Deposition Rates of Terrestrial and Marine Organic Carbon in the Osaka Bay, Seto Inland Sea, Japan, Determined Using Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Ratios in the Sediment

摘要

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) of surface sediments were measured within Osaka Bay, in the Seto Inland Sea in Japan, in order to better understand the sedimentation processes operating on both terrestrial and marine organic matter in the Bay. The δ13C and δ15N of surface sediments in the estuary of the Yodo River were less than ?23‰ and 5‰ respectively, but increased in the area up to about 10 km from the river mouth. At greater distances they became constant (giving δ13C of about ?20‰ and δ15N about 6‰). It can be concluded that large amounts of terrestrial organic matter exist near the mouth of the Yodo River. Stable isotope ratios in the estuary of the Yodo River within 10 km of the river mouth were useful indicators allowing study of the movement of terrestrial organic matter. Deposition rates for total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) over the whole of the Bay were estimated to be 63,100 ton C/year and 7,590 ton N/year, respectively. The deposition rate of terrestrial organic carbon was estimated to be 13,200 (range 2,000–21,500) ton C/year for the whole of Osaka Bay, and terrestrial organic carbon was estimated to be about 21% (range 3–34) of the TOC deposition rate. The ratio of the deposition rate of terrestrial organic carbon to the rate inflow of riverine TOC and particulate organic carbon (POC) were estimated to be 19% (range 3–31) and 76% (range 12–100), respectively.