Articles | Volume 12, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3769-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3769-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
19 Jun 2015
Research article |
| 19 Jun 2015
Characterization of particulate organic matter in the Lena River delta and adjacent nearshore zone, NE Siberia – Part I: Radiocarbon inventories
M. Winterfeld
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, 25570 Bremerhaven, Germany
Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Klagenfurter Straße, 28359 Bremen, Germany
T. Laepple
Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Telegrafenberg A43, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
G. Mollenhauer
Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, 25570 Bremerhaven, Germany
Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Klagenfurter Straße, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Related authors
M. Winterfeld, M. A. Goñi, J. Just, J. Hefter, and G. Mollenhauer
Biogeosciences, 12, 2261–2283, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2261-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2261-2015, 2015
Tsai-Wen Lin, Tommaso Tesi, Jens Hefter, Hendrik Grotheer, Jutta Wollenburg, Florian Adolphi, Henning A. Bauch, Alessio Nogarotto, Juliane Müller, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Clim. Past, 21, 753–772, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-753-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-753-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In order to understand the mechanisms governing permafrost organic matter remobilization, we investigated organic matter composition during past intervals of rapid sea-level rise, of inland warming, and of dense sea-ice cover in the Laptev Sea. We find that sea-level rise resulted in widespread erosion and transport of permafrost materials to the ocean but that erosion is mitigated by regional dense sea-ice cover. Factors like inland warming or floods increase permafrost mobilization locally.
Arnaud Nicolas, Jens Hefter, Hendrik Grotheer, Tommaso Tesi, Ruediger Stein, Alessio Nogarotto, Eduardo Queiroz Alves, and Gesine Mollenhauer
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-744, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-744, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We analyzed a high-resolution marine sediment record from the Laptev Sea to reconstruct deglacial permafrost thaw events during the last 16 kyr. Using biomarkers and radiocarbon dating, we found that peaks in pre-aged terrigenous material coincided with rapid sea-level rise, indicating coastal erosion as the main mobilization mechanism. This research provides insights into past permafrost carbon release, informing predictions of future climate-permafrost feedback in a warming world.
Wee Wei Khoo, Juliane Müller, Oliver Esper, Wenshen Xiao, Christian Stepanek, Paul Gierz, Gerrit Lohmann, Walter Geibert, Jens Hefter, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Clim. Past, 21, 299–326, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-299-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-299-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Using a multiproxy approach, we analyzed biomarkers and diatom assemblages from a marine sediment core from the Powell Basin, Weddell Sea. The results reveal the first continuous coastal Antarctic sea ice record since the Last Penultimate Glacial. Our findings contribute valuable insights into past glacial–interglacial sea ice responses to a changing climate and enhance our understanding of ocean–sea ice–ice shelf interactions and dynamics.
Bennet Juhls, Anne Morgenstern, Jens Hölemann, Antje Eulenburg, Birgit Heim, Frederieke Miesner, Hendrik Grotheer, Gesine Mollenhauer, Hanno Meyer, Ephraim Erkens, Felica Yara Gehde, Sofia Antonova, Sergey Chalov, Maria Tereshina, Oxana Erina, Evgeniya Fingert, Ekaterina Abramova, Tina Sanders, Liudmila Lebedeva, Nikolai Torgovkin, Georgii Maksimov, Vasily Povazhnyi, Rafael Gonçalves-Araujo, Urban Wünsch, Antonina Chetverova, Sophie Opfergelt, and Pier Paul Overduin
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 1–28, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The Siberian Arctic is warming fast: permafrost is thawing, river chemistry is changing, and coastal ecosystems are affected. We aimed to understand changes in the Lena River, a major Arctic river flowing to the Arctic Ocean, by collecting 4.5 years of detailed water data, including temperature and carbon and nutrient contents. This dataset records current conditions and helps us to detect future changes. Explore it at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.913197 and https://lena-monitoring.awi.de/.
Arnaud Nicolas, Gesine Mollenhauer, Johannes Lachner, Konstanze Stübner, Maylin Malter, Jutta Wollenburg, Hendrik Grotheer, and Florian Adolphi
Clim. Past, 20, 2617–2628, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2617-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2617-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use the authigenic 10Be/9Be record of a Laptev Sea sediment core for the period 8–14 kyr BP and synchronize it with the 10Be records from absolutely dated ice cores. We employed a likelihood function to calculate the ΔR values. A benthic ΔR value of +345±60 14C years was estimated, which corresponds to a marine reservoir age of 848±90 14C years. This new ΔR value was used to refine the age–depth model for core PS2458-4, establishing it as a potential reference chronology for the Laptev Sea.
Vera Dorothee Meyer, Jürgen Pätzold, Gesine Mollenhauer, Isla S. Castañeda, Stefan Schouten, and Enno Schefuß
Clim. Past, 20, 523–546, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-523-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-523-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The climatic factors sustaining vegetation in the Sahara during the African humid period (AHP) are still not fully understood. Using biomarkers in a marine sediment core from the eastern Mediterranean, we infer variations in Mediterranean (winter) and monsoonal (summer) rainfall in the Nile river watershed around the AHP. We find that winter and summer rain enhanced during the AHP, suggesting that Mediterranean moisture supported the monsoon in sustaining the “green Sahara”.
Eduardo Queiroz Alves, Wanyee Wong, Jens Hefter, Hendrik Grotheer, Tommaso Tesi, Torben Gentz, Karin Zonneveld, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Clim. Past, 20, 121–136, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-121-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-121-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study reveals a previously unknown peat source for the massive influx of terrestrial organic matter that was exported from the European continent to the ocean during the last deglaciation. Our findings shed light on ancient terrestrial organic carbon mobilization, providing insights that are crucial for refining climate models.
Maria-Elena Vorrath, Juliane Müller, Paola Cárdenas, Thomas Opel, Sebastian Mieruch, Oliver Esper, Lester Lembke-Jene, Johan Etourneau, Andrea Vieth-Hillebrand, Niko Lahajnar, Carina B. Lange, Amy Leventer, Dimitris Evangelinos, Carlota Escutia, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Clim. Past, 19, 1061–1079, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1061-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1061-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Sea ice is important to stabilize the ice sheet in Antarctica. To understand how the global climate and sea ice were related in the past we looked at ancient molecules (IPSO25) from sea-ice algae and other species whose dead cells accumulated on the ocean floor over time. With chemical analyses we could reconstruct the history of sea ice and ocean temperatures of the past 14 000 years. We found out that sea ice became less as the ocean warmed, and more phytoplankton grew towards today's level.
Olga Ogneva, Gesine Mollenhauer, Bennet Juhls, Tina Sanders, Juri Palmtag, Matthias Fuchs, Hendrik Grotheer, Paul J. Mann, and Jens Strauss
Biogeosciences, 20, 1423–1441, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1423-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1423-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Arctic warming accelerates permafrost thaw and release of terrestrial organic matter (OM) via rivers to the Arctic Ocean. We compared particulate organic carbon (POC), total suspended matter, and C isotopes (δ13C and Δ14C of POC) in the Lena delta and Lena River along a ~1600 km transect. We show that the Lena delta, as an interface between the Lena River and the Arctic Ocean, plays a crucial role in determining the qualitative and quantitative composition of OM discharged into the Arctic Ocean.
Mengli Cao, Jens Hefter, Ralf Tiedemann, Lester Lembke-Jene, Vera D. Meyer, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Clim. Past, 19, 159–178, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-159-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-159-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We use sediment records of lignin to reconstruct deglacial vegetation change and permafrost mobilization, which occurred earlier in the Yukon than in the Amur river basin. Sea ice extent or surface temperatures of adjacent oceans might have had a strong influence on the timing of permafrost mobilization. In contrast to previous evidence, our records imply that during glacial peaks of permafrost decomposition, lipids and lignin might have been delivered to the ocean by identical processes.
Stefan Mulitza, Torsten Bickert, Helen C. Bostock, Cristiano M. Chiessi, Barbara Donner, Aline Govin, Naomi Harada, Enqing Huang, Heather Johnstone, Henning Kuhnert, Michael Langner, Frank Lamy, Lester Lembke-Jene, Lorraine Lisiecki, Jean Lynch-Stieglitz, Lars Max, Mahyar Mohtadi, Gesine Mollenhauer, Juan Muglia, Dirk Nürnberg, André Paul, Carsten Rühlemann, Janne Repschläger, Rajeev Saraswat, Andreas Schmittner, Elisabeth L. Sikes, Robert F. Spielhagen, and Ralf Tiedemann
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 2553–2611, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2553-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2553-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Stable isotope ratios of foraminiferal shells from deep-sea sediments preserve key information on the variability of ocean circulation and ice volume. We present the first global atlas of harmonized raw downcore oxygen and carbon isotope ratios of various planktonic and benthic foraminiferal species. The atlas is a foundation for the analyses of the history of Earth system components, for finding future coring sites, and for teaching marine stratigraphy and paleoceanography.
Charlotte Haugk, Loeka L. Jongejans, Kai Mangelsdorf, Matthias Fuchs, Olga Ogneva, Juri Palmtag, Gesine Mollenhauer, Paul J. Mann, P. Paul Overduin, Guido Grosse, Tina Sanders, Robyn E. Tuerena, Lutz Schirrmeister, Sebastian Wetterich, Alexander Kizyakov, Cornelia Karger, and Jens Strauss
Biogeosciences, 19, 2079–2094, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2079-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2079-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Buried animal and plant remains (carbon) from the last ice age were freeze-locked in permafrost. At an extremely fast eroding permafrost cliff in the Lena Delta (Siberia), we found this formerly frozen carbon well preserved. Our results show that ongoing degradation releases substantial amounts of this carbon, making it available for future carbon emissions. This mobilisation at the studied cliff and also similarly eroding sites bear the potential to affect rivers and oceans negatively.
