus (OC:TN:OP) ratios are used in tandem with carbon isotopic values to constrain sources of organic matter (OM) to marine sediments in a tropical coastal embayment. Analysis of end-members specific to the study site indicates that the bulk OM pool cannot be modeled as a simple mixture of two end-members (terrestrial vs. marine OM), but rather reflects a more complex, multicomponent mixture. Mangrove, coral reef ecosystems, and bacterial biomass contribute OM to tropical coastal marine sediments that is compositionally distinct from traditional marine and terrestrial end-members and thus preclude the application of a classical two end-member mixing model of the sort that has been used traditionally in sediments from temperate environments. A survey of elemental ratios and carbon isotopic values of potential OM end-members reported in the literature, as well as depth profiles before and after whole-core incubation experiments conducted as part of this study, were used to evaluate the strength of OC:TN versus OC:OP ratios as OM source indices. Our study suggests that OC:TN ratios are a weaker indicator of OM source than OC:OP ratios, because: (1) the more restricted dynamic range of OC:TN ratios prevents clear distinction of terrestrial-from marine-derived OM, and (2) post-depositional changes in OC:TN ratios occur during diagenesis, obscuring the source signature of initially deposited OM. The fidelity of OM indices during early diagenesis underscores the importance of quantifying OP in sediments to assess sedimentary OM source.     

泰国湾百年来有机碳埋藏记录及环境响应

受热带季风气候和周边陆源输入的影响,低纬泰国湾海—陆相互作用强烈,是研究海洋沉积有机碳与陆源输入、海洋初级生产力等气候环境变化响应关系的理想区域.通过对泰国湾泥质区T43柱样中总有机碳(TOC)、总氮(TN)、稳定碳同位素(δ13C)以及粒度等指标的分析,基于210Pb建立的高分辨年代地层框架,重建了该区百年来有机碳的...     

Sources of Terrestrial Organic Carbon in the Mississippi Plume Region: Evidence for the Importance of Coastal Marsh Inputs

High sedimentation rates along river-dominated margins make these systems important repositories for organic carbon derived from both allochthonous and autochthonous sources. Using elemental carbon/nitrogen ratios, molecular biomarker (lignin phenol), and stable carbon isotopic (bulk and compound-specific) analyses, this study examined the sources of organic carbon to the Louisiana shelf within one of the primary dispersive pathways of the Mississippi River. Surface sediment samples were collected from stations across the inner, mid, and outer Louisiana shelf, within the Mississippi River plume region, during two cruises in the spring and fall of 2000. Lignin biomarker data showed spatial patterns in terrestrial source plant materials within the river plume, such that sediments near the mouth of the Mississippi River were comparatively less degraded and richer in C₄ plant carbon than those found at mid-depth regions of the shelf. A molecular and stable isotope-based mixing model defining riverine, marsh, and marine organic carbon suggested that the highest organic carbon inputs to the shelf in spring were from marine sources (55?C61% marine organic carbon), while riverine organic carbon was the highest (63%) in fall, likely due to lower inputs of marine organic carbon at this time compared with the spring season. This model also indicated that marsh inputs, ranging from 19 to 34% and 3?C15% of the organic carbon in spring and fall, respectively, were significantly more important sources of organic carbon on the inner Louisiana shelf than previously suggested. Finally, we propose that the decomposition of terrestrial-derived organic carbon (from the river and local wetlands sources) in mobile muds may serve as a largely unexplored additional source of oxygen-consuming organic carbon in hypoxic bottom waters of the Louisiana shelf.     

古海洋生产力指标研究进展

寻求反映古海洋生产力变化的指标是古海洋学研究的重要内容。生物沉积物、营养元素、微量元素和同位素、古生物资料等与古海洋生产力具有一定的关系,常用于古海洋生产力的重建工作:(1)生物沉积物主要包括有机碳、生物碳酸盐和生物硅质沉积等,其埋藏速率在很大程度上受到古海洋生产力的控制,常常用作古海洋生产力的替代性指标;(2)在地质时间尺度上,古海洋生产力主要受到大洋中营养元素可利用程度的控制,因此营养元素的相关记录可以提供古海洋生产力状况的重要信息;(3)海洋中某些微量元素的地球化学行为或者与有机质的改造有关,或者受到氧化还原条件变化的控制,或者受到某种浮游生物的生长的影响,从而能够直接或者间接地指示古海洋生产力的变化;(4)海相碳酸盐和有机质的碳同位素记录,海相有机物的氮同位素比值也用以再造古生产率等古海洋学参数;(5)可以利用对微体化石丰度值及其组合反映古生产力的变化。     

