Bulk organic δ13 C and C/N as an indicator for the palaeomonsoonal variability during the mid Holocene - a case study from the Pearl River estuary, China

Abstract

This study aims to examine the applicability of organic carbon isotopes as a palaeo-monsoon proxy for summer monsoon freshwater discharge, using a case study in the Pearl River estuary, China. This research is based on the assumption that different sources of organic carbon possess different isotopic signatures and these differences are bigger than changes in the response to climate variability. Specifically, sources of organic matters within an estuary including terrestrial plants and soil, saltmarshes and mangroves, and in-situ productivity of algae. We assume that organic carbon materials of freshwater environment are chemically different from those of marine environment. Thus, δ13C and C/N values of organic matters from estuarine sediments can help differentiate sources of organic ...