Gerard J. M. Versteegh, Karin A. F. Zonneveld, Jens Hefter, Oscar E. Romero, Gerhard Fischer, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Biogeosciences, 19, 1587–1610, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1587-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1587-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A 5-year record of long-chain mid-chain diol export flux and composition is presented with a 1- to 3-week resolution sediment trap CBeu (in the NW African upwelling). All environmental parameters as well as the diol composition are dominated by the seasonal cycle, albeit with different phase relations for temperature and upwelling. Most diol-based proxies are dominated by upwelling. The long-chain diol index reflects temperatures of the oligotrophic summer sea surface.
Nele Lamping, Juliane Müller, Jens Hefter, Gesine Mollenhauer, Christian Haas, Xiaoxu Shi, Maria-Elena Vorrath, Gerrit Lohmann, and Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand
Clim. Past, 17, 2305–2326, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2305-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2305-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We analysed biomarker concentrations on surface sediment samples from the Antarctic continental margin. Highly branched isoprenoids and GDGTs are used for reconstructing recent sea-ice distribution patterns and ocean temperatures respectively. We compared our biomarker-based results with data obtained from satellite observations and estimated from a numerical model and find reasonable agreements. Further, we address caveats and provide recommendations for future investigations.
Maria-Elena Vorrath, Juliane Müller, Lorena Rebolledo, Paola Cárdenas, Xiaoxu Shi, Oliver Esper, Thomas Opel, Walter Geibert, Práxedes Muñoz, Christian Haas, Gerhard Kuhn, Carina B. Lange, Gerrit Lohmann, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Clim. Past, 16, 2459–2483, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2459-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2459-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We tested the applicability of the organic biomarker IPSO25 for sea ice reconstructions in the industrial era at the western Antarctic Peninsula. We successfully evaluated our data with satellite sea ice observations. The comparison with marine and ice core records revealed that sea ice interpretations must consider climatic and sea ice dynamics. Sea ice biomarker production is mainly influenced by the Southern Annular Mode, while the El Niño–Southern Oscillation seems to have a minor impact.
Sebastian Wetterich, Alexander Kizyakov, Michael Fritz, Juliane Wolter, Gesine Mollenhauer, Hanno Meyer, Matthias Fuchs, Aleksei Aksenov, Heidrun Matthes, Lutz Schirrmeister, and Thomas Opel
The Cryosphere, 14, 4525–4551, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4525-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4525-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
In the present study, we analysed geochemical and sedimentological properties of relict permafrost and ground ice exposed at the Sobo-Sise Yedoma cliff in the eastern Lena delta in NE Siberia. We obtained insight into permafrost aggradation and degradation over the last approximately 52 000 years and the climatic and morphodynamic controls on regional-scale permafrost dynamics of the central Laptev Sea coastal region.
Bingbing Wei, Guodong Jia, Jens Hefter, Manyu Kang, Eunmi Park, Shizhu Wang, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Biogeosciences, 17, 4489–4508, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4489-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4489-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This research reports the applicability of four organic temperature proxies (U37K', LDI, TEX86H, and RI-OH) to the northern South China Sea shelf. The comparison with local sea surface temperature (SST) indicates the impact of terrestrial input on LDI, TEX86H, and RI-OH proxies near the coast. After excluding samples influenced by terrestrial materials, proxy temperatures exhibit different seasonality, providing valuable tools to reconstruct regional SSTs under different monsoonal conditions.
Thomas Opel, Julian B. Murton, Sebastian Wetterich, Hanno Meyer, Kseniia Ashastina, Frank Günther, Hendrik Grotheer, Gesine Mollenhauer, Petr P. Danilov, Vasily Boeskorov, Grigoriy N. Savvinov, and Lutz Schirrmeister
Clim. Past, 15, 1443–1461, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1443-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1443-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
To reconstruct past winter climate, we studied ice wedges at two sites in the Yana Highlands, interior Yakutia (Russia), the most continental region of the Northern Hemisphere. Our ice wedges of the upper ice complex unit of the Batagay megaslump and a river terrace show much more depleted stable-isotope compositions than other study sites in coastal and central Yakutia, reflecting lower winter temperatures and a higher continentality of the study region during Marine Isotope Stages 3 and 1.
Maria-Elena Vorrath, Juliane Müller, Oliver Esper, Gesine Mollenhauer, Christian Haas, Enno Schefuß, and Kirsten Fahl
Biogeosciences, 16, 2961–2981, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2961-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2961-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The study highlights new approaches in the investigation of past sea ice in Antarctica to reconstruct the climate conditions in earth's history and reveal its future development under global warming. We examined the distribution of organic remains from different algae at the Western Antarctic Peninsula and compared it to fossil and satellite records. We evaluated IPSO25 – the sea ice proxy for the Southern Ocean with 25 carbon atoms – as a useful tool for sea ice reconstructions in this region.
Eunmi Park, Jens Hefter, Gerhard Fischer, Morten Hvitfeldt Iversen, Simon Ramondenc, Eva-Maria Nöthig, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Biogeosciences, 16, 2247–2268, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2247-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2247-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We analyzed GDGT-based proxy temperatures in the polar oceans. In the eastern Fram Strait (79° N), the nutrient distribution may determine the depth habit of Thaumarchaeota and thus the proxy temperature. In the Antarctic Polar Front (50° S), the contribution of Euryarchaeota or the nonlinear correlation between the proxy values and temperatures may cause the warm biases of the proxy temperatures relative to SSTs.
Julie Lattaud, Frédérique Kirkels, Francien Peterse, Chantal V. Freymond, Timothy I. Eglinton, Jens Hefter, Gesine Mollenhauer, Sergio Balzano, Laura Villanueva, Marcel T. J. van der Meer, Ellen C. Hopmans, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté, and Stefan Schouten
Biogeosciences, 15, 4147–4161, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4147-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4147-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Long-chain diols (LCDs) are biomarkers that occur widespread in marine environments and also in lakes and rivers. In this study, we looked at the distribution of LCDs in three river systems (Godavari, Danube, and Rhine) in relation to season, precipitation, and temperature. We found out that the LCDs are likely being produced in calm areas of the river systems and that marine LCDs have a different distribution than riverine LCDs.
Annette Hahn, Enno Schefuß, Sergio Andò, Hayley C. Cawthra, Peter Frenzel, Martin Kugel, Stephanie Meschner, Gesine Mollenhauer, and Matthias Zabel
Clim. Past, 13, 649–665, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-649-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-649-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Our study demonstrates that a source to sink analysis in the Gouritz catchment can be used to obtain valuable paleoclimatic information form the year-round rainfall zone. In combination with SST reconstructions these data are a valuable contribution to the discussion of Southern Hemisphere palaeoenvironments and climate variability (in particular atmosphere–ocean circulation and hydroclimate change) in the South African Holocene.
Shuwen Sun, Enno Schefuß, Stefan Mulitza, Cristiano M. Chiessi, André O. Sawakuchi, Matthias Zabel, Paul A. Baker, Jens Hefter, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Biogeosciences, 14, 2495–2512, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2495-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2495-2017, 2017
Vera D. Meyer, Jens Hefter, Gerrit Lohmann, Lars Max, Ralf Tiedemann, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Clim. Past, 13, 359–377, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-359-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-359-2017, 2017
Christoph Florian Schaller, Johannes Freitag, Sepp Kipfstuhl, Thomas Laepple, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 10, 1991–2002, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1991-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1991-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Along a traverse through North Greenland in May 2015 we collected snow cores up to 2 m in depth and analyzed their properties (e.g., density). A new technique for this sampling and an adapted algorithm for comparing data sets from different positions and aligning stratigraphic features are presented. We find good agreement of the density layering in the snowpack over hundreds of kilometers. This allows the construction of a representative density profile that is statistically validated.
Gerhard Fischer, Johannes Karstensen, Oscar Romero, Karl-Heinz Baumann, Barbara Donner, Jens Hefter, Gesine Mollenhauer, Morten Iversen, Björn Fiedler, Ivanice Monteiro, and Arne Körtzinger
Biogeosciences, 13, 3203–3223, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3203-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3203-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Particle fluxes at the Cape Verde Ocean Observatory in the eastern tropical North Atlantic for the period December 2009 until May 2011 are discussed based on deep sediment trap time-series data collected at 1290 and 3439 m water depths. The typically open-ocean flux pattern with weak seasonality is modified by the appearance of a highly productive and low oxygen eddy in winter 2010. The eddy passage was accompanied by high biogenic and lithogenic fluxes, lasting from December 2009 to May 2010.
C. M. Chiessi, S. Mulitza, G. Mollenhauer, J. B. Silva, J. Groeneveld, and M. Prange
Clim. Past, 11, 915–929, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-11-915-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-11-915-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Here we show that temperatures in the western South Atlantic increased markedly during the major slowdown event of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) of the last deglaciation. Over the adjacent continent, however, temperatures followed the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide, lagging changes in oceanic temperature. Our records corroborate the notion that the long duration of the major slowdown event of the AMOC was fundamental in driving the Earth out of the last glacial.
