New perspectives on organic carbon storage in lake sediments based on classified mineralization

Abstract

The burial amount of organic carbon (OC) in lake sediments is constantly changing owing to mineralization. Statically measured OC does not entirely reflect the dynamic OC processes in lake sediments. This study proposes a dynamic deposition and mineralization model for sedimentary OC (DMSOC) and applies it to eight sedimentary cores from two lakes to invert the history of OC in sediments. The results showed that the trophic level and temperature of the lake predominantly affected the amount of deposited OC (De-OC). The amount of mineralized OC in the sediments is adversely affected by the end sources, burial time, and trophic level of the lake. The OC end source mainly determined the mineralization rate in the following order: algae > aquatic > terrestrial sources. Burial time primarily affected the compositional characteristics of the remaining OC, owing to the asynchronous mineralization of OC from different sources. The De-OC of Dianchi Lake, a eutrophic lake, increased more than twice compared to that of the scenario 100 years ago. The De-OC content of Fuxian Lake, an oligotrophic lake, decreased by approximately 25 %. The greenhouse effect may further reduce the carbon sequestration capacity of lakes, particularly oligotrophic lakes. With a set burial age, the model results show that the increase in OC storage in lake sediments may be much lower than expected. Therefore, the roles of different types of lakes in the carbon cycle must be reassessed.