Sources and preservation of organic matter in Plum Island salt marsh sediments (MA, USA): long-chain n-alkanes and stable carbon isotope compositions

Elemental (TOC, TN, C/N) and stable carbon isotopic (delta(13)C) compositions and n-alkane (nC(16-38)) concentrations were measured for Spartina alterniflora, a C-4 marsh grass, Typha latifolia, a C-3 marsh grass, and three sediment cores collected from middle and upper estuarine sites from the Plum Island salt marshes. Our results indicated that the organic matter preserved in the sediments was highly affected by the marsh plants that dominated the sampling sites. delta(13)C values of organic matter preserved in the upper fresh water site sediment were more negative (-23.0+/-0.3) as affected by the C-3 plants than the values of organic matter preserved in the sediments of middle (-18.9+/-0.8) and mud flat sites (-19.4+/-0.1) as influenced mainly by the C4 marsh plants. The distribution of n-alkanes measured in all sediments showed similar patterns as those determined in the marsh grasses S. alterniflora and T. latifolia, and nC(21) to nC(33) long-chain n-alkanes were the major compounds determined in all sediment samples. The strong odd-to-even carbon numbered n-alkane predominance was found in all three sediments and nC(29) was the most abundant homologue in all samples measured. Both delta(13)C compositions of organic matter and n-alkane distributions in these sediments indicate that the marsh plants could contribute significant amount of organic matter preserved in Plum Island salt marsh sediments. This suggests that salt marshes play an important role in the cycling of nutrients and organic carbon in the estuary and adjacent coastal waters. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Organic geochemical studies of sinking particulate material in China sea area(I) - Organic matter fluxes and distributional features of hydrocarbon compounds and fatty acids

Sinking particulate material collected from Nansha Yongshu reef lagoon and the continental shelf of the East China Sea by sediment traps has been analyzed and studied for the first time using organic geochemical method. The results show that about half of the sinking particulate organic matter in the two study areas are consumed before reaching the depth of 5 m to the sea floor and the degree of this consumption in Yongshu reef lagoon is larger than that in the continental shelf of the East China Sea. The distributions of hydrocarbons and fatty acids indicate that the minor difference of biological sources of sinking particulate organic matter exists between Yongshu reel lagoon and the continental shelf of the East China Sea, but they mainly come from marine plankton. Stronger biological and biochemical transformations of sinking particulate organic matter are also observed and the intensity of this transformation in Yongshu reef lagoon is greater than that in the continental shelf of the East China Sea. It is found that the occurrence of C-25 highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) diene may be related to the composition of diatom species.

Variability in radiocarbon ages of biochemical compound classes of high molecular weight dissolved organic matter in estuaries

High molecular weight dissolved organic matter (HMW-DOM, > 1000 Da) represents a major fraction (> 30%) of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the ocean and thus plays an important role in the global biogeochemical cycling of carbon and many other elements. Its organic sources and formation mechanisms, however, are still not well understood especially in estuarine and coastal regions where multiple natural and anthropogenic sources contribute to total HMW-DOM. In this paper we report our measurements of natural radiocarbon (C-14) abundances and stable carbon isotope (C-13) compositions of the major biochemical compound classes: amino acids, carbohydrates and lipids separated from eight HMW-DOM samples collected from five US estuaries as part of our on-going study of sources, distribution and transport of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in estuarine and coastal waters. Distinct differences in both C-14 and C-13 values were found among the bulk HMW-DOM samples as well as the individual compound classes. Radiocarbon ages of the major compound classes varied by as much as 27,000 years in a single sample. The calculated average radiocarbon ages of the compound fractions of HMW-DOM indicate that the total lipid fraction is very "old", while the acid-insoluble fraction is slightly younger. Total amino acid and carbohydrate fractions, however, have relatively modern apparent C-14 ages. The significant variability in C-14 ages among the compound classes indicates not only multiple organic carbon sources but also different formation and turnover pathways controlling the cycling of different biochemical components of HMW-DOM in estuarine and coastal waters. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Independence of alpine meadow plants from soil organic matter for nitrogen supply: evidence from stable nitrogen isotopes

Stable nitrogen isotope signatures of major sources of mineral nitrogen ( mineralization of soil organic nitrogen, biological N-2 fixation by legumes, annual precipitation and plant litter decomposition) were measured to relatively define their individual contribution to grass assimilation at the Haibei Alpine Meadow Ecosystem, Qinghai, China. The results indicated that delta N-15 values (- 2.40 parts per thousand to 0.97 parts per thousand) of all grasses were much lower than those of soil organic matter (3.4 +/- 0.18 parts per thousand) and mineral nitrogen ( ammonium and nitrate together,7.8 +/- 0.57 parts per thousand). Based on the patterns of stable nitrogen isotopes, soil organic matter (3.4 +/- 0.18 parts per thousand), biological N-2 fixation (0 parts per thousand), and precipitation (- 6.34 +/- 0.24 parts per thousand) only contributed to a small fraction of nitrogen requirements of grasses, but plant litter decomposition (- 1.31 +/- 1.01 parts per thousand) accounted for 67%.

辽河盆地西部凹陷深部流体的地球化学特征与成藏效应

The main research area of this thesis is the Western Depression in the Liaohe Basin. Based on the drilling core observation and mud logging data, the features of the mantle–derived fluids and their effects on oil/gas generation in the Western Depression of the Liaohe Basin,was studied with comprehensive methods of volcanic petrology, sediment petrology, fluid geochemistry, sedimentlogy, and structural geology, and use of polarized light microscope, fluorescence microscope, electron microscope, fluid and melt inclusion test, and isotopic test of nature gas etc. The observation of drill cores in study area and other studies reveal that the main passageway of the volcanic eruption in the Cenozoic was the Xibaqian-Gaosheng fault, and the volcanic rocks of each stage were distributed around it. Mantle-derived fluid which affected on oil/gas generation formed later than the volcanic spew and those fluids entered into the depression through the Taian-Dawa fault and the Central fault. The volatile fraction analysis of the melt inclusion reveals the presence of two kinds of mantle fluids; they are hydrogen-rich fluid and carbon dioxide-rich fluid. These the two kinds of fluids were mainly distributed in olivine and pyroxene respectively. The hydrothermal veins development have multiple stages, from high temperature quartz vein to low temperature calcite vein and analcime vein, in which the fluid inclusion extremity component are methane and carbon dioxide, which indicate that when mantle-derived fluids ascended and entered into the basin, most of these fluids interacted with the organic matter in the basin even though some of these entered into atmosphere. The present isotopic test of the nature gas reveals the high 3He/4He value between the region of the Taian-Dawa fault and the Central fault, which also imply the feature of origin in mantle. This phenomenon indicates that the Mesozoic basement faults and the main Cenozoic faults had connected crust and the mantle during the basin evolution, so the mantle derived fluids could enter the basin along those faults. The main source rocks of the ES3 and ES4 members of the Shahejie Formation began to expel hydrocarbon at the end period of the ES1 member of the Shahejie Formation, and reached its peak during the period of the Dongying Formation deposition. During these periods, the mantle derived-fluids entered the basin constantly along the main faults, and supplied lots of hydrogen for hydrocarbon generation. Though the volcanic rocks and the mantle-derived fluids in the Eastern Depression were more developed than in the Western Depression, the source rocks and the deep fluids were not interacted better than the Western Depression because of the affection of structural evolution. In the Eocene, the Eastern Depression did not deposit the ES4 member of the Shahejie Formation, furthermore, the mantle-fluid formed in the Fangshengpao stage escaped to the atmosphere, which confined the later stage hydrocarbon generation capability.