M. Winterfeld, M. A. Goñi, J. Just, J. Hefter, and G. Mollenhauer
Biogeosciences, 12, 2261–2283, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2261-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2261-2015, 2015
A. Basu, M. G. Schultz, S. Schröder, L. Francois, X. Zhang, G. Lohmann, and T. Laepple
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acpd-14-3193-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acpd-14-3193-2014, 2014
Revised manuscript not accepted
S. O. Rasmussen, P. M. Abbott, T. Blunier, A. J. Bourne, E. Brook, S. L. Buchardt, C. Buizert, J. Chappellaz, H. B. Clausen, E. Cook, D. Dahl-Jensen, S. M. Davies, M. Guillevic, S. Kipfstuhl, T. Laepple, I. K. Seierstad, J. P. Severinghaus, J. P. Steffensen, C. Stowasser, A. Svensson, P. Vallelonga, B. M. Vinther, F. Wilhelms, and M. Winstrup
Clim. Past, 9, 2713–2730, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2713-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2713-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Biogeochemistry: Organic Biogeochemistry
Sea-ice-associated algae and zooplankton fecal pellets fuel organic particle export in the seasonally ice-covered northwestern Labrador Sea
Sedimentary organic carbon dynamics in a glaciated Arctic fjord: tracing contributions of terrestrial and marine sources in the context of Atlantification over recent centuries
Distribution of alkylamines in surface waters around the Antarctic Peninsula and Weddell Sea
Contrasting seasonal patterns in particle aggregation and dissolved organic matter transformation in a sub-Arctic fjord
Methods to characterize type, relevance, and interactions of organic matter and microorganisms in fluids along the flow path of a geothermal facility
Microbial strong organic-ligand production is tightly coupled to iron in hydrothermal plumes
Ocean liming effects on dissolved organic matter dynamics
Results from a multi-laboratory ocean metaproteomic intercomparison: effects of LC-MS acquisition and data analysis procedures
Controls on the composition of hydroxylated isoprenoidal glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (isoGDGTs) in cultivated ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota
Reviews and syntheses: Opportunities for robust use of peak intensities from high-resolution mass spectrometry in organic matter studies
Hydrothermal inputs drive dynamic shifts in microbial communities in Lake Magadi, Kenya Rift Valley
Elemental stoichiometry of particulate organic matter across the Atlantic Ocean
Lipid remodeling in phytoplankton exposed to multi-environmental drivers in a mesocosm experiment
Molecular-level carbon traits of fine roots: unveiling adaptation and decomposition under flooded conditions
Environmental controls on the distribution of brGDGTs and brGMGTs across the Seine River basin (NW France): implications for bacterial tetraethers as a proxy for riverine runoff
Latitudinal distribution of biomarkers across the western Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea: an approach to assess sympagic and pelagic algal production
Sinking fate and carbon export of zooplankton fecal pellets: insights from time-series sediment trap observations in the northern South China Sea
Low cobalt inventories in the Amundsen and Ross seas driven by high demand for labile cobalt uptake among native phytoplankton communities
Potential bioavailability of representative pyrogenic organic matter compounds in comparison to natural dissolved organic matter pools
Distributions of bacteriohopanepolyols in lakes and coastal lagoons of the Azores Archipelago
Recently fixed carbon fuels microbial activity several meters below the soil surface
Environmental and hydrologic controls on sediment and organic carbon export from a subalpine catchment: insights from a time series
Climate and geology overwrite land use effects on soil organic nitrogen cycling on a continental scale
Compositions of dissolved organic matter in the ice-covered waters above the Aurora hydrothermal vent system, Gakkel Ridge, Arctic Ocean
Organic matter characteristics of a rapidly eroding permafrost cliff in NE Siberia (Lena Delta, Laptev Sea region)
Microbial labilization and diversification of pyrogenic dissolved organic matter
Bacterial and eukaryotic intact polar lipids point to in situ production as a key source of labile organic matter in hadal surface sediment of the Atacama Trench
What can we learn from amino acids about oceanic organic matter cycling and degradation?
Bacteriohopanetetrol-x: constraining its application as a lipid biomarker for marine anammox using the water column oxygen gradient of the Benguela upwelling system
Active and passive fluxes of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the northern South China Sea
Cyanobacteria net community production in the Baltic Sea as inferred from profiling pCO2 measurements
Reviews and syntheses: Heterotrophic fixation of inorganic carbon – significant but invisible flux in environmental carbon cycling
Revised fractional abundances and warm-season temperatures substantially improve brGDGT calibrations in lake sediments
Archaeal intact polar lipids in polar waters: a comparison between the Amundsen and Scotia seas
Reproducible determination of dissolved organic matter photosensitivity
Technical note: Uncovering the influence of methodological variations on the extractability of iron-bound organic carbon
Anthropocene climate warming enhances autochthonous carbon cycling in an upland Arctic lake, Disko Island, West Greenland
Novel hydrocarbon-utilizing soil mycobacteria synthesize unique mycocerosic acids at a Sicilian everlasting fire
Alkenone isotopes show evidence of active carbon concentrating mechanisms in coccolithophores as aqueous carbon dioxide concentrations fall below 7 µmol L−1
Seasonal variability and sources of in situ brGDGT production in a permanently stratified African crater lake
Sediment release of dissolved organic matter to the oxygen minimum zone off Peru
Better molecular preservation of organic matter in an oxic than in a sulfidic depositional environment: evidence from Thalassiphora pelagica (Dinoflagellata, Eocene) cysts
Assessing branched tetraether lipids as tracers of soil organic carbon transport through the Carminowe Creek catchment (southwest England)
The nonconservative distribution pattern of organic matter in the Rajang, a tropical river with peatland in its estuary
Predominance of hexamethylated 6-methyl branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers in the Mariana Trench: source and environmental implication
High-pH and anoxic conditions during soil organic matter extraction increases its electron-exchange capacity and ability to stimulate microbial Fe(III) reduction by electron shuttling
Sterol preservation in hypersaline microbial mats
Structural elucidation and environmental distributions of butanetriol and pentanetriol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (BDGTs and PDGTs)
Distribution and degradation of terrestrial organic matter in the sediments of peat-draining rivers, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo
Validation of carbon isotope fractionation in algal lipids as a pCO2 proxy using a natural CO2 seep (Shikine Island, Japan)
Shao-Min Chen, Thibaud Dezutter, David Cote, Catherine Lalande, Evan Edinger, and Owen A. Sherwood
Biogeosciences, 22, 2517–2540, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2517-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2517-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The origins and composition of sinking organic matter are still understudied for the oceans, especially in ice-covered areas. We use amino acid stable isotopes combined with particle flux and plankton taxonomy to investigate the sources and composition of exported organic matter from a sediment-trap-derived time series of sinking particles in the northwestern Labrador Sea. We found that sea-ice algae and fecal pellets may be important contributors to the sinking fluxes of carbon and nitrogen.
Dahae Kim, Jung-Hyun Kim, Youngkyu Ahn, Matthias Forwick, and Seung-Il Nam
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-957, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-957, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The Arctic is warming rapidly, altering carbon storage in Svalbard’s Kongsfjorden. Our study analyzed sediment cores to track organic carbon shifts over time. We found that increasing Atlantic Water inflow enhanced marine carbon while reducing land-derived inputs. These findings suggest that Atlantification is reshaping carbon sequestration in Arctic fjords, with broader implications for the Arctic carbon cycle.
Arianna Rocchi, Mark F. Fitzsimons, Preston Akenga, Ana Sotomayor, Elisabet L. Sà, Queralt Güell-Bujons, Magda Vila, Yaiza M. Castillo, Manuel Dall’Osto, Dolors Vaqué, Charel Wohl, Rafel Simó, and Elisa Berdalet
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-407, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-407, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
During the Polar Change expedition, volatile alkylamines, important players in nitrogen cycling and cloud formation, were measured in Antarctic waters using a high-sensitivity method. Trimethylamine was the dominant alkylamine in marine particles, associated with nanophytoplankton. Dissolved dimethylamine likely originated from trimethylamine degradation, while diethylamine sources remain unclear. These findings confirm the biological origin of alkylamines in polar marine microbial food webs.
Maria G. Digernes, Yasemin V. Bodur, Martí Amargant-Arumí, Oliver Müller, Jeffrey A. Hawkes, Stephen G. Kohler, Ulrike Dietrich, Marit Reigstad, and Maria L. Paulsen
Biogeosciences, 22, 601–623, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-601-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-601-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Dissolved (DOM) and particulate organic matter (POM) are in constant exchange but are usually studied as distinct entities. We investigated the dynamics between POM and DOM in a sub-Arctic fjord across different seasons by conducting bi-monthly aggregation–dissolution experiments. During the productive period, POM concentrations increased in the experiment, and DOM molecules became more recalcitrant. During the winter period, POM concentrations decreased, and DOM molecules became more labile.
Alessio Leins, Danaé Bregnard, Andrea Vieth-Hillebrand, Stefanie Poetz, Florian Eichinger, Guillaume Cailleau, Pilar Junier, and Simona Regenspurg
Biogeosciences, 21, 5457–5479, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5457-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5457-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Organic matter and microbial fluid analysis are rarely considered in the geothermal industry and research. However, they can have a significant impact on the efficiency of geothermal energy production. We found a high diversity of organic compound compositions in our samples and were able to differentiate them with respect to different sources (e.g. artificial and biogenic). Furthermore, the microbial diversity undergoes significant changes within the flow path of a geothermal power plant.
Colleen L. Hoffman, Patrick J. Monreal, Justine B. Albers, Alastair J. M. Lough, Alyson E. Santoro, Travis Mellett, Kristen N. Buck, Alessandro Tagliabue, Maeve C. Lohan, Joseph A. Resing, and Randelle M. Bundy
Biogeosciences, 21, 5233–5246, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5233-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5233-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Hydrothermally derived iron can be transported kilometers away from deep-sea vents, representing a significant flux of vital micronutrients to the ocean. However, the mechanisms that support the stabilization of dissolved iron remain elusive. Using electrochemical, spectrometry, and genomic methods, we demonstrated that strong ligands exert an important control on iron in plumes, and high-affinity iron-binding siderophores were identified in several hydrothermal plume samples for the first time.
Chiara Santinelli, Silvia Valsecchi, Simona Retelletti Brogi, Giancarlo Bachi, Giovanni Checcucci, Mirco Guerrazzi, Elisa Camatti, Stefano Caserini, Arianna Azzellino, and Daniela Basso
Biogeosciences, 21, 5131–5141, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5131-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5131-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ocean liming is a technique proposed to mitigate ocean acidification. Every action we take has an impact on the environment and the effects on the invisible world are often overlooked. With this study, we show that lime addition impacts the dynamics of dissolved organic matter, one of the largest reservoirs of carbon on Earth, representing the main source of energy for marine microbes. Further studies to assess the impacts on marine ecosystems are therefore crucial before taking any action.
