Tracing the source of Beijing soil organic carbon: A carbon isotope approach

Bulk soil organic carbon concentration and isotopic composition characterize its sources and fate, identify the anthropogenic input of organic carbon into the soil, and trace soil carbon turnover. Coal and/or coal combustion products represent the prime anthropogenic input of organic carbon into thr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental pollution (1987) 2013-05, Vol.176, p.208-214
Main Authors: Guo, Qingjun, Strauss, Harald, Chen, Tong-Bin, Zhu, Guangxu, Yang, Jun, Yang, Junxing, Lei, Mei, Zhou, Xiaoyong, Peters, Marc, Xie, Yunfeng, Zhang, Hanzhi, Wei, Rongfei, Wang, Chunyu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beijing
carbon
Carbon - analysis
Carbon Isotopes - analysis
Coal
combustion
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Exact sciences and technology
Geochemistry
Industrial and non-industrial area
isotopes
Metallurgy
Mineralogy
Silicates
Soil - chemistry
soil organic carbon
Soil organic carbon isotope
Soil Pollutants - analysis
soil profiles
Sources
steel
Water geochemistry
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Summary:Bulk soil organic carbon concentration and isotopic composition characterize its sources and fate, identify the anthropogenic input of organic carbon into the soil, and trace soil carbon turnover. Coal and/or coal combustion products represent the prime anthropogenic input of organic carbon into three soil profiles located in the vicinity of a steel company. Three profiles positioned away from any direct industrial contribution display vertical pattern in soil organic carbon concentration and isotopic composition that resemble more commonly observed downward gradients in soil carbon chemistry and indicate microbial soil carbon turnover. Two additional profiles located outside of the immediate industrial area display vertical carbon isotope profiles between typical of those from industrial and non-industrial areas. Eight soil profiles and their vertical distribution of bulk organic carbon isotopic composition and concentration collected in the Beijing area reveal and distinguish both anthropogenic and natural contributions of carbon to these soils. ► Carbon isotope is shown for evaluating environmental quality. ► Utilizing the vertical distribution of isotopes for polluting sources. ► Distinguishing industrial from non-industrial soil profiles. ► Revealing both natural and anthropogenic contributions of carbon to soils. Utilizing the carbon isotope to distinguish industrial from non-industrial soil.
ISSN:0269-7491
1873-6424
DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2013.01.035