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Underwater sinkhole sediments sequester Lake Huron’s carbon

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Abstract

Lake Huron’s submerged sinkhole habitats are impacted by high-conductivity groundwater that allows photosynthetic cyanobacterial mats to form over thick, carbon-rich sediments. To better understand nutrient cycling in these habitats, we measured the stable isotopic content of carbon and nitrogen in organic and inorganic carbon pools in Middle Island sinkhole, a ~23 m deep feature influenced by both groundwater and overlying lake water. Two distinct sources of dissolved CO2 (DIC) were available to primary producers. Lake water DIC (δ 13C = −0.1 ‰) differed by +5.9 ‰ from groundwater DIC (δ 13C = −6.0 ‰). Organic carbon fixed by primary producers reflected the two DIC sources. Phytoplankton utilizing lake water DIC were more enriched in 13C (δ 13C = −22.2 to −23.2 ‰) than mat cyanobacteria utilizing groundwater DIC (δ 13C = −26.3 to −30.0 ‰). Sinkhole sediments displayed an isotopic signature (δ 13C = −23.1 ‰) more similar to sedimenting phytoplankton than the cyanobacterial mat. Corroborated by sediment C/N ratios, these data suggest that the carbon deposited in sinkhole sediments originates primarily from planktonic rather than benthic sources. 210Pb/137Cs radiodating suggests rapid sediment accumulation and sub-bottom imaging indicated a massive deposit of organic carbon beneath the sediment surface. We conclude that submerged sinkholes may therefore act as nutrient sinks within the larger lake ecosystem.

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Abbreviations

SGD:

Subsurface groundwater discharge

DIC:

Dissolved inorganic carbon

DOC:

Dissolved organic carbon

IRMS:

Isotope ratio mass spectrometry

POC:

Particulate organic carbon

SOC:

Sedimentary organic carbon

SPOC:

Sedimenting particulate organic carbon

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the excellent dive support teams who collected water and sediment samples: Russ Green, Joe Hoyt, Tane Casserly, and Wayne Lusardi from the NOAA’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This work is supported by Grants from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Ocean Exploration (NA07OAR4320006 to SAR), and the National Science Foundation (MCB-0604158 to SCN and MCB-0603944 to BAB).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Wisconsin-Stout, 410 10th Avenue East, Menomonie, WI, 54751, USA

    Stephen C. Nold & Michael J. Bellecourt

  2. Annis Water Resources Institute, Grand Valley State University, Muskegon, MI, 49441, USA

    Scott T. Kendall & Bopaiah A. Biddanda

  3. Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ann Arbor, MI, 48018, USA

    Steven A. Ruberg

  4. Crooked River Watershed Council, 498 SE Lynn Blvd, Prineville, OR, 97754, USA

    T. Garrison Sanders

  5. Great Lakes WATER Institute, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, 53201, USA

    J. Val Klump

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  1. Stephen C. Nold
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  2. Michael J. Bellecourt
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Correspondence to Stephen C. Nold.

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Nold, S.C., Bellecourt, M.J., Kendall, S.T. et al. Underwater sinkhole sediments sequester Lake Huron’s carbon. Biogeochemistry 115, 235–250 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-013-9830-8

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