Mak A. Saito, Jaclyn K. Saunders, Matthew R. McIlvin, Erin M. Bertrand, John A. Breier, Margaret Mars Brisbin, Sophie M. Colston, Jaimee R. Compton, Tim J. Griffin, W. Judson Hervey, Robert L. Hettich, Pratik D. Jagtap, Michael Janech, Rod Johnson, Rick Keil, Hugo Kleikamp, Dagmar Leary, Lennart Martens, J. Scott P. McCain, Eli Moore, Subina Mehta, Dawn M. Moran, Jaqui Neibauer, Benjamin A. Neely, Michael V. Jakuba, Jim Johnson, Megan Duffy, Gerhard J. Herndl, Richard Giannone, Ryan Mueller, Brook L. Nunn, Martin Pabst, Samantha Peters, Andrew Rajczewski, Elden Rowland, Brian Searle, Tim Van Den Bossche, Gary J. Vora, Jacob R. Waldbauer, Haiyan Zheng, and Zihao Zhao
Biogeosciences, 21, 4889–4908, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4889-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4889-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The ability to assess the functional capabilities of microbes in the environment is of increasing interest. Metaproteomics, the ability to measure proteins across microbial populations, has been increasing in capability and popularity in recent years. Here, an international team of scientists conducted an intercomparison study using samples collected from the North Atlantic Ocean and observed consistency in the peptides and proteins identified, their functions, and their taxonomic origins.
Devika Varma, Laura Villanueva, Nicole J. Bale, Pierre Offre, Gert-Jan Reichart, and Stefan Schouten
Biogeosciences, 21, 4875–4888, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4875-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4875-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Archaeal hydroxylated tetraether lipids are increasingly used as temperature indicators in marine settings, but the factors influencing their distribution are still unclear. Analyzing membrane lipids of two thaumarchaeotal strains showed that the growth phase of the cultures does not affect the lipid distribution, but growth temperature profoundly affects the degree of cyclization of these lipids. Also, the abundance of these lipids is species-specific and is not influenced by temperature.
William Kew, Allison Myers-Pigg, Christine H. Chang, Sean M. Colby, Josie Eder, Malak M. Tfaily, Jeffrey Hawkes, Rosalie K. Chu, and James C. Stegen
Biogeosciences, 21, 4665–4679, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4665-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4665-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Natural organic matter (NOM) is often studied via Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS), which identifies organic molecules as mass spectra peaks. The intensity of peaks is data that is often discarded due to technical concerns. We review the theory behind these concerns and show they are supported empirically. However, simulations show that ecological analyses of NOM data that include FTMS peak intensities are often valid. This opens a path for robust use of FTMS peak intensities for NOM.
Evan R. Collins, Troy M. Ferland, Isla S. Castañeda, R. Bernhart Owen, Tim K. Lowenstein, Andrew S. Cohen, Robin W. Renaut, Molly D. O'Beirne, and Josef P. Werne
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3006, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3006, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Archaeal molecular fossils (tetraethers) have been used around the globe to track changes in climate. Little is known about archaeal response to environmental change in soda lakes, especially lakes influenced by hydrothermal inputs. For the first time in Lake Magadi, we show tetraethers tracking abrupt changes in methane and non-methane producers due to hydrothermal inputs to the lake. This study provides insight into the role of hydrothermal water sources and methane production in soda lakes.
Adam J. Fagan, Tatsuro Tanioka, Alyse A. Larkin, Jenna A. Lee, Nathan S. Garcia, and Adam C. Martiny
Biogeosciences, 21, 4239–4250, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4239-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4239-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Climate change is anticipated to influence the biological pump by altering phytoplankton nutrient distribution. In our research, we collected measurements of particulate matter concentrations during two oceanographic field studies. We observed systematic variations in organic matter concentrations and ratios across the Atlantic Ocean. From statistical modeling, we determined that these variations are associated with differences in the availability of essential nutrients for phytoplankton growth.
Sebastian I. Cantarero, Edgart Flores, Harry Allbrook, Paulina Aguayo, Cristian A. Vargas, John E. Tamanaha, J. Bentley C. Scholz, Lennart T. Bach, Carolin R. Löscher, Ulf Riebesell, Balaji Rajagopalan, Nadia Dildar, and Julio Sepúlveda
Biogeosciences, 21, 3927–3958, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3927-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3927-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study explores lipid remodeling in response to environmental stress, specifically how cell membrane chemistry changes. We focus on intact polar lipids in a phytoplankton community exposed to diverse stressors in a mesocosm experiment. The observed remodeling indicates acyl chain recycling for energy storage in intact polar lipids during stress, reallocating resources based on varying growth conditions. This understanding is essential to grasp the system's impact on cellular pools.
Mengke Wang, Peng Zhang, Huishan Li, Guisen Deng, Deliang Kong, Sifang Kong, and Junjian Wang
Biogeosciences, 21, 2691–2704, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2691-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2691-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We developed and applied complementary analyses to characterize molecular-level carbon traits for water-grown and soil-grown fine roots. The adaptive strategy of developing more labile carbon in water-grown roots accelerated root decomposition and counteracted the decelerated effects of anoxia on decomposition, highlighting an indirect effect of environmental change on belowground carbon cycling.
Zhe-Xuan Zhang, Edith Parlanti, Christelle Anquetil, Jérôme Morelle, Anniet M. Laverman, Alexandre Thibault, Elisa Bou, and Arnaud Huguet
Biogeosciences, 21, 2227–2252, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2227-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2227-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Bacterial tetraethers have important implications for palaeoclimate reconstruction. However, fundamental understanding of how these lipids are transformed from land to sea and which environmental factors influence their distributions is lacking. Here, we investigate the sources of brGDGTs and brGMGTs and the factors controlling their distributions in a large dataset (n=237). We propose a novel proxy (RIX) to trace riverine runoff, which is applicable in modern systems and in paleorecord.
Youcheng Bai, Marie-Alexandrine Sicre, Jian Ren, Vincent Klein, Haiyan Jin, and Jianfang Chen
Biogeosciences, 21, 689–709, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-689-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-689-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Algal biomarkers were used to assess sea ice and pelagic algal production across the western Arctic Ocean with changing sea-ice conditions. They show three distinct areas along with a marked latitudinal gradient of sea ice over pelagic algal production in surface sediments that are reflected by the H-Print index. Our data also show that efficient grazing consumption accounted for the dramatic decrease of diatom-derived biomarkers in sediments compared to that of particulate matter.
Hanxiao Wang, Zhifei Liu, Jiaying Li, Baozhi Lin, Yulong Zhao, Xiaodong Zhang, Junyuan Cao, Jingwen Zhang, Hongzhe Song, and Wenzhuo Wang
Biogeosciences, 20, 5109–5123, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5109-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5109-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The sinking of zooplankton fecal pellets is a key process in the marine biological carbon pump. This study presents carbon export of four shapes of fecal pellets from two time-series sediment traps in the South China Sea. The results show that the sinking fate of fecal pellets is regulated by marine primary productivity, deep-dwelling zooplankton community, and deep-sea currents in the tropical marginal sea, thus providing a new perspective for exploring the carbon cycle in the world ocean.
Rebecca J. Chmiel, Riss M. Kell, Deepa Rao, Dawn M. Moran, Giacomo R. DiTullio, and Mak A. Saito
Biogeosciences, 20, 3997–4027, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3997-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3997-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Cobalt is an important micronutrient for plankton, yet it is often scarce throughout the oceans. A 2017/2018 expedition to coastal Antarctica, including regions of the Amundsen Sea and the Ross Sea, discovered lower concentrations of cobalt compared to two past expeditions in 2005 and 2006, particularly for the type of cobalt preferred as a nutrient by phytoplankton. This loss may be due to changing inputs of other nutrients, causing higher uptake of cobalt by plankton over the last decade.
Emily B. Graham, Hyun-Seob Song, Samantha Grieger, Vanessa A. Garayburu-Caruso, James C. Stegen, Kevin D. Bladon, and Allison N. Myers-Pigg
Biogeosciences, 20, 3449–3457, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3449-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3449-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Intensifying wildfires are increasing pyrogenic organic matter (PyOM) production and its impact on water quality. Recent work indicates that PyOM may have a greater impact on aquatic biogeochemistry than previously assumed, driven by higher bioavailability. We provide a full assessment of the potential bioavailability of PyOM across its chemical spectrum. We indicate that PyOM can be actively transformed within the river corridor and, therefore, may be a growing source of riverine C emissions.
Nora Richter, Ellen C. Hopmans, Danica Mitrović, Pedro M. Raposeiro, Vítor Gonçalves, Ana C. Costa, Linda A. Amaral-Zettler, Laura Villanueva, and Darci Rush
Biogeosciences, 20, 2065–2098, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2065-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2065-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Bacteriohopanepolyols (BHPs) are a diverse class of lipids produced by bacteria across a wide range of environments. This study characterizes the diversity of BHPs in lakes and coastal lagoons in the Azores Archipelago, as well as a co-culture enriched for methanotrophs. We highlight the potential of BHPs as taxonomic markers for bacteria associated with certain ecological niches, which can be preserved in sedimentary records.
Andrea Scheibe, Carlos A. Sierra, and Marie Spohn
Biogeosciences, 20, 827–838, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-827-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-827-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We explored carbon cycling in soils in three climate zones in Chile down to a depth of 6 m, using carbon isotopes. Our results show that microbial activity several meters below the soil surface is mostly fueled by recently fixed carbon and that strong decomposition of soil organic matter only occurs in the upper decimeters of the soils. The study shows that different layers of the critical zone are tightly connected and that processes in the deep soil depend on recently fixed carbon.
Melissa Sophia Schwab, Hannah Gies, Chantal Valérie Freymond, Maarten Lupker, Negar Haghipour, and Timothy Ian Eglinton
Biogeosciences, 19, 5591–5616, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5591-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5591-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The majority of river studies focus on headwater or floodplain systems, while often neglecting intermediate river segments. Our study on the subalpine Sihl River bridges the gap between streams and lowlands and demonstrates that moderately steep river segments are areas of significant instream alterations, modulating the export of organic carbon over short distances.
Lisa Noll, Shasha Zhang, Qing Zheng, Yuntao Hu, Florian Hofhansl, and Wolfgang Wanek
Biogeosciences, 19, 5419–5433, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5419-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5419-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Cleavage of proteins to smaller nitrogen compounds allows microorganisms and plants to exploit the largest nitrogen reservoir in soils and is considered the bottleneck in soil organic nitrogen cycling. Results from soils covering a European transect show that protein turnover is constrained by soil geochemistry, shifts in climate and associated alterations in soil weathering and should be considered as a driver of soil nitrogen availability with repercussions on carbon cycle processes.
