Disturbance mechanisms of lacustrine organic carbon burial: Case study of Cuopu Lake, Southwest China

Abstract

Lakes are important organic carbon (OC) traps in the global carbon cycle. Recent studies have shown that the rate of OC burial in lacustrine sediments is influenced by factors such as climate change, land-use change, and eutrophication. In this study, we use multiproxy methods to reveal the mechanisms of lacustrine sediment OC burial in an alpine lake (Cuopu Lake), in southwest China. Combined with the dating from 210Pbex and n-alkanes distribution analysis using the Positive Matrix Factorization model, the sedimentary history was divided into five stages: religious activity (the 1840s–1880s), earthquake (the 1880s–1910s), garrison (the 1910s–1960s), transition (the 1960s–1990s), and ecotourism (the 1990s–2010s). During the earthquake stage, OC burial was dominated by terrestrial solids (>40%) and co-precipitated algae (>30%), with a rapid deposition rate (>4 mm a−1) and low OC concentration (<4 mg g−1). During the other stages, when the level of disturbance was relatively low, a change in nutrient conditions either promoted or inhibited plant growth, which influenced the type of buried OC. The contribution of OC derived from combustion sources varied from stage to stage. Severe anthropogenic disturbances have led to a significant increase in nutritional levels in the lake water, leading to an increase in the OC burial rate. Climate change, which leads to changes in temperature and rainfall, did not significantly influence OC burial, whereas nitrogen deposition (and associated ecological changes) was a significant determinant. When the general mechanism is dominant, the total nitrogen to inorganic phosphorus ratio is an effective indicator of OC burial due to its selective promotion of different plant types. In conclusion, our results suggest that lacustrine sediment OC burial is closely linked to physical and anthropogenic factors in Cuopu Lake, as well as similar montane lakes.