Abstract
To study the carbon burial rates in different sedimentary environments in Lianyungang coastal area since the Late Pleistocene, two deep boreholes of ZK1 and ZK2 were deployed to carry out measurements of sediment TOC (total organic carbon) and TN (total nitrogen) content, as well as AMS14C dating, and photoluminescence dating, soluble salts, foraminifera and particle size data, to analyse the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of carbon burial, the sources of organic carbon and the main influential factors on carbon burial. The stratigraphic age was dated based on historical geology and sedimentary geology combined with dating data, and seven sedimentary units are classified: from bottom to top, tidal flat to nearshore coastal environment (U1, Qp31), river environment (U2, Qp32−1), river environment (U3, Qp32−2), river environment (U4, Qp32−3), coastal-shallow shelf environment (U6-1, Qh), coastal environment (U6-2, Qh), and coastal-tidal flat environment (U7, Qh). U1, U6, and U7 sedimentary units are good carbon sinks body. The average TOCBF (organic carbon burial rate) of the cohesive soil is 12.03–13.57 g m−2 a−1 for U1 cohesive soil, and the average TOCBF of the sandy soil is 2.72–7.85 g m−2 a−1. The average TOCBF of soft soil is 48.22–58.23 g m−2 a−1 for U6-2 soft soil. The average TOCBF of soft soil is 68.58–107.6 g m−2 a−1 for U7 soft soil. U2, U3 and U4 sedimentary units have low carbon sink capacity. The colour of the sediments of these three sedimentary units is mainly yellow, indicating an oxidative environment. It is assumed that most of the organic matter in the sediment was mineralised and decomposed shortly after deposition and that the amount of organic matter that could be preserved in the soil was less. The average TOCBF is between 0.68 and 2.01 g m−2 a−1. The TOCBF is mainly controlled by the sedimentation rate. The surface layer (0–20 cm) has high TOC, which is mainly due to the short burial time, during which some of the TOC has not been fully mineralised and decomposed, and the influence of human activities. The C/N (TOC/TN) is recommended for U6 sediments to analyse the source of organic matter, with C/N ranging from 5.32 to 7.42, presumably the source of sediment organic matter is mainly of marine origin. The C/N analysis of organic carbon sources is not recommended for terrestrial sediments. The conceptual model of TOC cycle in riverine and offshore sediments is summarised and refined.
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Data availability
Data available on request from the authors. The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [G F], upon reasonable request.
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This study was jointly supported by the Lianyungang City Geological Survey Project of Lianyungang Municipal of People's Government-Jiangsu Provincial Department of Land and Resources of China (20170821), National Natural Science Foundation of China (42007402, 41772327).
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Gou, F., Wang, G., Ou, J. et al. Classification of sedimentary environments and evaluation of carbon burial rates in the coastal area of Lianyungang, China, since the Late Pleistocene. Environ Earth Sci 82, 137 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-023-10829-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-023-10829-y