Long-term perspectives on terrestrial and aquatic carbon cycling from palaeolimnology

• Main Authors: Suzanne McGowan, Nicholas John Anderson, Mary E. Edwards, Peter G. Langdon, Vivienne J. Jones, Simon D. Turner, Maarten Van Hardenbroek, Erika J. Whiteford, Emma Wiik
• Format: Other Non-Article Part of Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Earth Sciences not elsewhere classified; Carbon cycle; Lakes; Palaeolimnology; Limnology; New Lakes; permafrost
• Online Access: https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Long-term_perspectives_on_terrestrial_and_aquatic_carbon_cycling_from_palaeolimnology/9482903

Lakes are active processors and collectors of carbon (C) and thus recognized as quantitatively important within the terrestrial C cycle. Better integration of palaeolimnology (lake sediment core analyses) with limnological C budgeting approaches has the potential to enhance understanding of lacustrine C processing and sequestration. Palaeolimnology simultaneously assimilates materials from across lake habitats, terrestrial watersheds, and airsheds to provide a uniquely broad overview of the terrestrial-atmospheric-aquatic linkages across different spatial scales. The examination of past changes over decadal–millennial timescales via palaeolimnology can inform understanding and prediction of future changes in C cycling. With a particular, but not exclusive, focus on northern latitudes we examine the methodological approaches of palaeolimnology, focusing on how relatively standard and well-tested techniques might be applied to address questions of relevance to the C cycle. We consider how palaeolimnology, limnology, and sedimentation studies might be linked to provide more quantitative and holistic estimates of lake C cycling and budgets. Finally, we use palaeolimnological examples to consider how changes such as terrestrial vegetation shifts, permafrost thaw, the formation of new lakes and reservoirs, hydrological modification of inorganic C processing, land use change, soil erosion and disruption to global nitrogen and phosphorus cycles might influence lake C cycling.