Academic Journal
Organic carbon burial and sediment accumulation in the fjords of South Georgia, sub-Antarctic.
| Title: | Organic carbon burial and sediment accumulation in the fjords of South Georgia, sub-Antarctic. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Szczuciński, Witold, Majewski, Wojciech |
| Source: | Holocene; Jun2026, Vol. 36 Issue 5/6, p624-637, 14p |
| Subject Terms: | Fjords, Sedimentation & deposition, Sediment sampling, Carbon sequestration, Carbon cycle |
| Geographic Terms: | South Georgia (South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands) |
| Abstract: | Fjords are among the most efficient marine environments for trapping sediments and organic carbon (OC). They represent an important part of the global carbon cycle. Yet, quantitative data on OC burial rates are scarce in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, we present 210Pb-derived sediment accumulation rates (SAR), OC burial rates, and sediment properties from 10 sediment cores collected in the fjords of South Georgia, the largest sub-Antarctic island: Antarctic Bay, Fortuna Bay, Stromness Bay, and Cumberland Bay. SARs range from 2.1 ± 0.4 to 14.9 ± 2.8 mm/yr, total organic carbon (TOC) from 0.28% to 2.1%, and modern OC burial rates from 17.4 ± 1.2 to 64.6 ± 12.1 gOC/m2/yr, placing them towards the upper range of values reported globally. High rates reflect large sediment supply from steep, glacierised catchments, intense precipitation, and relatively high primary productivity. A strong relationship between SAR and OC burial rate indicates sediment delivery as the primary control, with the highest modern OC burial rate at a glacier-proximal site combining the highest SAR and lowest TOC. Tidewater glacier-fed fjords show higher SAR and OC burial rates than river-dominated systems. However, the maximum recorded burial rate (95.9 ± 8.3 gOC/m2/yr) occurred in King Edward Cove during the early 20th century, driven by the whaling industry, while the modern value (55.5 ± 4.8) is about half. These results suggest that OC burial in tidewater glacier-dominated fjords may increase in the short term under warming due to enhanced meltwater discharge, but decline in the longer term as retreat transforms fjords into river-dominated systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Holocene is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Complementary Index |
| FullText | Links: – Type: other Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: edb DbLabel: Complementary Index An: 194489050 RelevancyScore: 1082 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 1082.4189453125 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Organic carbon burial and sediment accumulation in the fjords of South Georgia, sub-Antarctic. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Szczuciński%2C+Witold%22">Szczuciński, Witold</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Majewski%2C+Wojciech%22">Majewski, Wojciech</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: Holocene; Jun2026, Vol. 36 Issue 5/6, p624-637, 14p – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fjords%22">Fjords</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sedimentation+%26+deposition%22">Sedimentation & deposition</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sediment+sampling%22">Sediment sampling</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Carbon+sequestration%22">Carbon sequestration</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Carbon+cycle%22">Carbon cycle</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22South+Georgia+%28South+Georgia+%26+South+Sandwich+Islands%29%22">South Georgia (South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands)</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Fjords are among the most efficient marine environments for trapping sediments and organic carbon (OC). They represent an important part of the global carbon cycle. Yet, quantitative data on OC burial rates are scarce in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, we present <superscript>210</superscript>Pb-derived sediment accumulation rates (SAR), OC burial rates, and sediment properties from 10 sediment cores collected in the fjords of South Georgia, the largest sub-Antarctic island: Antarctic Bay, Fortuna Bay, Stromness Bay, and Cumberland Bay. SARs range from 2.1 ± 0.4 to 14.9 ± 2.8 mm/yr, total organic carbon (TOC) from 0.28% to 2.1%, and modern OC burial rates from 17.4 ± 1.2 to 64.6 ± 12.1 gOC/m<superscript>2</superscript>/yr, placing them towards the upper range of values reported globally. High rates reflect large sediment supply from steep, glacierised catchments, intense precipitation, and relatively high primary productivity. A strong relationship between SAR and OC burial rate indicates sediment delivery as the primary control, with the highest modern OC burial rate at a glacier-proximal site combining the highest SAR and lowest TOC. Tidewater glacier-fed fjords show higher SAR and OC burial rates than river-dominated systems. However, the maximum recorded burial rate (95.9 ± 8.3 gOC/m<superscript>2</superscript>/yr) occurred in King Edward Cove during the early 20th century, driven by the whaling industry, while the modern value (55.5 ± 4.8) is about half. These results suggest that OC burial in tidewater glacier-dominated fjords may increase in the short term under warming due to enhanced meltwater discharge, but decline in the longer term as retreat transforms fjords into river-dominated systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: Abstract Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Holocene is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1177/09596836261422213 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 14 StartPage: 624 Subjects: – SubjectFull: South Georgia (South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands) Type: general – SubjectFull: Fjords Type: general – SubjectFull: Sedimentation & deposition Type: general – SubjectFull: Sediment sampling Type: general – SubjectFull: Carbon sequestration Type: general – SubjectFull: Carbon cycle Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Organic carbon burial and sediment accumulation in the fjords of South Georgia, sub-Antarctic. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Szczuciński, Witold – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Majewski, Wojciech IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 06 Text: Jun2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 09596836 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 36 – Type: issue Value: 5/6 Titles: – TitleFull: Holocene Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |