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- Title
Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes in a Peat Profile Are Influenced by Early Stage Diagenesis and Changes in Atmospheric CO and N Deposition.
- Authors
Esmeijer-Liu, Alice; Kürschner, Wolfram; Lotter, André; Verhoeven, Jos; Goslar, Tomasz
- Abstract
In this study, we test whether the δC and δN in a peat profile are, respectively, linked to the recent dilution of atmospheric δCO caused by increased fossil fuel combustion and changes in atmospheric δN deposition. We analysed bulk peat and Sphagnum fuscum branch C and N concentrations and bulk peat, S. fuscum branch and Andromeda polifolia leaf δC and δN from a 30-cm hummock-like peat profile from an Aapa mire in northern Finland. Statistically significant correlations were found between the dilution of atmospheric δCO and bulk peat δC, as well as between historically increasing wet N deposition and bulk peat δN. However, these correlations may be affected by early stage kinetic fractionation during decomposition and possibly other processes. We conclude that bulk peat stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios may reflect the dilution of atmospheric δCO and the changes in δN deposition, but probably also reflect the effects of early stage kinetic fractionation during diagenesis. This needs to be taken into account when interpreting palaeodata. There is a need for further studies of δN profiles in sufficiently old dated cores from sites with different rates of decomposition: These would facilitate more reliable separation of depositional δN from patterns caused by other processes.
- Subjects
CARBON isotopes; NITROGEN isotopes; DIAGENESIS; SPHAGNUM fuscum; STABLE isotopes
- Publication
Water, Air & Soil Pollution, 2012, Vol 223, Issue 5, p2007
- ISSN
0049-6979
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11270-011-1001-8