Radiocarbon ages and major n-alkane homologues of peat cores LVPS4 and LVPS5B, Russian Arctic ...

• Main Authors: Andersson, Rina A, Kuhry, Peter, Meyers, Philip, Zebühr, Yngve, Crill, Patrick, Mörth, Magnus
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2011
• Subjects: Peat corer; International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; International Polar Year; IPY
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.806807; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.806807

Coupled analyses of n-alkane biomarkers and plant macrofossils from a peat plateau deposit in the northeast European Russian Arctic were carried out to assess the effects of past hydrology on the molecular contributions of plants to the peat. The n-alkane biomarkers accumulated over 9.6 kyr of local paleohydrological changes in this complex peat profile in which a succession of vegetation changes occurred during a transition from a wet fen to a relatively dry peat plateau bog. This study shows that the contribution of the n-C31 alkane from rootlets to peat layers rich in fine and dark roots is important. The results further indicate that the n-alkane Paq and n-C23/n-C29 biomarker proxies that have been useful to reconstruct past water table levels in many peat deposits can be misleading when the contributions of Betula and Sphagnum fuscum to the peat are large. Under these conditions, the C23/(C27 + C31) n-alkane ratio seems to correct for the presence of Betula and S. fuscum and provides a better ... : Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150 ...