The palaeoenvironments of coastal lagoons in the southern Baltic Sea, II. δ13C and δ15N ratios of organic matter — sources and sediments

Abstract

Organic carbon and nitrogen isotope values ( δ 13C, δ 15N) and C/N ratios of six sediment cores from six coastal lagoons (including the Oder Estuary) were measured to chart the coastal development and to reconstruct the local palaeoenvironments of the southern Baltic Sea region during the Holocene. In addition, δ 13C, δ 15N and C/N values of major organic matter sources in the coastal lagoons and their drainage areas are investigated to determine the origin of organic matter (i.e. terrigenous or marine) in the sediments: plankton, aquatic macrophytes, typical C3 shore plants and peat. The δ 13C, δ 15N and C/N values of the samples collected show the clearly identifiable stages in the development of the water bodies: post-glacial lake stages with sandy sedimentation, lacustrine phases with high autochthonous productivity, terrestrial stages with peat formation, sedimentation as a result of marine transgression, and brackish sedimentation after the formation of sand spits and barrier islands. These stages are the results of sea level changes in the region. The values allow derivation of differences in the palaeoenvironments of the lagoons in the study area. A distinct terrestrial input is evident in the sediments of the lagoonal Oder Estuary, which can be attributed to the direct inflow of the Oder River into the lagoon. The isotope and C/N values also suggest a contribution of C4 plant detritus for the water bodies in the northeastern part of the study area (Barther Bodden, Grabow). The burial of autochthonous organic matter (i.e. plankton, aquatic macrophytes) in the sediment could be derived for all lagoons in this investigation.