Compositional Dynamics of Organic Carbon in Surface Sediments from the Lower Pearl River to the Coastal South China Sea

Abstract:

As the second largest river in China, the Pearl River discharges ∼7×10⁷ tons of sediment annually to the South China Sea (SCS). About 80% of the sediment was deposited within the Pearl River Estuary; however, the compositional dynamics of organic carbon (OC) at this land-ocean interface is poorly known. This study aimed to delineate the sources, effect of the dam construction and the fate of sedimentary OC from the Feilaixia Dam to the Pearl River estuary and coastal SCS. Surface sediment was collected during a cruise in January 2012 for elemental, and stable carbon/nitrogen isotope analyses. Preliminary data showed that total OC increased from 0.6% at the Feilaixia Dam to 3.1% at Sihui city (100 km downstream from the dam), with the C/N ratio increasing from 10.4 to 18.9; the δ¹³C of OC, on the other hand, decreased from -20.57‰ to -29.04‰. From Sihui city to the edge of the Pearl River estuary (202 km from the dam), total OC (1.2± 0.6), C/N ratio (11.5 ± 1.0) and the δ¹³C of OC (-25.89 ± 0.69 ‰) all remained relatively constant. From the estuary towards the coastal SCS, the total OC decreased from 1.3 to 0.4%, with the C/N ratio also decreasing from 10.5 to 7.5; the δ¹³C of OC, on the other hand, increased from -26.24 to -21.20‰. These data indicate that the composition of riverine OC in general reflects terrestrial vascular plants (higher C/N ratio and more negative δ¹³C), which can be compounded by in situ primary production (lower C/N ratio and more positive δ¹³C) in the dam-created reservoir water body. The riverine organic matter, however, appears to regain its terrestrial signature before entering the estuary, which then is in balance with marine primary production (lower C/N ratio and more positive δ¹³C). The impact of soil and aquatic microbial processes on organic matter degradation also will be examined by analyzing their signature biomarkers and relationship to OC composition.