Muhammed Fatih Sert, Helge Niemann, Eoghan P. Reeves, Mats A. Granskog, Kevin P. Hand, Timo Kekäläinen, Janne Jänis, Pamela E. Rossel, Bénédicte Ferré, Anna Silyakova, and Friederike Gründger
Biogeosciences, 19, 2101–2120, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2101-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2101-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate organic matter composition in the Arctic Ocean water column. We collected seawater samples from sea ice to deep waters at six vertical profiles near an active hydrothermal vent and its plume. In comparison to seawater, we found that the organic matter in waters directly affected by the hydrothermal plume had different chemical composition. We suggest that hydrothermal processes may influence the organic matter distribution in the deep ocean.
Charlotte Haugk, Loeka L. Jongejans, Kai Mangelsdorf, Matthias Fuchs, Olga Ogneva, Juri Palmtag, Gesine Mollenhauer, Paul J. Mann, P. Paul Overduin, Guido Grosse, Tina Sanders, Robyn E. Tuerena, Lutz Schirrmeister, Sebastian Wetterich, Alexander Kizyakov, Cornelia Karger, and Jens Strauss
Biogeosciences, 19, 2079–2094, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2079-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2079-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Buried animal and plant remains (carbon) from the last ice age were freeze-locked in permafrost. At an extremely fast eroding permafrost cliff in the Lena Delta (Siberia), we found this formerly frozen carbon well preserved. Our results show that ongoing degradation releases substantial amounts of this carbon, making it available for future carbon emissions. This mobilisation at the studied cliff and also similarly eroding sites bear the potential to affect rivers and oceans negatively.
Aleksandar I. Goranov, Andrew S. Wozniak, Kyle W. Bostick, Andrew R. Zimmerman, Siddhartha Mitra, and Patrick G. Hatcher
Biogeosciences, 19, 1491–1514, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1491-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1491-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Wildfire-derived molecules are ubiquitous in the aquatic environment, but their biological fate remains understudied. We have evaluated the compositional changes that occur to wildfire-derived molecules after incubation with soil microbes. We observe a significant degradation but also a production of numerous new labile molecules. Our results indicate that wildfire-derived molecules can be broken down and the carbon and nitrogen therein can be incorporated into microbial food webs.
Edgart Flores, Sebastian I. Cantarero, Paula Ruiz-Fernández, Nadia Dildar, Matthias Zabel, Osvaldo Ulloa, and Julio Sepúlveda
Biogeosciences, 19, 1395–1420, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1395-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1395-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we investigate the chemical diversity and abundance of microbial lipids as markers of organic matter sources in the deepest points of the Atacama Trench sediments and compare them to similar lipid stocks in shallower surface sediments and in the overlying water column. We evaluate possible organic matter provenance and some potential chemical adaptations of the in situ microbial community to the extreme conditions of high hydrostatic pressure in hadal realm.
Birgit Gaye, Niko Lahajnar, Natalie Harms, Sophie Anna Luise Paul, Tim Rixen, and Kay-Christian Emeis
Biogeosciences, 19, 807–830, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-807-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-807-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Amino acids were analyzed in a large number of samples of particulate and dissolved organic matter from coastal regions and the open ocean. A statistical analysis produced two new biogeochemical indicators. An indicator of sinking particle and sediment degradation (SDI) traces the degradation of organic matter from the surface waters into the sediments. A second indicator shows the residence time of suspended matter in the ocean (RTI).
Zoë R. van Kemenade, Laura Villanueva, Ellen C. Hopmans, Peter Kraal, Harry J. Witte, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté, and Darci Rush
Biogeosciences, 19, 201–221, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-201-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-201-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is an important nitrogen-removal process in the ocean. We assess the distribution of bacteriohopanetetrol-x (BHT-x), used to trace past anammox, along a redox gradient in the water column of the Benguela upwelling system. BHT-x / BHT ratios of >0.18 correspond to the presence of living anammox bacteria and oxygen levels <50 μmol L−1. This allows for a more robust application of BHT-x to trace past marine anammox and deoxygenation in dynamic marine systems.
Jia-Jang Hung, Ching-Han Tung, Zong-Ying Lin, Yuh-ling Lee Chen, Shao-Hung Peng, Yen-Huei Lin, and Li-Shan Tsai
Biogeosciences, 18, 5141–5162, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5141-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5141-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We report measured active and passive fluxes and their controlling mechanisms in the northern South China Sea (NSCS). The total fluxes were higher than most reports in open oceans, indicating the significance of NSCS in atmospheric CO2 uptake and in storing that CO2 in the ocean’s interior. Winter cooling and extreme events enhanced nutrient availability and elevated fluxes. Global warming may have profound impacts on reducing ocean’s uptake and storage of CO2 in subtropical–tropical oceans.
Jens Daniel Müller, Bernd Schneider, Ulf Gräwe, Peer Fietzek, Marcus Bo Wallin, Anna Rutgersson, Norbert Wasmund, Siegfried Krüger, and Gregor Rehder
Biogeosciences, 18, 4889–4917, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4889-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4889-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Based on profiling pCO2 measurements from a field campaign, we quantify the biomass production of a cyanobacteria bloom in the Baltic Sea, the export of which would foster deep water deoxygenation. We further demonstrate how this biomass production can be accurately reconstructed from long-term surface measurements made on cargo vessels in combination with modelled temperature profiles. This approach enables a better understanding of a severe concern for the Baltic’s good environmental status.
Alexander Braun, Marina Spona-Friedl, Maria Avramov, Martin Elsner, Federico Baltar, Thomas Reinthaler, Gerhard J. Herndl, and Christian Griebler
Biogeosciences, 18, 3689–3700, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3689-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3689-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
It is known that CO2 fixation by photoautotrophic organisms is the major sink from the atmosphere. While biologists are aware that CO2 fixation also occurs in heterotrophic organisms, this route of inorganic carbon, and its quantitative role, is hardly recognized in biogeochemistry. We demonstrate that a considerable amount of CO2 is fixed annually through anaplerotic reactions in heterotrophic organisms, and a significant quantity of inorganic carbon is temporally sequestered in biomass.
Jonathan H. Raberg, David J. Harning, Sarah E. Crump, Greg de Wet, Aria Blumm, Sebastian Kopf, Áslaug Geirsdóttir, Gifford H. Miller, and Julio Sepúlveda
Biogeosciences, 18, 3579–3603, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3579-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3579-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
BrGDGT lipids are a proxy for temperature in lake sediments, but other parameters like pH can influence them, and seasonality can affect the temperatures they record. We find a warm-season bias at 43 new high-latitude sites. We also present a new method that deconvolves the effects of temperature, pH, and conductivity and generate global calibrations for these variables. Our study provides new paleoclimate tools, insight into brGDGTs at the biochemical level, and a new method for future study.
Charlotte L. Spencer-Jones, Erin L. McClymont, Nicole J. Bale, Ellen C. Hopmans, Stefan Schouten, Juliane Müller, E. Povl Abrahamsen, Claire Allen, Torsten Bickert, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, Elaine Mawbey, Victoria Peck, Aleksandra Svalova, and James A. Smith
Biogeosciences, 18, 3485–3504, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3485-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3485-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Long-term ocean temperature records are needed to fully understand the impact of West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse. Glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) are powerful tools for reconstructing ocean temperature but can be difficult to apply to the Southern Ocean. Our results show active GDGT synthesis in relatively warm depths of the ocean. This research improves the application of GDGT palaeoceanographic proxies in the Southern Ocean.
Alec W. Armstrong, Leanne Powers, and Michael Gonsior
Biogeosciences, 18, 3367–3390, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3367-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3367-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Living things decay into organic matter, which can dissolve into water (like tea brewing). Tea receives its color by absorbing light. Similarly, this material absorbs light, which can then cause chemical reactions that change it. By measuring changes in these optical properties, we found that materials from some places are more sensitive to light than others. Comparing sensitivity to light helps us understand where these materials come from and what happens as they move through water.
Ben J. Fisher, Johan C. Faust, Oliver W. Moore, Caroline L. Peacock, and Christian März
Biogeosciences, 18, 3409–3419, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3409-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3409-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Organic carbon can be protected from microbial degradation in marine sediments through association with iron minerals on 1000-year timescales. Despite the importance of this carbon sink, our spatial and temporal understanding of iron-bound organic carbon interactions globally is poor. Here we show that caution must be applied when comparing quantification of iron-bound organic carbon extracted by different methods as the extraction strength and method specificity can be highly variable.
Mark A. Stevenson, Suzanne McGowan, Emma J. Pearson, George E. A. Swann, Melanie J. Leng, Vivienne J. Jones, Joseph J. Bailey, Xianyu Huang, and Erika Whiteford
Biogeosciences, 18, 2465–2485, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2465-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2465-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We link detailed stable isotope and biomarker analyses from the catchments of three Arctic upland lakes on Disko Island (West Greenland) to a recent dated sediment core to understand how carbon cycling has changed over the past ~500 years. We find that the carbon deposited in sediments in these upland lakes is predominately sourced from in-lake production due to the catchment's limited terrestrial vegetation and elevation and that recent increases in algal production link with climate change.
Nadine T. Smit, Laura Villanueva, Darci Rush, Fausto Grassa, Caitlyn R. Witkowski, Mira Holzheimer, Adriaan J. Minnaard, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté, and Stefan Schouten
Biogeosciences, 18, 1463–1479, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1463-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1463-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Soils from an everlasting fire (gas seep) in Sicily, Italy, reveal high relative abundances of novel uncultivated mycobacteria and unique 13C-depleted mycocerosic acids (multi-methyl branched fatty acids) close to the main gas seep. Our results imply that mycocerosic acids in combination with their depleted δ13C values offer a new biomarker tool to study the role of soil mycobacteria as hydrocarbon consumers in the modern and past global carbon cycle.
