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Identifying the sources of organic matter in marine and riverine sediments of Bohai Bay and its catchment using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes

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Abstract

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes are useful tracers for distinguishing marine and terrestrial plant sources of sedimentary organic matter (OM), and for identifying OM from different types of plants. By analyzing the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes of marine and riverine sediments from Bohai Bay and its catchment, we were able to identify the source of OM in these sediments. The stable carbon isotope values of Bohai Bay sediments were between −22.94‰ and −23.90‰, while those of riverine sediments were from −24.45‰ to −32.50‰. Marine algae were the main source of OM in Bohai Bay sediments. However, lacustrine algae were the main source of riverine sediments, not terrestrial OM. The nitrogen isotopes in Bohai Bay sediments decreased in eastward direction, with increasing distance from the coastline, which suggested a higher degree of impact from human activities along the coast.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tianjin Academy of Environmental Sciences, Tianjin, 300191, China

    Yan Zhang  (张彦), Xueqiang Lu  (卢学强), Honglei Liu  (刘红磊), Qiongqiong Liu  (刘琼琼) & Dan Yu  (于丹)

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  1. Yan Zhang  (张彦)
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  2. Xueqiang Lu  (卢学强)
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  3. Honglei Liu  (刘红磊)
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  4. Qiongqiong Liu  (刘琼琼)
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  5. Dan Yu  (于丹)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xueqiang Lu  (卢学强).

Additional information

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41273068) and the Tianjin Research Program of Applied Science and Advanced Technology (No. 11JCZDJC24100)

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Zhang, Y., Lu, X., Liu, H. et al. Identifying the sources of organic matter in marine and riverine sediments of Bohai Bay and its catchment using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 33, 204–209 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-015-4068-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-015-4068-z

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