IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v15y2024i1d10.1038_s41467-024-50578-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cycling and persistence of iron-bound organic carbon in subseafloor sediments

Author

Listed:
  • Yunru Chen

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    University of Bremen)

  • Liang Dong

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Weikang Sui

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Mingyang Niu

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Xingqian Cui

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Kai-Uwe Hinrichs

    (University of Bremen
    University of Bremen)

  • Fengping Wang

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai))

Abstract

Reactive iron (FeR) serves as an important sink of organic carbon (OC) in marine surface sediments, which preserves approximately 20% of total OC (TOC) as reactive iron-bound OC (FeR-OC). However, the fate of FeR-OC in subseafloor sediments and its availability to microorganisms, remain undetermined. Here, we reconstructed continuous FeR-OC records in two sediment cores of the northern South China Sea encompassing the suboxic to methanic biogeochemical zones and reaching a maximum age of ~100 kyr. The downcore FeR-OC contributes a relatively stable proportion of 13.3 ± 3.2% to TOC. However, distinctly lower values of less than 5% of TOC, accompanied by notable 13C depletion of FeR-OC, are observed in the sulfate-methane transition zone (SMTZ). FeR-OC is suggested to be remobilized by microbially mediated reductive dissolution of FeR and subsequently remineralized, the flux of which is 18–30% of the methane consumption in the SMTZ. The global reservoir of FeR-OC in microbially active Quaternary marine sediments could be 19-46 times the size of the atmospheric carbon pool. Thus, the FeR-OC pool may support subseafloor microorganisms and contribute to regulating Earth’s carbon cycle.

