Understanding the effects of early degradation on isotopic tracers: implications for sediment source attribution using compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA)

Hirave, Pranav; Wiesenberg, Guido L. B.; Birkholz, Axel; Alewell, Christine

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2169-2020

Articles | Volume 17, issue 8

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2169-2020

© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2169-2020

© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 17, issue 8

Research article

|

20 Apr 2020

Research article |

| 20 Apr 2020

Understanding the effects of early degradation on isotopic tracers: implications for sediment source attribution using compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA)

Pranav Hirave, Guido L. B. Wiesenberg, Axel Birkholz, and Christine Alewell

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https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2169-2020-supplement

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Data from isotopic and molecular measurements for: Understanding the effects of early degradation on isotopic tracers: implications for sediment source attribution using compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) P. Hirave, G. L. B. Wiesenberg, A. Birkholz, and C. Alewell https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3228446

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Short summary

Sediment input into water bodies is a prominent threat to freshwater ecosystems. We tested the stability of tracers employed in freshwater sediment tracing based on compound-specific isotope analysis during early degradation in soil. While bulk δ¹³C values showed no stability, δ¹³C values of plant-derived fatty acids and n-alkanes were stably transferred to the soil without soil particle size dependency after an early degradation in organic horizons, thus indicating their suitability as tracers.