Efficient transport of fossil organic carbon to the ocean by steep mountain rivers: An orogenic carbon sequestration mechanism

Mountain building exposes fossil organic carbon (OC fossil ) in exhumed sedimentary rocks. Oxidation of this material releases carbon dioxide from long-term geological storage to the atmosphere. OC fossil is mobilized on hillslopes by mass wasting and transferred to the particu- late load of rivers. In large fl uvial systems, it is thought to be oxidised in transit, but in short, steep rivers that drain mountain islands, OC fossil may escape oxidation and re-enter geological storage due to rapid fl uvial transfer to the ocean. In these settings, the rates of OC fossil transfer and their controls remain poorly constrained. Here we quantify the erosion of OC fossil from the Taiwan mountain belt, combining discharge statistics with measurements of particulate organic carbon load and source in 11 rivers. Annual OC fossil yields in Taiwan vary from 12 ± 1 to 246 ± 22 tC km −2 yr −1 , controlled by the high physical erosion rates that accompany rapid crustal shortening and frequent typhoon impacts. Effi cient transfer of this material ensures that 1.3 ± 0.1 ◊ 10 6 tC yr −1 of OC fossil exhumed in Taiwan is delivered to the ocean, with <15% loss due to weathering in transit. Our fi ndings suggest that erosion of coastal mountain ranges can force effi cient transfer and long-term re-accumulation of OC fossil in marine sediments, further enhancing the role of mountain building in the long-term storage of carbon in the lithosphere.

• Publication year

  2011

• Venue

  Geology

• Publication date

  Unknown publication date

• Fields of study

  Geology, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1130/G31352.1
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• Efficient transfer from coastal mountain ranges can promote long-term re-accumulation of fossil organic carbon in marine sediments and strengthen lithospheric carbon storage.

  Confidence 0.90

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) review
• Combining discharge statistics with particulate organic carbon load measurements from 11 rivers enables quantification of fossil organic carbon erosion from the Taiwan mountain belt.

  Confidence 0.92

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) review
• Short, steep mountain rivers deliver 1.3 ± 0.1 × 10^6 tC yr−1 of exhumed fossil organic carbon to the ocean with less than 15% loss from weathering in transit.

  Confidence 0.97

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) review
• Annual fossil organic carbon yields in Taiwan range from 12 ± 1 to 246 ± 22 tC km−2 yr−1 and are controlled by high physical erosion rates linked to rapid crustal shortening and frequent typhoon impacts.

  Confidence 0.98

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) review

• discharge statistics

  method

  River-flow statistics used to estimate annual transport and export from the study rivers.

  Aliases: discharge

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) review
• fossil organic carbon

  material

  Organic carbon preserved in sedimentary rocks and exhumed by mountain building in this study.

  Aliases: OC fossil, OCfossil

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) review
• particulate organic carbon load

  measurement

  The amount of organic carbon carried in suspended particulates within river water samples.

  Aliases: POC load, particulate organic carbon

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) review
• physical erosion rates

  process

  Rates at which rock and sediment are mechanically removed from the landscape.

  Aliases: erosion rates

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) review
• steep mountain rivers

  river system

  Short, high-gradient rivers draining mountainous terrain and rapidly transferring sediment downstream.

  Aliases: short, steep rivers

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) review
• taiwan mountain belt

  geologic region

  The mountainous orogenic region in Taiwan that supplies sediment and fossil organic carbon to the studied rivers.

  Aliases: Taiwan

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) review
• typhoon impacts

  event

  Typhoon-driven flood and runoff events that perturb erosion and sediment transport in Taiwan.

  Aliases: typhoons

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) review

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