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C/N ratios and Carbon Isotope Composition of Organic Matter in Estuarine Environments

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Applications of Paleoenvironmental Techniques in Estuarine Studies

Part of the book series: Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research ((DPER,volume 20))

Abstract

The sediments that are preserved in estuarine environments (saltmarsh, riverine estuaries, mangrove habitats, lagoons, isolation basins and fjords) contain organic matter that allows investigation of the provenance of that material. These data can then be used specifically to investigate past sea level/land level changes and changes in freshwater flux. Where microfossils are poorly preserved or absent, C/N and δ13C analyses offer an alternative method to deduce environmental histories, but they are especially useful when used in conjunction with a range of other proxies, and when local modern end-member organic variables can be measured to ‘calibrate’ the sedimentary C/N and δ13C. There are a wide range of C/N-δ13C based carbon studies, here we describe examples of studies in a variety of estuarine environments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. British Geological Survey, Nottingham, UK

    Melanie J. Leng

  2. University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    Melanie J. Leng

  3. Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK

    Jonathan P. Lewis

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  1. Melanie J. Leng
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Correspondence to Melanie J. Leng .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Kaarina Weckström

  2. Institute of Geography and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Krystyna M. Saunders

  3. Water Research Network, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University Australia, Mt Helen, Victoria, Australia

    Peter A. Gell

  4. School of Life Sciences, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia

    C. Gregory Skilbeck

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Leng, M.J., Lewis, J.P. (2017). C/N ratios and Carbon Isotope Composition of Organic Matter in Estuarine Environments. In: Weckström, K., Saunders, K., Gell, P., Skilbeck, C. (eds) Applications of Paleoenvironmental Techniques in Estuarine Studies. Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research, vol 20. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0990-1_9

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