Marcus P. S. Badger
Biogeosciences, 18, 1149–1160, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1149-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1149-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Reconstructing ancient atmospheric CO2 is an important aim of palaeoclimate science in order to understand the Earth's climate system. One method, the alkenone proxy based on molecular fossils of coccolithophores, has been recently shown to be ineffective at low-to-moderate CO2 levels. In this paper I show that this is likely due to changes in the biogeochemistry of the coccolithophores when there is low carbon availability, but for much of the Cenozoic the alkenone proxy should have utility.
Loes G. J. van Bree, Francien Peterse, Allix J. Baxter, Wannes De Crop, Sigrid van Grinsven, Laura Villanueva, Dirk Verschuren, and Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté
Biogeosciences, 17, 5443–5463, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5443-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5443-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) are used as a paleothermometer based on their temperature dependence in global soils, but aquatic production complicates their use in lakes. BrGDGTs in the water column of Lake Chala, East Africa, respond to oxygen conditions and mixing. Changes in their signal can be linked to bacterial community composition rather than membrane adaptation to changing conditions. Their integrated signal in the sediment reflects mean air temperature.
Alexandra N. Loginova, Andrew W. Dale, Frédéric A. C. Le Moigne, Sören Thomsen, Stefan Sommer, David Clemens, Klaus Wallmann, and Anja Engel
Biogeosciences, 17, 4663–4679, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4663-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4663-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We measured dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrogen (DON) and matter (DOM) optical properties in pore waters and near-bottom waters of the eastern tropical South Pacific off Peru. The difference between diffusion-driven and net fluxes of DOC and DON and qualitative changes in DOM optical properties suggested active microbial utilisation of the released DOM at the sediment–water interface. Our results suggest that the sediment release of DOM contributes to microbial processes in the area.
Gerard J. M. Versteegh, Alexander J. P. Houben, and Karin A. F. Zonneveld
Biogeosciences, 17, 3545–3561, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3545-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3545-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Anoxic sediments mostly contain much more organic matter than oxic ones, and therefore organic matter in anoxic settings is often considered to be preserved better than in oxic settings. However, through the analysis of the same fossil dinoflagellate cyst species from both oxic and anoxic settings, we show that at a molecular level the preservation in the oxic sediments may be better since in the anoxic setting the cyst macromolecule has been altered by postdepositional modification.
Jingjing Guo, Miriam Glendell, Jeroen Meersmans, Frédérique Kirkels, Jack J. Middelburg, and Francien Peterse
Biogeosciences, 17, 3183–3201, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3183-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3183-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The fluxes of soil organic carbon (OC) transport from land to sea are poorly constrained, mostly due to the lack of a specific tracer for soil OC. Here we evaluate the use of specific molecules derived from soil bacteria as a tracer for soil OC in a small river catchment. We find that the initial soil signal is lost upon entering the aquatic environment. However, the local environmental history of the catchment is reflected by these molecules in the lake sediments that act as their sink.
Zhuo-Yi Zhu, Joanne Oakes, Bradley Eyre, Youyou Hao, Edwin Sien Aun Sia, Shan Jiang, Moritz Müller, and Jing Zhang
Biogeosciences, 17, 2473–2485, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2473-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2473-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Samples were collected in August 2016 in the Rajang River and its estuary, with tropical forest in the river basin and peatland in the estuary. Organic matter composition was influenced by transportation in the river basin, whereas peatland added clear biodegraded parts to the fluvial organic matter, which implies modification of the initial lability and/or starting points in the subsequent degradation and alternation processes after the organic matter enters the sea.
Wenjie Xiao, Yasong Wang, Yongsheng Liu, Xi Zhang, Linlin Shi, and Yunping Xu
Biogeosciences, 17, 2135–2148, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2135-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2135-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The hadal zone (6–11 km depth) is the least explored habitat on Earth. We studied microbial branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) in the Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench. One unique feature is the strong predominance of 6-methyl brGDGT, which likely reflects an adaption of brGDGT-producing bacteria to alkaline seawater and low temperature. BrGDGTs, with elemental and isotopic data, suggest an autochthonous product for brGDGT. A new approach is proposed for brGDGT sourcing.
Yuge Bai, Edisson Subdiaga, Stefan B. Haderlein, Heike Knicker, and Andreas Kappler
Biogeosciences, 17, 683–698, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-683-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-683-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Biogeochemical processes of SOM are key for greenhouse gas emission and water quality. We extracted SOM by water or by NaOH–HCl under oxic–anoxic conditions. Chemical and anoxic extractions lead to higher SOM electron exchange capacities, resulting in stimulation of microbial Fe(III) reduction. Therefore, aqueous pH-neutral SOM extracts should be used to reflect environmental SOM redox processes, and artifacts of chemical extractions need to be considered when evaluating SOM redox processes.
Yan Shen, Volker Thiel, Pablo Suarez-Gonzalez, Sebastiaan W. Rampen, and Joachim Reitner
Biogeosciences, 17, 649–666, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-649-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-649-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Today, sterols are widespread in plants, animals, and fungi but are almost absent in the oldest rocks. Microbial mats, representing the earliest complex ecosystems on Earth, were omnipresent in Precambrian marine environments and may have degraded the sterols at that time. Here we analyze the distribution of sterols through a microbial mat. This provides insight into how variations in biological and nonbiological factors affect the preservation of sterols in modern and ancient microbial mats.
Sarah Coffinet, Travis B. Meador, Lukas Mühlena, Kevin W. Becker, Jan Schröder, Qing-Zeng Zhu, Julius S. Lipp, Verena B. Heuer, Matthew P. Crump, and Kai-Uwe Hinrichs
Biogeosciences, 17, 317–330, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-317-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-317-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This study deals with two membrane lipids called BDGTs and PDGTs. Membrane lipids are molecules forming the cell envelope of all organisms. Different organisms produce different lipids thus they can be used to detect the presence of specific organisms in the environment. We analyzed the structure of these new lipids and looked for potential producers. We found that they are likely made by microbes emitting methane below the sediment surface and could be used to track these specific microbes.
Ying Wu, Kun Zhu, Jing Zhang, Moritz Müller, Shan Jiang, Aazani Mujahid, Mohd Fakharuddin Muhamad, and Edwin Sien Aun Sia
Biogeosciences, 16, 4517–4533, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4517-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4517-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Our understanding of terrestrial organic matter (TOM) in tropical peat-draining rivers remains limited, especially in Southeast Asia. We explored the characteristics of TOM via bulk parameters and lignin phenols of sediment in Malaysia. This showed that the most important plant source of the organic matter in these rivers is woody angiosperm C3 plants with limited diagenetic alteration. This slower degradation of TOM may be a link to higher total nitrogen content, especially for the small river.
Caitlyn R. Witkowski, Sylvain Agostini, Ben P. Harvey, Marcel T. J. van der Meer, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté, and Stefan Schouten
Biogeosciences, 16, 4451–4461, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4451-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4451-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Carbon dioxide concentrations (pCO2) in the atmosphere play an integral role in Earth system dynamics, especially climate. Past climates help us understand future ones, but reconstructing pCO2 over the geologic record remains a challenge. This research demonstrates new approaches for exploring past pCO2 via the carbon isotope fractionation in general algal lipids, which we test over a high CO2 gradient from a naturally occurring CO2 seep.
Cited articles
ACIA: Impacts of a warming Arctic–Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 146 pp., 2004.
Ahad, J. M. E., Barth, J. A. C., Ganeshram, R. S., Spencer, R. G. M., and Uher, G.: Controls on carbon cycling in two contrasting temperate zone estuaries: The Tyne and Tweed, UK, Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 78, 685–693, 2008.
Alling, V., Porcelli, D., Mörth, C. M., Anderson, L. G., Sanchez-Garcia, L., Gustafsson, Ö., Andersson, P. S., and Humborg, C.: Degradation of terrestrial organic carbon, primary production and out-gassing of CO, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 95, 143–159, 2012.
Amon, R. M. W., Rinehart, A. J., Duan, S., Louchouarn, P., Prokushkin, A., Guggenberger, G., Bauch, D., Stedmon, C., Raymond, P. A., Holmes, R. M., McClelland, J. W., Peterson, B. J., Walker, S. A., and Zhulidov, A. V.: Dissolved organic matter sources in large Arctic rivers, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 94, 217–237, 2012.
Bird, M. I., Santruckova, H., Arneth, A., Grigoriev, S., Gleixner, G., Kalaschnikov, Y. N., Lloyd, J., and Schulze, E. D.: Soil carbon inventories and carbon-13 on a latitude transect in Siberia, Tellus B, 54, 631–641, 2002.
Boike, J., Kattenstroth, B., Abramova, K., Bornemann, N., Chetverova, A., Fedorova, I., Fröb, K., Grigoriev, M., Grüber, M., Kutzbach, L., Langer, M., Minke, M., Muster, S., Piel, K., Pfeiffer, E.-M., Stoof, G., Westermann, S., Wischnewski, K., Wille, C., and Hubberten, H. W.: Baseline characteristics of climate, permafrost and land cover from a new permafrost observatory in the Lena River Delta, Siberia (1998–2011), Biogeosciences, 10, 2105–2128, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-2105-2013, 2013.
Bolshiyanov, D., Makarov, A., and Savelieva, L.: Lena River delta formation during the Holocene, Biogeosciences, 12, 579–593, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-579-2015, 2015.
Cauwet, G. and Sidorov, I.: The biogeochemistry of Lena River: organic carbon and nutrients distribution, Mar. Chem., 53, 211–227, 1996.
Chanton, J. and Lewis, F. G.: Examination of coupling between primary and secondary production in a river-dominated estuary: Apalachicola Bay, Florida, USA, Limnol. Oceanogr., 47, 683–697, 2002.
Charkin, A., Dudarev, O., Semiletov, I., Kruhmalev, A., Vonk, J., Sanchéz-García, L., Karlsson, E., and Gustafsson, Ö.: Seasonal and interannual variability of sedimentation and organic matter distribution in the Buor-Khaya Gulf: the primary recipient of input from Lena River and coastal erosion in the southeast Laptev Sea, Biogeosciences, 8, 2581–2594, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-8-2581-2011, 2011.
