Stable isotope (carbon, hydrogen) variation in plants and lake surface sediments from northwestern Canada ...

• Main Authors: Lattaud, Julie, Haghipour, Negar, Eglinton, Timothy I., Broeder, Lisa
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: ETH Zurich 2021
• Subjects: Arctic; Climate change; Herschel Island; Mackenzie river
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000521302; http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/521302

Hydrogen isotope ratios of leaf waxes are used to reconstruct past hydroclimate because they are correlated to meteoric/growth water hydrogen isotopes. The interpretation of these signatures from ancient sedimentary archives relies on a thorough understanding of the drivers of modern isotope variability. Studies in the high latitudes, regions that are particularly valuable in light of their vulnerability to rapid climate change, are scarce. We studied modern vegetation (22 plants) in two areas in the Northwestern Territories (Canada): Herschel Island and Peel Plateau, to understand the stable isotope variability found in plants of Arctic regions. Bulk biomass stable carbon isotope and radiocarbon composition have been measured as well as fatty acids (wax lipids coating the plant leaves) stable carbon and hydrogen isotopes. Furthermore, lake surface sediments and river bank sediments from the Mackenzie River Delta (surrounded by the same plants) have been similarly studied. Bulk carbon isotope composition of ... : EGUsphere ...