Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-64
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-64
19 Jan 2023
 | 19 Jan 2023

Changing sources and burial of organic carbon in the Chukchi Sea sediments with retreating sea ice over recent centuries

Liang Su, Jian Ren, Marie-Alexandrine Sicre, Youcheng Bai, Ruoshi Zhao, Xibing Han, Zhongqiao Li, Haiyan Jin, Anatolii S. Astakhov, Xuefa Shi, and Jianfang Chen

Abstract. Decreasing sea ice extent in summer caused by climate change is affecting the carbon cycle of the Arctic Ocean. In this study, surface sediments across the western Arctic Ocean are investigated to characterize sources of sedimentary organic carbon (OC). Bulk organic parameters (total organic carbon, total nitrogen, δ13Corg and δ15N) combined with molecular organic biomarkers (e.g., sterols and highly branched isoprenoids (HBIs)) are applied to distinguish between sympagic, pelagic, and terrestrial OC. Furthermore, downcore profiles of these parameters were also generated from the Chukchi Sea R1 core (74° N) to evaluate changes in the relative contribution of these three components of sedimentary OC over the last 200 years with decreasing sea ice. Our data evidence that from 1820s to 1930s, prevailing high and variable sea ice cover inhibited in situ primary production resulting in prominent land-derived material stored in sediments. From 1930s to 1980s, with the gradual decline of sea ice, primary production increased progressively. The ratio of sympagic and pelagic OC began to rise to account for a larger portion of sedimentary OC. Since 1980s, accelerated sea ice loss led to enhanced primary production, stabilizing over the last decades due to freshwater induced surface ocean stratification in summer.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

05 Jul 2023
Changing sources and burial of organic carbon in the Chukchi Sea sediments with retreating sea ice over recent centuries
Liang Su, Jian Ren, Marie-Alexandrine Sicre, Youcheng Bai, Ruoshi Zhao, Xibing Han, Zhongqiao Li, Haiyan Jin, Anatolii S. Astakhov, Xuefa Shi, and Jianfang Chen
Clim. Past, 19, 1305–1320, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1305-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1305-2023, 2023
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

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We reconstructed sea ice and organic carbon composition variabilities based on biomarkers and...
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