南黄海中部表层沉积物有机质分布与分子组成研究

通过分析南黄海中部501个站位表层沉积物通沉积物有机质、粒度及常量元素特征,了解有机质分布特征及影响因素,并进一步对其中64个站位的进行气相色谱（GC-FID）分析,探讨有机质分子组成。分析表明:南黄海中部总有机碳受水动力影响呈分布西低东高分布,总有机碳与Al2O3含量中值粒径依次相关特性;正构烷烃组成表明有机质主要来源于陆源高等植物,海洋浮游藻类贡献次之,陆源植物中草本植物与木本植物贡献相当,类异戊二烯烃反映了短链正构烷烃明显海洋还原沉积环境;常量元素与正构烷烃参数综合分析表明,南黄海中部陆源有机质主要来自于现代黄河、苏北古黄河输入,体现无机-有机综合分析对有机质物源判断;部分样品具有明显石油源输入特征,细菌对沉积物有机质贡献普遍存在。     

An isotopic biogeochemical study of Neoproterozoic and Early Cambrian sediments from the Centralian Superbasin, Australia

Organic matter from Neoproterozoic and Early Cambrian sediments of the Amadeus and Officer basins of the Centralian Superbasin, Australia, has been studied for biomarker distributions and the carbon isotopic compositions of kerogen and individual hydrocarbons. These sediments represent both shallow and deep water marine facies in the older sections and marine and saline lacustrine carbonate deposits in the Cambrian. Hydrocarbon biomarker patterns were found to be quite consistent with the known sedimentary environments and provide valuable insights into the biogeochemical changes which accompanied the transition from a microbially-dominated ocean to the early stages of metazoan radiation. In particular, carbon isotopic data for n-alkyl and isoprenoid lipids presented here, and in earlier studies, showed a reversal in carbon isotopic ordering between the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic. By comparison with the delta 13C of kerogen, n-alkyl lipids from deep-water Proterozoic sediments were enriched in 13C and appear to be derived mainly from heterotrophs whilst open marine Phanerozoic counterparts are 13C depleted and evidently derived mainly from autotrophs. Data from the samples studied here are consistent with a model invoking a change in the redox structure of the ocean, possibly aided by the innovation of faecal pellets.     

Geochemical implications of induced changes in C13 fractionation by blue-green algae

The photosynthetic fractionation of carbon isotopes by blue-green algae in laboratory culture is dependent in a non-linear fashion on the CO₂ concentration in the feed gas. For the three species tested, the minimum fractionation occurred at a CO₂ concentration of 0.2% in air and was approximately zero for the two marine species tested. Enrichment of C¹² in the reduced carbon is not an inevitable result of photosynthetic carbon fixation. Temperature and pH had no detectable effect on fractionation. The maximum fractionation observed in the laboratory cultures or in recent blue-green algal mats was 18‰. Differences in the isotope ratio of coexisting oxidized and reduced carbon in Precambrian stromatolites are as great as 31‰. Present carbon isotopic evidence is not consistent with the idea that blue-green algae were major contributors to the organic matter in Precambrian sediments.     

南海北部17937岩心四万年来古环境变化的分子有机地球化学记录

以分子有机地球化学为手段对南海北部四万年来的古环境古气候研究表明, U₃₇k’-SST表层水温在冰期、间冰期平均范围分别为27℃和24℃, LGM与全新世温差达4.5℃; 以高分子量烷烃所代表的陆源物质输入和长链不饱和酮化合物所代表的海洋初级生产力都呈现冰期高、间冰期低特征, 表明冰期时陆源物质输入的增加和海洋表层生产力的提高; 正构烷烃C₃₁/C₂₇记录了南方大陆的植被由冰期时草本植物占优势向间冰期时木本植物占优势的转变.说明南海在末次冰期以来气候的不稳定性, 和海陆生态系统对气候变化的响应以及分子有机地球化学在古环境古气候研究中的巨大潜力.      

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.     

