Characteristics and factors influencing organic carbon decomposition in sediment in check dams

Abstract

More than 56000 check dams have been built in the Loess Plateau, which capture around 0.95 Pg of organic carbon and act as an important carbon sink. However, the decomposition mechanism of organic carbon in the sediment in these dams is still poorly understood, and thus it is difficult to quantify their role in terrestrial carbon cycling. In this study, the mineralization culture was used as a simulated environment for the natural sediment environment. With the observations in the simulated environment, the decomposition rates of sediment organic carbon (SOC) were compared under different conditions to investigate the factors influencing the decomposition rate of SOC. The results showed that the average SOC decomposition rate of sediment under anoxic and aerobic conditions was (6.47±4.06) and (56.66±17.78) mg C·kg-1·d-1, respectively. The decomposition rate of SOC in dam sedi-ment under burial conditions was only 11.4% of that under the assumed aerobic condition, indicating that burial condition significantly reduced SOC decomposition. Under anoxic conditions, chemical compositions in the sediment had a greater effect on the decomposition rate of SOC than the microorga-nisms. In contrast, the effect of microorganisms on the decomposition rate of SOC was more significant under aerobic conditions. The physical properties of sediment had little effect on the decomposition rate of SOC under both anoxic and aerobic conditions. Under natural conditions, the siltation dam acted as a carbon sink. When the dam breaks, SOC stored in the sedimentary anoxic condition would be quickly exposed to the air, followed by a significant increase in the decomposition rate, and thus acting as a carbon source.