Bulk Geochemical Characterization and Classification of Organic Matter: Stable Carbon Isotopes (δ¹³C)

Abstract

Stable carbon isotope analysis is one of the most widely used techniques for determining the source of organic matter in Recent environments. It has often been employed to determine relative proportions of phytoplankton and terrestrial carbon in suspended and sedimented organic matter in estuarine, marine and lacustrine settings (Sackett and Thompson, 1963; Sackett, 1964; Hunt, 1970; Eadie and Jeffrey, 1973; Newman et al., 1973; Shultz and Calder, 1976; Gearing et al., 1977; Spiker and Schemel, 1979; Tan and Strain, 1979; 1983; Rashid and Reinson, 1979; Salomons and Mook, 1981; Müller et al., 1983; LaZerte, 1983; Joyce et al., 1985; Torgerson and Chivas, 1985; Showers and Angle, 1986; Sackett, 1986; Fontugne and Duplessy, 1986; Fontugne and Jouanneau, 1987; Kennicutt et al., 1987; Calvert and Fontugne, 1987; Cai et al., 1988; Faganelli et al., 1988; 1991; Cifuentes et al., 1988; LeBlanc et al., 1989; Gagan et al., 1990; Jasper and Gagosian, 1990; Laane et al., 1990; Matson and Brinson, 1990; Lucotte et al., 1991; Mariotti et al., 1991; Mook and Tan, 1991; Tan et al., 1991; Raz-Guzman Macbeth and De La Lanza Espino, 1991; Naidu et al., 1993; Westerhausen et al., 1993).