Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-wq2xx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T02:41:07.870Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Effect of Storage on the Radiocarbon, Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopic Signatures and Concentrations of Riverine DOM

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

P Gulliver ,
S Waldron ,
E M Scott  and
C L Bryant
P Gulliver
Affiliation:
Natural Environment Research Council, Radiocarbon Facility (Environment) NRCF(E), East Kilbride G75 0QF, Scotland Department of Statistics, University of Glasgow G12 8QW, Scotland
S Waldron
Affiliation:
Department of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland
C L Bryant
Affiliation:
Natural Environment Research Council, Radiocarbon Facility (Environment) NRCF(E), East Kilbride G75 0QF, Scotland
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Chemical preservatives (e.g. mercuric chloride) are routinely added to freshwater samples to prevent biological activity compromising the isotopic signature of dissolved organic matter (DOM) with time. However, alternative preservation methods are needed due to regulations restricting the use of preservatives with potentially adverse environmental and health impacts, rendering such additions unviable. This study investigates whether a non-chemical storage method is sufficient to maintain the radiocarbon and stable carbon and nitrogen signatures of freshwater DOM from a low order river system draining a peaty catchment. Some 50 L of stream water were collected in 1 plastic carbuoy and, within 24 hr, 1-L aliquots were transferred to acid-washed plastic bottles. Five aliquots were analyzed immediately to determine the baseline values for 14C (pMC), δ13C (VPDB‰), δ15N (AIR‰), %C (mg L–1), and %N (mg L–1). Of the remaining subsamples, 20 were frozen and a further 20 refrigerated at <4 °C. After 7, 30, 90, and 180 days, 5 frozen and 5 refrigerated aliquots were analyzed in the same manner as the baseline aliquots. Analysis of the results shows that there is no statistically significant interaction between the variables storage method or length of storage for any of the determinants. Storage method has a statistically significant effect on 14C (pMC) and [C] (mg L–1). Length of storage has a statistically significant effect on δ13C (VPDB‰), [C] (mg L–1), and [N] (mg L–1) values. Neither storage method nor length of storage appear to have a statistically significant effect on 815N (AIR‰) values.

Type
Freshwater and Groundwater
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 52 , Issue 3: 20th Int. Radiocarbon Conference Proceedings , 2010 , pp. 1113 - 1122
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

References

Ahad, JME, Barth, JAC, Ganeshram, RS, Spencer, RGM, Uher, G. 2008. Controls on carbon cycling in two contrasting temperate zone estuaries: the Tyne and Tweed, UK. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 78(4):685–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Amon, RMW, Meon, B. 2004. The biogeochemistry of dissolved organic matter and nutrients in two large Arctic estuaries and potential implications for our understanding of the Arctic Ocean system. Marine Chemistry 92(1–4):311–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Battin, TJ, Kaplan, LA, Findlay, S, Hopkinson, CS, Marti, E, Packman, AI, Newbold, JD, Sabater, F. 2008. Biophysical controls on organic carbon fluxes in fluvial networks. Nature Geoscience 1:95–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boutton, TW, Wong, WW, Hachey, DL, Lee, LS, Cabrera, MP, Klein, PD. 1983. Comparison of quartz and pyrex tubes for combustion of organic samples for sample carbon isotope analysis. Analytical Chemistry 55(11):1832–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coplen, TB. 1994. Reporting of stable hydrogen, carbon and oxygen isotopic abundances. Pure and Applied Chemistry 66(2):273–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Craig, H. 1957. Isotopic standards for carbon and oxygen and correction factors for mass-spectrometric analysis of carbon dioxide. Geochemica et Cosmochemica Acta 12(1–2):133–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dawson, JJC, Billett, MF, Hope, D, Palmer, SM, Deacon, CM. 2004. Sources and sinks of aquatic carbon in a peatland stream continuum. Biogeochemistry 70(1):71–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, CD, Freeman, C, Cork, LG, Thomas, DN, Reynolds, B, Billett, MF, Garnett, MH, Norris, D. 2007. Evidence against recent climate-induced destabilisation of soil carbon from 14C analysis of riverine dissolved organic matter. Geophysical Research Letters 34: L07407, doi:10.1029/2007GL029431.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Freeman, C, Evans, CD, Monteith, DT, Reynolds, B, Fenner, N. 2001. Export of organic carbon from peat soils. Nature 412(6849):785.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Freeman, S, Bishop, P, Bryant, C, Cook, G, Dougans, D, Ertunc, T, Fallick, A, Ganeshram, R, Maden, C, Naysmith, P, Schnabel, C, Scott, M, Summerfield, M, Xu, S. 2007. The SUERC AMS laboratory after 3 years. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 259(1):66–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Griffith, DR, Barnes, RT, Raymond, PA. 2009. Inputs of fossil carbon from wastewater treatment plants to U.S. rivers and oceans. Environmental Science & Technology 43(15):5647–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gulliksen, R, Scott, EM. 1995. Report of the TIRI workshop, Saturday 13th August 1994. Radiocarbon 37(2):820–1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hope, D, Billett, MF, Milne, R, Brown, TAW. 1997. Exports of organic carbon in British waters. Hydrological Processes 11(3):325–44.3.0.CO;2-I>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lobbes, JM, Fitznar, HP, Kattner, G. 2000. Biogeochemical characteristics of dissolved and particulate organic matter in Russian rivers entering the Arctic Ocean. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 64(17):2973–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Montieth, DT, Stoddard, JL, Evans, CD, de Wit, HA, Forsius, M, Hogasen, T, Wilander, A, Skjelkvale, BL, Jefferies, DS, Vuorenmaa, J, Keller, B, Kopacek, J, Vesely, J. 2007. Dissolved organic carbon trends resulting from changes in atmospheric deposition chemistry. Nature 450(7169):537–40.Google Scholar
Mook, WG, van der Plicht, J. 1999. Reporting 14C activities and concentrations. Radiocarbon 41(3):227–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norra, S, Handley, LL, Berner, Z, Stuben, D. 2005. 13C and 15N natural abundances of urban soils and herbaceous vegetation in Karlsruhe, Germany. European Journal of Soil Science 56(5):607–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raymond, PA, Bauer, JE. 2001. Use of 14C and 13C natural abundances for evaluating riverine, estuarine and coastal DOC and POC sources and cycling: a review and synthesis. Organic Geochemistry 32(4):469–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stuiver, M, Polach, HA. 1977. Discussion: reporting of 14C data. Radiocarbon 19(3):355–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, DBA, Gordon, JE, Horsfiled, D. 2001. Montane landscapes in Scotland: Are these natural artefacts or complex relicts? In: Gordon, J, Leys, K, editors. Earth Science and the Natural Heritage. London: Stationary Office. p 105–19.Google Scholar
Waldron, S, Flowers, H, Arlaud, C, Bryant, CLB, McFarlane, S. 2009. The significance of organic carbon and nutrient export from peatland-dominated landscapes subject to disturbance, a stoichiometric perspective. Biogeosciences 6:363–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xu, S, Anderson, R, Bryant, CL, Gook, GT, Douglas, A, Freeman, S, Naysmith, P, Schnabel, C, Scott, EM. 2004. Capabilities of the new SUERC 5MV AMS Facility for 14C dating. Radiocarbon 46(1):59–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zeigler, SE, Fogel, ML. 2003. Seasonal and diel relationships between the isotopic compositions of dissolved and particulate organic matter in freshwater ecosystems. Biogeochemistry 64(1):25–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar