Modeling the carbon cycle in Lake Matano

Lake Matano, Indonesia, is a stratified anoxic lake with iron‐rich waters that has been used as an analogue for the Archean and early Proterozoic oceans. Past studies of Lake Matano report large amounts of methane production, with as much as 80% of primary production degraded via methanogenesis. Low...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geobiology 2015-09, Vol.13 (5), p.454-461
Main Authors: Kuntz, L. B., Laakso, T. A., Schrag, D. P., Crowe, S. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anaerobiosis
Carbon
Carbon - metabolism
Carbon Cycle
Carbon Dioxide - metabolism
Indonesia
Isotope Labeling
Lakes
Methane - metabolism
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Summary:Lake Matano, Indonesia, is a stratified anoxic lake with iron‐rich waters that has been used as an analogue for the Archean and early Proterozoic oceans. Past studies of Lake Matano report large amounts of methane production, with as much as 80% of primary production degraded via methanogenesis. Low δ13C values of DIC in the lake are difficult to reconcile with this notion, as fractionation during methanogenesis produces isotopically heavy CO2. To help reconcile these observations, we develop a box model of the carbon cycle in ferruginous Lake Matano, Indonesia, that satisfies the constraints of CH4 and DIC isotopic profiles, sediment composition, and alkalinity. We estimate methane fluxes smaller than originally proposed, with about 9% of organic carbon export to the deep waters degraded via methanogenesis. In addition, despite the abundance of Fe within the waters, anoxic ferric iron respiration of organic matter degrades
ISSN:1472-4677
1472-4669
DOI:10.1111/gbi.12141