Past climate variations recorded in needle-like aragonites correlate with organic carbon burial efficiency as revealed by lake sediments in Croatia

The drivers of organic carbon (OC) burial efficiency are still poorly understood despite their key role in reliable projections of future climate trends. Here, we provide insights on this issue by presenting a paleoclimate time series of sediments, including the OC contents, from Lake Veliko jezero, Croatia. The Sr/Ca ratios of the bulk sediment are mainly derived from the strontium (Sr) and calcium (Ca) concentrations of needle-like aragonite in Core M1-A and used as paleotemperature and paleohydrology indicators. Four major and six minor cold and dry events were detected in the interval from 8.3 to 2.6 calibrated kilo anno before present (cal ka BP). The combined assessment of Sr/Ca ratios, OC content, carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratios, stable carbon isotope (δ13C) ratios, and modeled geochemical proxies for paleoredox conditions and aeolian input revealed that cold and dry climate states promoted anoxic conditions in the lake, thereby enhancing organic matter preservation and increasing the OC burial efficiency. Our study shows that the projected future increase in temperature might play an important role in the OC burial efficiency of meromictic lakes.

The Role of Diagenesis in the Apparent Rise of Diatoms

<p><span>Diatoms are one of the most dominant primary producers in the ocean today and largely control the modern marine silica cycle. Their ecological expansion in the Cenozoic is thought to have lowered silica concentrations by two orders of magnitude and has been linked to the rise of grasslands and baleen whales. According to the fossil record much of diatoms' rise to dominance occurred in the past 20 m.y.; however, silicon isotope evidence suggests an earlier expansion. Using a diagenetic model and collated deep sea drill core data, we examine how changes in bottom-water temperature and sedimentation rates over the past 65 m.y. affected the burial efficiency of biogenic silica. We find that once taphonomic potential is taken into account there is no support for the traditionally recognized ~5-20 Ma increase in diatom abundance. These results help reconcile interpretations based on geochemical and fossil data, and add to mounting evidence pushing back the evolution of the modern silica cycle to before 20 Ma and possibly earlier than 40 Ma.</span></p>

Efficient preservation of young terrestrial organic carbon in sandy turbidity-current deposits

Burial of terrestrial biospheric particulate organic carbon in marine sediments removes CO2 from the atmosphere, regulating climate over geologic time scales. Rivers deliver terrestrial organic carbon to the sea, while turbidity currents transport river sediment further offshore. Previous studies have suggested that most organic carbon resides in muddy marine sediment. However, turbidity currents can carry a significant component of coarser sediment, which is commonly assumed to be organic carbon poor. Here, using data from a Canadian fjord, we show that young woody debris can be rapidly buried in sandy layers of turbidity current deposits (turbidites). These layers have organic carbon contents 10× higher than the overlying mud layer, and overall, woody debris makes up >70% of the organic carbon preserved in the deposits. Burial of woody debris in sands overlain by mud caps reduces their exposure to oxygen, increasing organic carbon burial efficiency. Sandy turbidity current channels are common in fjords and the deep sea; hence we suggest that previous global organic carbon burial budgets may have been underestimated.