Dickens, A. F., Baldock, J., Kenna, T. C., and Eglinton, T. I.: A depositional history of particulate organic carbon in a floodplain lake from the lower Ob' River, Siberia, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 75, 4796–4815, 2011.
Feng, X., Vonk, J. E., van Dongen, B. E., Gustafsson, Ö., Semiletov, I. P., Dudarev, O. V., Wang, Z., Montluçon, D. B., Wacker, L., and Eglinton, T. I.: Differential mobilization of terrestrial carbon pools in Eurasian Arctic river basins, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 110, 14168–14173, 2013.
Galimov, E. M., Kodina, L. A., Stepanets, O. V., and Korobeinik, G. S.: Biogeochemistry of the Russian Arctic. Kara Sea: Research results under the SIRRO project, 1995–2003, Geochem. Int., 44, 1053–1104, 2006.
Goñi, M., Yunker, M., Macdonald, R., and Eglinton, T.: Distribution and sources of organic biomarkers in arctic sediments from the Mackenzie River and Beaufort Shelf, Mar. Chem., 71, 23–51, 2000.
Goñi, M., Teixeira, M., and Perkey, D.: Sources and distribution of organic matter in a river-dominated estuary (Winyah Bay, SC, USA), Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 57, 1023–1048, 2003.
Goñi, M., Yunker, M., Macdonald, R., and Eglinton, T.: The supply and preservation of ancient and modern components of organic carbon in the Canadian Beaufort Shelf of the Arctic Ocean, Mar. Chem., 93, 53–73, 2005.
Gordeev, V. and Sidorov, I.: Concentrations of Major Elements and Their Outflow Into the Laptev Sea by the Lena River, Mar. Geochem., 43, 33–45. 1993.
Grigoriev, M.: Cryomorphogenesis in the Lena Delta, Permafrost Institute Press, 1993.
Grosse, G., Robinson, J. E., Bryant, R., Taylor, M. D., Harper, W., DeMasi, A., Kyker-Snowman, E., Veremeeva, A., Schirrmeister, L., and Harden, J.: Distribution of late Pleistocene ice-rich syngenetic permafrost of the Yedoma Suite in east and central Siberia, Russia, US Geological Survey Open File Report 2013–1078, p. 37, 2013.
Günther, F., Overduin, P., Sandakov, A. V., Grosse, G., and Grigoriev, M.: Short- and long-term thermo-erosion of ice-rich permafrost coasts in the Laptev Sea region, Biogeosciences, 10, 4297–4318, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-4297-2013, 2013.
Guo, L. and Macdonald, R. W.: Source and transport of terrigenous organic matter in the upper Yukon River: Evidence from isotope (δ13C, Δ14C, and δ15N) composition of dissolved, colloidal, and particulate phases, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 20, GB2011, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GB002593, 2006.
Guo, L., Semiletov, I., Gustafsson, Ö., Ingri, J., Andersson, P., Dudarev, O., and White, D.: Characterization of Siberian Arctic coastal sediments: Implications for terrestrial organic carbon export, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 18, GB1036, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003GB002087, 2004.
Guo, L., Ping, C.-L., and Macdonald, R. W.: Mobilization pathways of organic carbon from permafrost to arctic rivers in a changing climate, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L13603, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL030689, 2007.
Gustafsson, Ö., van Dongen, B., Vonk, J., Dudarev, O., and Semiletov, I.: Widespread release of old carbon across the Siberian Arctic echoed by its large rivers, Biogeosciences, 8, 1737–1743, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-8-1737-2011, 2011.
Hedges, J. and Oades, J.: Comparative organic geochemistries of soils and marine sediments, Org. Geochem., 27, 319–361, 1997.
Hedges, J., Keil, R., and Benner, R.: What happens to terrestrial organic matter in the ocean?, Org. Geochem., 27, 195–212, 1997.
Höfle, S., Rethemeyer, J., Mueller, C. W., and John, S.: Organic matter composition and stabilization in a polygonal tundra soil of the Lena Delta, Biogeosciences, 10, 3145–3158, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3145-2013, 2013.
Holmes, R., McClelland, J., Peterson, B., Shiklomanov, I., Shiklomanov, A., Zhulidov, A., Gordeev, V., and Bobrovitskaya, N.: A circumpolar perspective on fluvial sediment flux to the Arctic Ocean, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 16, 1098, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001GB001849, 2002.
Holmes, R., McClelland, J., Peterson, B., Tank, S., Bulygina, E., Eglinton, T., Gordeev, V., Gurtovaya, T., Raymond, P., Repeta, D., Staples, R., Striegl, R., Zhulidov, A., and Zimov, S.: Seasonal and Annual Fluxes of Nutrients and Organic Matter from Large Rivers to the Arctic Ocean and Surrounding Seas, Estuar. Coast., 35, 369–382, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9386-6, 2012.
IPCC: Climate change 2013, The physical science basis: Working group I contribution to the fifth assessment report of the IPCC, edited by: Stocker, T. F., Qin, D., Plattner, G.-K., Tignor, M. M. B., Allen, S. K., Boschung, J., Nauels, A., Xia, Y., Bex, V., and Midgley, P. M., IPCC, 1525, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, USA, 5 pp., 2013.
Ivanov, V. V. and Piskun, A. A.: Distribution of river water and suspended sediment loads in the deltas of rivers in the basins of the Laptev and East-Siberian Seas, in: Land-ocean system in the Siberian Arctic, Dynamics and history, edited by: Kassens, H., Bauch, H. A., Dmitrenko, I. A., Eicken, H., Hubberten, H.-W., Melles, M., Thiede, J., and Timokhov, L. A., 239–250, Springer Berlin, Germany, 1999.
Karlsson, E., Charkin, A., Dudarev, O., Semiletov, I., Vonk, J., Sanchéz-García, L., Andersson, A., and Gustafsson, Ö.: Carbon isotopes and lipid biomarker investigation of sources, transport and degradation of terrestrial organic matter in the Buor-Khaya Bay, SE Laptev Sea, Biogeosciences, 8, 1865–1879, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-8-1865-2011, 2011.
Knoblauch, C., Beer, C., Sosnin, A., Wagner, D., and Pfeiffer, E.-M.: Predicting long-term carbon mineralization and trace gas production from thawing permafrost of Northeast Siberia, Glob. Change Biol., 19, 1160–1172, 2013.
Kraberg, A. C., Druzhkova, E., Heim, B., Loeder, M. J. G., and Wiltshire, K. H.: Phytoplankton community structure in the Lena Delta (Siberia, Russia) in relation to hydrography, Biogeosciences, 10, 7263–7277, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-7263-2013, 2013.
Kuhry, P. and Vitt, D.: Fossil carbon/nitrogen ratios as a measure of peat decomposition, Ecology, 77, 271–275, 1996.
Kuptsov, V. and Lisitsin, A.: Radiocarbon of quaternary along shore and bottom deposits of the Lena and the Laptev Sea sediments, Mar. Chem., 53, 301–311, 1996.
Kusch, S., Rethemeyer, J., Schefuß, E. and Mollenhauer, G.: Controls on the age of vascular plant biomarkers in Black Sea sediments, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 74, 7031–7047, 2010.
Kutzbach, L., Wagner, D., and Pfeiffer, E.: Effect of microrelief and vegetation methane emission from polygonal wet tundra, Lena Delta, Northern Siberia, Biogeochemistry, 69, 341–362, 2004.
Levin, I., Kromer, B., and Hammer, S.: Atmospheric δ14CO2 end in Western European background air from 2000–2012, Tellus B, 65, 20092, https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v65i0.20092, 2013.
Lisitsyn, A. P.: The marginal filter of the ocean, Oceanol. Russ. Acad. Sci., 34, 671–682, 1995.
Lobbes, J., Fitznar, H., and Kattner, G.: Biogeochemical characteristics of dissolved and particulate organic matter in Russian rivers entering the Arctic Ocean, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 64, 2973–2983, 2000.
Markus, T., Stroeve, J. C., and Miller, J.: Recent changes in Arctic sea ice melt onset, freezeup, and melt season length, J. Geophys. Res., 114, C12024, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JC005436, 2009.
McClelland, J. W., Holmes, R., Dunton, K., and Macdonald, R.: The Arctic Ocean estuary, Estuar. Coast., 35, 353–368, 2012.
McGuire, A., Anderson, L., Christensen, T., Dallimore, S., Guo, L., Hayes, D., Heimann, M., Lorenson, T., Macdonald, R., and Roulet, N.: Sensitivity of the carbon cycle in the Arctic to climate change, Ecol. Monogr., 79, 523–555, 2009.
McNichol, A. P., Osborne, E. A., Gagnon, A. R., Fry, B., and Jones, G. A.: TIC, TOC, DIC, DOC, PIC, POC–-unique aspects in the preparation of oceanographic samples for 14C-AMS, Nucl. Instr. Methods Phys. R. B, 92, 162–165, 1994.
Meyers, P. A.: Preservation of Elemental and Isotopic Source Identification of Sedimentary Organic-Matter, Chem. Geol., 114, 289–302, 1994.
Meyers, P. A. and Lallier-vergés, E.: Lacustrine sedimentary organic matter records of Late Quaternary paleoclimates, J. Paleolimnol., 21, 345–372, 1999.
Mook, W. G. and Tan, F. C.: Stable carbon isotopes in rivers and estuaries, in: SCOPE Report 42, Biogeochemistry of major world rivers, edited by: Degens, E. T., Kempe, S., and Richey, J., Wiley & Sons, New York, 245–264, 1991.
Morgenstern, A., Grosse, G., and Schirrmeister, L.: Genetic, morphological, and statistical characterization of lakes in the permafrost-dominated Lena Delta, in: Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Permafrost, 1239–1244, 2008.
