Molecular biomarkers in Yakutian permafrost sediments

• Main Authors: Jongejans, Loeka L., Fedorov, Alexander N., Grigoriev, Mikhail N., Grosse, Guido, Strauss, Jens
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Arctic; permafrost
• Online Access: https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/54292/; https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/54292/1/Jongejans_Poster_Yakutsk.pdf; https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.7ab1c672-c061-4317-8de4-958831b9a6b1

The Arctic is changing rapidly. Due to permafrost thaw processes, the permafrost carbon store is becoming increasingly accessible for microbes. Therefore, the assessment of the biodegradability of permafrost organic matter (OM) following microbial decomposition is highly needed. The study of molecular biomarkers provides insights into the source of OM, sediment diagenesis and the state of degradation. We studied deep (<15 m) sediment samples from Yedoma and thawed Yedoma deposits, and analyzed biomarker concentrations and distributions. We specifically looked at n-alkanes, which are single-bonded hydrocarbons. Here we present our three study sites and our approach.