Abstract
Terrestrial organic matter (TOM) exported to nearshore marine regions may be altered by drought or large amounts of precipitation. We examined how significant precipitation in southern California during the winter seasons of 2015 and 2016, following a prolonged drought from 2011 to 2015, impacted the quantity and quality of TOM transported to nearshore kelp forests of the Santa Barbara Channel. Based on organic matter content, lignin oxidation by-products, and carbon isotopic signatures, biomarkers of TOM were detected in stream, estuarine, and marine sediments. Quantitative measures of lignin differentiated between the three environments. Qualitative lignin signatures revealed temporal patterns that appeared in stream, estuarine, and marine sediment. These patterns indicated that TOM delivered into nearshore coastal regions from mountain watersheds was less degraded over time and its source material changed through time. Our findings suggest lignin oxidation compounds can be used as biomarkers of TOM transported during storm events from coastal watersheds into nearshore marine sediment.
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