Mueller-Lupp, T., Bauch, H., Erlenkeuser, H., Hefter, J., Kassens, H., and Thiede, J.: Changes in the deposition of terrestrial organic matter on the Laptev Sea shelf during the Holocene: evidence from stable carbon isotopes, Int. J. Earth Sci., 89, 563–568, 2000.
Neff, J., Finlay, J., Zimov, S., Davydov, S., Carrasco, J., Sschuur, E., and Davydova, A.: Seasonal changes in the age and structure of dissolved organic carbon in Siberian rivers and streams, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L23401, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL028222, 2006.
Oades, J. M.: The retention of organic matter in soils, Biogeochemistry, 5, 35–70, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02180317, 1988.
Peterson, B., Holmes, R., McClelland, J., Vörösmarty, C., Lammers, R., Shiklomanov, A., Shiklomanov, I., and Rahmstorf, S.: Increasing river discharge to the Arctic Ocean, Science, 298, 2171–2173, 2002.
Pitkänen, A., Turunen, J., Tahvanainen, T., and Tolonen, K.: Holocene vegetation history from the Salym-Yugan Mire Area, West Siberia, The Holocene, 12, 353–362, https://doi.org/10.1191/0959683602hl533rp, 2002.
Rachold, V. and Hubberten, H.-W.: Carbon isotope composition of particulate organic material in East Siberian rivers, in: Land-ocean system in the Siberian Arctic. Dynamics and history, edited by: Kassens, H., Bauch, H. A., Dmitrenko, I. A., Eicken, H., Hubberten, H.-W., Melles, M., Thiede, J., and Timokhov, L. A., Springer Berlin, Germany, 223–238, 1999.
Rachold, V., Eicken, H., Gordeev, V. V., Grigoriev, M. N., Hubberten, H. W., Lisitzin, A. P., Shevchenko, V. P., and Schirrmeister, L.: Modern terrigenous organic carbon input to the Arctic Ocean, in: The organic carbon cycle in the Arctic Ocean, edited by: Stein R. and Macdonald, R. W., 33–55, 2004.
Raymond, P. and Bauer, J.: Use of 14C and 13C natural abundances for evaluating riverine, estuarine, and coastal DOC and POC sources and cycling: a review and synthesis, Org. Geochem., 32, 469–485, 2001.
Raymond, P., McClelland, J., Holmes, R., Zhulidov, A., Mull, K., Peterson, B., Striegl, R., Aiken, G., and Gurtovaya, T.: Flux and age of dissolved organic carbon exported to the Arctic Ocean: A carbon isotopic study of the five largest arctic rivers, Glob. Biogeochem. Cy., 21, GB4011, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GB002934, 2007.
Sanchéz-García, L., Alling, V., Pugach, S., Vonk, J., van Dongen, B., Humborg, C., Dudarev, O., Semiletov, I., and Gustafsson, Ö.: Inventories and behavior of particulate organic carbon in the Laptev and East Siberian seas, Glob. Biogeochem. Cy., 25, GB2007, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GB003862, 2011.
Sanders, T.: Charakterisierung Ammoniak oxidierender Mikroorganismen in Böden kalter gemäßigter Klimate und ihre Bedeutung für den globalen Stickstoffkreislauf, PhD Thesis, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, 2011.
Schirrmeister, L., Grosse, G., Wetterich, S., Overduin, P., Strauss, J., Schuur, E. A. G., and Hubberten, H. W.: Fossil organic matter characteristics in permafrost deposits of the northeast Siberian Arctic, J. Geophys. Res., 116, G00M02, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JG001647, 2011.
Schubert, C. J. and Calvert, S. E.: Nitrogen and carbon isotopic composition of marine and terrestrial organic matter in Arctic Ocean sediments: Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 48, 789–810, 2001.
Schuur, E., Bockheim, J., Canadell, J., Euskirchen, E., Field, C., Goryachkin, S., Hagemann, S., Kuhry, P., Lafleur, P., Lee, H., Mazhitova, G., Nelson, F., Rinke, A., Romanovsky, V., Shiklomanov, N., Tarnocai, C., Venevsky, S., Vogel, J., and Zimov, S.: Vulnerability of permafrost carbon to climate change: Implications for the global carbon cycle, Bioscience, 58, 701–714, 2008.
Schuur, E., Vogel, J., Crummer, K., Lee, H., Sickman, J., and Osterkamp, T.: The effect of permafrost thaw on old carbon release and net carbon exchange from tundra, Nature, 459, 556–559, 2009.
Schwamborn, G., Rachold, V., and Grigoriev, M.: Late Quaternary sedimentation history of the Lena Delta, Quatern. Int., 89, 119–134, 2002.
Semiletov, I., Pipko, I., Shakhova, N., Dudarev, O., Pugach, S., Charkin, A., McRoy, C., Kosmach, D., and Gustafsson, Ö.: Carbon transport by the Lena River from its headwaters to the Arctic Ocean, with emphasis on fluvial input of terrestrial particulate organic carbon vs. carbon transport by coastal erosion, Biogeosciences, 8, 2407–2426, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-8-2407-2011, 2011.
Serreze, M. C., Walsh, J. E., Chapin, F. S., III, Osterkamp, T., Dyurgerov, M., Romanovsky, V., Oechel, W. C., Morison, J., Zhang, T., and Barry, R. G.: Observational Evidence of Recent Change in the Northern High-Latitude Environment, Clim. Change, 46, 159–207, 2000.
Sorokin, Y. I. and Sorokin, P. Y.: Plankton and primary production in the Lena River estuary and in the south-eastern Laptev Sea, Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 43, 399–418, 1996.
Stuiver, M. and Polach, H.: Discussion. Reporting of 14C data, Radiocarbon, 19, 355–363, 1977.
Tank, S. E., Raymond, P. A., Striegl, R. G., McClelland, J. W., Holmes, R. M., Fiske, G. J., and Peterson, G. J.: A land-to-ocean perspective on the magnitude, source, and implication of DIC flux from major Arctic rivers to the Arctic Ocean, Glob. Biogeochem.Cy., 26, GB4018, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GB004192, 2012.
Tarnocai, C., Canadell, J., Schuur, E., Kuhry, P., Mazhitova, G., and Zimov, S.: Soil organic carbon pools in the northern circumpolar permafrost region, Glob. Biochem. Cy., 23, GB2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GB003327, 2009.
Trumbore, S.: Radiocarbon and Soil Carbon Dynamics, Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci., 37, 47–66, 2009.
Trumbore, S. E.: Comparison of Carbon Dynamics in Tropical and Temperate Soils Using Radiocarbon Measurements, Glob. Biogeochem. Cy., 7, 275–290, 1993.
van Dongen, B. E., Zencak, Z., and Gustafsson, Ö.: Differential transport and degradation of bulk organic carbon and specific terrestrial biomarkers in the surface waters of a sub-arctic brackish bay mixing zone, Mar. Chem., 112, 203–214, 2008.
Vonk, J. and Gustafsson, Ö.: Calibrating n-alkane Sphagnum proxies in sub-Arctic Scandinavia, Org. Geochem., 40, 1085–1090, 2009.
Vonk, J., Sanchéz-García, L., Semiletov, I., Dudarev, O., Eglinton, T., Andersson, A., and Gustafsson, Ö.: Molecular and radiocarbon constraints on sources and degradation of terrestrial organic carbon along the Kolyma paleoriver transect, East Siberian Sea, Biogeosciences, 7, 3153–3166, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-7-3153-2010, 2010.
Vonk, J. E., Sanchéz-García, L., van Dongen, B. E., Alling, V., Kosmach, D., Charkin, A., Semiletov, I. P., Dudarev, O. V., Shakhova, N., Roos, P., Eglinton, T. I., Andersson, A., and Gustafsson, Ö.: Activation of old carbon by erosion of coastal and subsea permafrost in Arctic Siberia, Nature, 489, 137–140, 2012.
Wetterich, S., Kuzmina, S., Andreev, A., Kienast, F., Meyer, H., Schirrmeister, L., Kuznetsova, T., and Sierralta, M.: Palaeoenvironmental dynamics inferred from late Quaternary permafrost deposits on Kurungnakh Island, Lena Delta, Northeast Siberia, Russia, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 27, 1523–1540, 2008.
Winterfeld, M., Goñi, M. A., Just, J., Hefter, J., and Mollenhauer, G.: Characterization of particulate organic matter in the Lena River delta and adjacent nearshore zone, NE Siberia – Part 2: Lignin-derived phenol compositions, Biogeosciences, 12, 2261–2283, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2261-2015, 2015.
Xu, C., Guo, L., Ping, C., and White, D.: Chemical and isotopic characterization of size-fractionated organic matter from cryoturbated tundra soils, northern Alaska, J. Geophys. Res., 114, G03002, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JG000846, 2009.
Zhang, T., Frauenfeld, O., Serreze, M., Etringer, A., Oelke, C., McCreight, J., Barry, R., Gilichinsky, D., Yang, D., Ye, H., Ling, F., and Chudinova, S.: Spatial and temporal variability in active layer thickness over the Russian Arctic drainage basin, J. Geophys. Res., 110, D16101, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JD005642, 2005.
Zimov, N., Zimov, S., Zimova, A., Zimova, G., Chuprynin, V., and Chapin, F.: Carbon storage in permafrost and soils of the mammoth tundra-steppe biome: Role in the global carbon budget, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L02502, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL036332, 2009.
Zimov, S., Schuur, E., and Chapin, F.: Permafrost and the global carbon budget, Science, 312, 1612–1613, 2006.
Zubrzycki, S.: Organic carbon pools in permafrost-affected soils of Siberian arctic regions, Ph.D, University of Hamburg, 2013.
Zubrzycki, S., Kutzbach, L., and Pfeiffer, E.: Variability of soil organic carbon stocks of different permafrost-affected soils: Initial results from a North-South transect in Siberia, Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Permafrost, 485–490, 2012.
Zubrzycki, S., Kutzbach, L., Grosse, G., Desyatkin, A., and Pfeiffer, E.: Organic carbon and total nitrogen stocks in soils of the Lena River Delta, Biogeosciences, 10, 3507–3524, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3507-013, 2013.
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint