Author(s): Kai Wang
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Carbon burial; FT-ICR MS; Hydrological variations; Sedimentary organic matter
Abstract: Damming exerts a significant modification on the function of natural river networks, and influences sediment dynamics with reservoir operation. However, underlying mechanism influencing the deposition and burial of sedimentary organic matter (SOM) in reservoir, and its influence on the river carbon cycle, remain elusive for the the complex reservoir construction influenced environmental processes. Here we show that hydrological condition and land use of watershed constrain the dynamic of SOM in the world's largest Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) through the application of a series of bulk and molecular techniques including stable carbon isotope, optical spectroscopy, and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Relatively higher terrestrial input of SOM was observed in upstream than that in downstream of TGR mainstream. The results indicated that hydrological condition and land use of watershed might be the key factors influencing SOM dynamic. This study investigated the SOM dynamic from bulk to molecular level and provided a subtly new insight into the underlying mechanism of carbon burial in reservoir, which would help to better constrain the carbon budget in inland waters, especially in the context of the global blooming of reservoirs.
Year: 2022