Suggested Citation

  • Yunru Chen & Liang Dong & Weikang Sui & Mingyang Niu & Xingqian Cui & Kai-Uwe Hinrichs & Fengping Wang, 2024. "Cycling and persistence of iron-bound organic carbon in subseafloor sediments," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-50578-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50578-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-50578-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-024-50578-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Karine Lalonde & Alfonso Mucci & Alexandre Ouellet & Yves Gélinas, 2012. "Preservation of organic matter in sediments promoted by iron," Nature, Nature, vol. 483(7388), pages 198-200, March.
    2. Shanshan Yang & Yongxin Lv & Xipeng Liu & Yinzhao Wang & Qilian Fan & Zhifeng Yang & Nico Boon & Fengping Wang & Xiang Xiao & Yu Zhang, 2020. "Genomic and enzymatic evidence of acetogenesis by anaerobic methanotrophic archaea," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Olivier Cartapanis & Daniele Bianchi & Samuel L. Jaccard & Eric D. Galbraith, 2016. "Global pulses of organic carbon burial in deep-sea sediments during glacial maxima," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-7, April.
    4. Johan C. Faust & Allyson Tessin & Ben J. Fisher & Mark Zindorf & Sonia Papadaki & Katharine R. Hendry & Katherine A. Doyle & Christian März, 2021. "Millennial scale persistence of organic carbon bound to iron in Arctic marine sediments," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Antje Boetius & Katrin Ravenschlag & Carsten J. Schubert & Dirk Rickert & Friedrich Widdel & Armin Gieseke & Rudolf Amann & Bo Barker Jørgensen & Ursula Witte & Olaf Pfannkuche, 2000. "A marine microbial consortium apparently mediating anaerobic oxidation of methane," Nature, Nature, vol. 407(6804), pages 623-626, October.
    6. Cara M. Santelli & Beth N. Orcutt & Erin Banning & Wolfgang Bach & Craig L. Moyer & Mitchell L. Sogin & Hubert Staudigel & Katrina J. Edwards, 2008. "Abundance and diversity of microbial life in ocean crust," Nature, Nature, vol. 453(7195), pages 653-656, May.
    7. Monique S. Patzner & Carsten W. Mueller & Miroslava Malusova & Moritz Baur & Verena Nikeleit & Thomas Scholten & Carmen Hoeschen & James M. Byrne & Thomas Borch & Andreas Kappler & Casey Bryce, 2020. "Iron mineral dissolution releases iron and associated organic carbon during permafrost thaw," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    8. Chunmei Chen & Steven J. Hall & Elizabeth Coward & Aaron Thompson, 2020. "Iron-mediated organic matter decomposition in humid soils can counteract protection," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jannik Martens & Carsten W. Mueller & Prachi Joshi & Christoph Rosinger & Markus Maisch & Andreas Kappler & Michael Bonkowski & Georg Schwamborn & Lutz Schirrmeister & Janet Rethemeyer, 2023. "Stabilization of mineral-associated organic carbon in Pleistocene permafrost," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    2. Yunpeng Zhao & Chengzhu Liu & Xingqi Li & Lixiao Ma & Guoqing Zhai & Xiaojuan Feng, 2023. "Sphagnum increases soil’s sequestration capacity of mineral-associated organic carbon via activating metal oxides," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Jared L. Wilmoth, 2021. "Redox Heterogeneity Entangles Soil and Climate Interactions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-14, September.
    4. Futing Liu & Shuqi Qin & Kai Fang & Leiyi Chen & Yunfeng Peng & Pete Smith & Yuanhe Yang, 2022. "Divergent changes in particulate and mineral-associated organic carbon upon permafrost thaw," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Daidai Wu & Tiantian Sun & Rui Xie & Mengdi Pan & Xuegang Chen & Ying Ye & Lihua Liu & Nengyou Wu, 2019. "Characteristics of Authigenic Minerals around the Sulfate-Methane Transition Zone in the Methane-Rich Sediments of the Northern South China Sea: Inorganic Geochemical Evidence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-18, June.
    6. Richard B. Coffin & Leila J. Hamdan & Joseph P. Smith & Paula S. Rose & Rebecca E. Plummer & Brandon Yoza & Ingo Pecher & Michael T. Montgomery, 2014. "Contribution of Vertical Methane Flux to Shallow Sediment Carbon Pools across Porangahau Ridge, New Zealand," Energies, MDPI, vol. 7(8), pages 1-25, August.
    7. Ke-Qing Xiao & Oliver W. Moore & Peyman Babakhani & Lisa Curti & Caroline L. Peacock, 2022. "Mineralogical control on methylotrophic methanogenesis and implications for cryptic methane cycling in marine surface sediment," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    8. Maria De La Fuente & Sandra Arndt & Héctor Marín-Moreno & Tim A. Minshull, 2022. "Assessing the Benthic Response to Climate-Driven Methane Hydrate Destabilisation: State of the Art and Future Modelling Perspectives," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-32, May.
    9. James A. Bradley & Dominik Hülse & Douglas E. LaRowe & Sandra Arndt, 2022. "Transfer efficiency of organic carbon in marine sediments," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-8, December.
    10. Haitao Shang & Daniel H. Rothman & Gregory P. Fournier, 2022. "Oxidative metabolisms catalyzed Earth’s oxygenation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    11. Yanting Zhang & Man Tong & Yuxi Lu & Fengyi Zhao & Peng Zhang & Zhenchen Wan & Ping Li & Songhu Yuan & Yanxin Wang & Andreas Kappler, 2024. "Directional long-distance electron transfer from reduced to oxidized zones in the subsurface," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    12. Guoai Li & Xuxu Chai & Zheng Shi & Honghua Ruan, 2023. "Interactive Effects Determine Radiocarbon Abundance in Soil Fractions of Global Biomes," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-17, May.
    13. Laura A. Richards & Arun Kumar & Prabhat Shankar & Aman Gaurav & Ashok Ghosh & David A. Polya, 2020. "Distribution and Geochemical Controls of Arsenic and Uranium in Groundwater-Derived Drinking Water in Bihar, India," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-26, April.
    14. Klaus Wallmann & Elena Pinero & Ewa Burwicz & Matthias Haeckel & Christian Hensen & Andrew Dale & Lars Ruepke, 2012. "The Global Inventory of Methane Hydrate in Marine Sediments: A Theoretical Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 5(7), pages 1-50, July.
    15. Mengxiong Wu & Jie Li & Andy O. Leu & Dirk V. Erler & Terra Stark & Gene W. Tyson & Zhiguo Yuan & Simon J. McIlroy & Jianhua Guo, 2022. "Anaerobic oxidation of propane coupled to nitrate reduction by a lineage within the class Symbiobacteriia," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    16. Jarrod J Scott & John A Breier & George W Luther III & David Emerson, 2015. "Microbial Iron Mats at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Evidence that Zetaproteobacteria May Be Restricted to Iron-Oxidizing Marine Systems," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(3), pages 1-19, March.
    17. Callesen, I. & Magnussen, A., 2021. "TransparC2U–A two-pool, pedology oriented forest soil carbon simulation model aimed at user investigations of multiple uncertainties," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 453(C).
    18. Wenjuan Huang & Wenjuan Yu & Bo Yi & Erik Raman & Jihoon Yang & Kenneth E. Hammel & Vitaliy I. Timokhin & Chaoqun Lu & Adina Howe & Samantha R. Weintraub-Leff & Steven J. Hall, 2023. "Contrasting geochemical and fungal controls on decomposition of lignin and soil carbon at continental scale," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    19. Liang, Jianzhen & Feng, Jing-Chun & Chen, Xiao & Li, Cun & Zhang, Si, 2024. "Increasing temperature and sulfate enhances the efficiency of methane abatement in an anaerobic oxidation of methane bioreactor (AOMB) system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 362(C).
    20. Min Luo & Linying Chen & Hongpeng Tong & Wen Yan & Duofu Chen, 2014. "Gas Hydrate Occurrence Inferred from Dissolved Cl − Concentrations and δ 18 O Values of Pore Water and Dissolved Sulfate in the Shallow Sediments of the Pockmark Field in Southwestern Xisha Uplift, No," Energies, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-14, June.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-50578-5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.