Decoupled sedimentary records of combustion : causes and implications
Decoupled sedimentary records of combustion : causes and implications
Date
2016-05-30
Authors
Hanke, Ulrich
Eglinton, Timothy I.
Braun, Ana L. L.
Reddy, Christopher M.
Wiedemeier, Daniel B.
Schmidt, Michael W. I.
Eglinton, Timothy I.
Braun, Ana L. L.
Reddy, Christopher M.
Wiedemeier, Daniel B.
Schmidt, Michael W. I.
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DOI
10.1002/2016GL069253
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Keywords
Decoupled pyrogenic carbon records
Aquatic sediments
Organic carbon cycling
Local and regional sources
Transport pathways
Aquatic sediments
Organic carbon cycling
Local and regional sources
Transport pathways
Abstract
Pyrogenic carbon (PyC) is a collective term for carbon-rich residues comprised of a continuum of products arising from biomass burning and fossil-fuel combustion. PyC is ubiquitous in the environment where it can be transported by wind and water before being deposited in aquatic sediments. We compare results from four different methods used to trace PyC that were applied to a high-temporal resolution sedimentary record in order to constrain changes in PyC concentrations and fluxes over the past ~250 years. We find markedly discordant records for different PyC tracers, particularly during the preindustrial age, implying different origins and modes of supply of sedimentary PyC. In addition to providing new insights into the composition of sedimentary combustion products, this study reveals that elucidation of past combustion processes and development of accurate budgets of PyC production and deposition on local to regional scales requires careful consideration of both source characteristics and transport processes.
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Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, [year]. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Research Letters 43 (2016): 5098–5108, doi:10.1002/2016GL069253.
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Geophysical Research Letters 43 (2016): 5098–5108