Aerobic degradation of organic carbon inferred from dinoflagellate cyst decomposition in Southern Ocean sediments
Abstract Organic carbon (OC) burial is an important process influencing atmospheric CO 2 concentration and global climate change; therefore it is essential to obtain information on the factors determining its preservation. The Southern Ocean (SO) is believed to play an important role in sequestering...
| Published in: | Quaternary Research |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2012.04.001 http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589412000464?httpAccept=text/xml http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589412000464?httpAccept=text/plain https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033589400008450 |
| Summary: | Abstract Organic carbon (OC) burial is an important process influencing atmospheric CO 2 concentration and global climate change; therefore it is essential to obtain information on the factors determining its preservation. The Southern Ocean (SO) is believed to play an important role in sequestering CO 2 from the atmosphere via burial of OC. Here we investigate the degradation of organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts (dinocysts) in two short cores from the SO to obtain information on the factors influencing OC preservation. On the basis of the calculated degradation index kt , we conclude that both cores are affected by species-selective aerobic degradation of dinocysts. Further, we calculate a degradation constant k using oxygen exposure time derived from the ages of our cores. The constant k displays a strong relationship with pore-water O 2 , suggesting that decomposition of OC is dependent on both the bottom- and pore-water O 2 concentrations. |
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