Continuous deposition of pre-aged organic carbon in the southern Mariana Trench since the last deglaciation

Abstract

One of the key challenges in understanding the role of hadal trenches in the marine organic carbon (OC) cycle is the need to distinguish OC sources, assess accumulation rates, and identify controlling processes. To address this, sediment core samples from the southern Mariana Trench were analyzed for their contents and carbon isotopes (13C and 14C) of both total OC (TOC) and saturated long-chain fatty acid (n-LCFA). Our findings indicate that sedimentary OC in the southern Mariana Trench is primarily derived from marine sources, as indicated by TOC-δ13C values ranging from −19.9‰ to −17.0‰ and the ratios of TOC to total nitrogen (TOC/TN) of 5.5–8.4. The 14C ages of TOC and n-LCFA ranged from 7159 to 22,662 yr and 8713 to 22,819 yr, respectively, with both showing gradual down-core increasing trends. This allows for a conservative estimation of sedimentation rate of 17.5–18.7 cm kyr−1 in the southern Mariana Trench, leading to a sedimentary OC accumulation rate of 529–942 g C m−2 kyr−1, which is 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than that observed in the abyssal plain. We propose that the continuous lateral downslope transport played a significant role in focusing pre-aged OC into the southern Mariana Trench. Therefore, hadal trenches are likely to accumulate substantial amounts of sedimentary OC in the deep ocean.