四川盆地海、陆相烃源岩有机质稳定碳同位素组成变化及其地球化学意义

采用质谱和色谱-同位素质谱技术,测定了500余个干酪根及饱和烃、芳烃组份、正构烷烃的δ13C值,以此揭示了四川盆地海、陆相烃源岩有机碳同位素组成随地质时代的变化特点及其在高成熟阶段的演化特征,并结合其他相关分析资料,应用碳同位素剖析了不同类型海、陆相烃源岩的有机质生源及沉积环境。研究结果表明,该盆地从震旦系灯影组到中三叠统雷口坡组的海相地层中,干酪根的碳同位素组成随层位变新呈逐渐变重的趋势,可能的原因之一是浮游植物的进化作用;而上三叠统须家河组至中侏罗统千佛崖组的陆相有机质碳同位素组成则有反向的年代变化,主要与生源构成和沉积环境性质有关。这些海、陆相烃源岩的有机源难以用干酪根δ13C值进行区分,而可用饱和烃与芳烃组份的δ13C及其CV值来区别。海洋和湖泊不同沉积相带烃源岩的干酪根具有明显不同的δ13C值,结合其他相关资料可识别其有机质来源。煤系地层中煤与泥岩在干酪根碳同位素组成上没有可区分性,而两者有不同的正构烷烃碳同位素分布曲线。从成熟晚期到高-过成熟阶段,海、陆相干酪根的碳同位素均变重1~2‰,煤系泥岩的正构烷烃碳同位素分布曲线由负向线型分布向平直型演变。这些碳同位素的变化特征为油气源对比和烃源识别提供了依据。     

Weichselian glacial history of the Svalbard area: correlating the marine and terrestrial records

Investigation of eight deep-sea sediment cores from the Fram Strait provides evidence of two phases with an increased input of ice-rafted detritus (IRD) during the last 130,000 years. For the Middle and Late Weichselian events, east-west trends in accumulation rates and terrestrial organic matter content in the deep-sea sediments point to Svalbard as the source area of the IRD. Both phases are clearly correlated with glacier advances on Svalbard, allowing the application of marine stratigraphy to the terrestrial field sections. Since the dating of the terrestrial record of the Weichselian glacial history of Svalbard is still uncertain, this correlation will improve the age assignments to the individual glacial events.     

自然和人类活动作用下月湖沉积物有机质来源及其演变

潟湖海湾可以保存环境演化和人类活动的良好记录,碳氮元素含量及同位素特征可用来有效地反演这些演化。对位于山东半岛的月湖柱状样和沿岸表层样总有机碳、总氮、稳定碳氮同位素的分析表明,陆源物质对月湖沉积物和有机质的贡献很小,其沉积物中有机质的主要来源是维管植物大叶藻和各种海洋藻类。在2002年前大约140 a的沉积历史中,大叶藻对沉积物有机质的贡献比例呈上升趋势,其中在约1930年和1980年有两次明显的上升,前者可能因为种群的快速繁育,后者则可能是1979年口门筑坝后由于湾内环境恶化,大叶藻开始大量死亡的表现。月湖海洋藻类的有机碳埋藏通量在沉积记录中保持相对稳定,而大叶藻则增加了一倍,但两者都有一定程度的波动。研究结果表明自然环境演变（如沙嘴生长、口门缩小）和人类活动（如筑坝、修筑虾池）对月湖生态环境及有机碳埋藏的影响在沉积物中有清晰的记录。     

New estimates of carbon transfer to terrestrial ecosystems between the last glacial maximum and the Holocene

Ice core records of atmospheric CO₂ show an ≈ 80 ppm rise between the last glacial maximum (LGM) and the mid-Holocene during a corresponding world-wide expansion of the terrestrial biomass and changes in ocean chemistry. Therefore, the absolute amount of carbon transferred to the atmosphere, probably from the oceans, remains uncertain. To address this issue, I evaluated changes in terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage and isotopic fractionations between the LGM and the mid-Holocene using a process-based terrestrial carbon cycle model forced with two general circulation model (GCM) simulations of each interval. The results indicate that global carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems (vegetation and soils) increased by 668 Gt C during the last glacial–interglacial transition, a value within the range obtained from a revised global carbon isotope mass-balance analysis (550–680 Gt C), and consistent with independent estimates from the marine isotopic record.     

石笋碳酸盐假性热释光:古环境的新指标

海相碳酸盐热释光灵敏地响应冰期-间冰期地球气候变化,是一个新的古海洋代用指标,但是否适用于陆地沉积物,尚缺少研究.通过测定湖北清江穿心洞石笋(CX-1)碳酸盐热释光和氧同位素组成,探讨石笋热释光的发光机制,开发热释光作为陆地古环境的替代指标,发现空气环境中检测的石笋碳酸盐热释光主要是发光有机质氧化产生的化学发光,为假性热释光.石笋中发光有机质来源于土壤中有机物的降解,其含量与太阳辐射调控的土壤温度有关;热释光曲线与其对应的氧同位素曲线变化趋势相似.因而,石笋碳酸盐假性热释光是反映过去环境变化的一个新指标.