SOURCE OF SATURATED FATTY ACIDS IN MODERN SEDIMENTS IN SHENHU AREA, NORTHERN SOUTH CHINA SEA AND IMPLICATIONS: APPLICATION OF N-WEIGHTED AVERAGE CARBON ISOTOPE

MAO Shengyi; ZHU Xiaowei; SUN Yongge; GUAN Hongxiang; WU Nengyou

2014 Vol. 30, No. 8

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MAO Shengyi, ZHU Xiaowei, SUN Yongge, GUAN Hongxiang, WU Nengyou. SOURCE OF SATURATED FATTY ACIDS IN MODERN SEDIMENTS IN SHENHU AREA, NORTHERN SOUTH CHINA SEA AND IMPLICATIONS: APPLICATION OF N-WEIGHTED AVERAGE CARBON ISOTOPE[J]. Marine Geology Frontiers, 2014, 30(8): 1-15.

Citation:

SOURCE OF SATURATED FATTY ACIDS IN MODERN SEDIMENTS IN SHENHU AREA, NORTHERN SOUTH CHINA SEA AND IMPLICATIONS: APPLICATION OF N-WEIGHTED AVERAGE CARBON ISOTOPE

1 Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, CAS, Guangzhou 510640, China;
2 Guangzhou Center for Gas Hydrate Research, CAS, Guangzhou 510640, China;
3 Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, CAS, Guangzhou 510640, China;
4 Department of Geosciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310037, China

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Corresponding author: WU Nengyou, wuny@ms.giec.ac.cn

Received Date: 31 March 2014

Abstract

Abstract

The saturated fatty acids (SaFAs) in the surface sediments from the Shenhu Area, northern South China Sea were examined. The total SaFA concentrations are distributed within a range of 1.80-10.16 μg/g(μg FA/g dry sediment), and the carbon numbers range from C12-32. The SaFAs follow an even-over-odd predominance distribution, with n-C16 and n-C18 being the two major components. In this paper, the samples above 90cm were combined into one sample to discuss the sources of SaFAs by n-average δ13C. The results revealed that short-chain fatty acids (n-C12-18) have relatively positive n-average δ13C values from -26.7‰ to -28.2‰, suggesting the chemical autotrophic bacteria sources, while most long-chain fatty acids (n-C21-23, n-C25, n-C29-32) have relatively negative n-average δ13C values from -29.6‰ to -34.1‰, suggesting the C3 higher plant sources, and the other LcFAs (n-C24 & n-C26-28), as well as n-C19 and n-C20 mid-chain fatty acids have n-average δ13C from -26.1‰ to -29.3‰, suggesting the mixed marine and terrigenous sources. The lowest concentrations of terrigenous and marine inputs at depths of 75-80cm may be related to Younger Dryas event.
- saturated fatty acids /
- n-average δ¹³C /
- terrigenous input /
- Shenhu Area