Total organic carbon isotopes: A novel proxy of lake level from Lake Qinghai in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China

The isotopic compositions of total organic carbon (TOC) in lakes have been widely used to interpret paleoclimatic changes and the depositional environments of lake sediments. However, the main factors that affect the carbon isotopes of TOC (source of organic material, water condition and others) may...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Chemical geology 2013-06, Vol.347, p.153-160
Main Authors:	Liu, Weiguo, Li, Xiangzhong, An, Zhisheng, Xu, Liming, Zhang, Qingle
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Aquatic plants Carbon Carbon isotopes Cladophora Freshwater Lake level Lake Qinghai Lakes Photosynthesis Plants (organisms) Sediments Total organic carbon (TOC) Water depth δ13Corg values
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	The isotopic compositions of total organic carbon (TOC) in lakes have been widely used to interpret paleoclimatic changes and the depositional environments of lake sediments. However, the main factors that affect the carbon isotopes of TOC (source of organic material, water condition and others) may vary in different lake sediment records, which have limited the applicability of organic carbon isotopes in explaining biogeochemical and environmental changes in lakes. In this study, the organic carbon isotopic compositions of aquatic plants and surface sediments from Lake Qinghai and the living terrestrial plants and surface soils around the lake were systematically investigated to identify the sources of TOC in the sediments and the significance of the organic carbon isotopes of sedimentary TOC. We found that the aquatic plants in the deep water areas (>10m) were primarily dominated by Cladophora, but submerged plants (Potamogeton and Ruppia L.) are the dominant species in shallow water (
ISSN:	0009-2541 1872-6836