Total organic carbon and its environmental significance for the surface sediments in groundwater recharged lakes from the Badain Jaran Desert, northwest China

Extremely low total organic carbon (TOC) content in surface sediments of groundwater-recharged lakes in the Badain Jaran Desert, ranging from 0.03% to 1.01%, suggests that TOC alone is insufficient as a proxy for reconstructing paleolake evolution due to varied and multiple sources of organic matter. The study analyzed 109 sediment samples from five lakes without runoff recharge, revealing spatial variations in TOC content influenced by bathymetry topography and wind-induced wave activity. Larger lakes (>0.21 km²) showed higher TOC content, while smaller lakes exhibited deeper water accumulation affected by multiple factors. These findings highlight the need to consider lake area when using sediment TOC for paleoenvironmental reconstruction in hyper-arid regions.

Dong, S., Li, Z., Chen, Q., & Wei, Z. (2017). Total organic carbon and its environmental significance for the surface sediments in groundwater recharged lakes from the Badain Jaran Desert, northwest China. Journal of Limnology, 77(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/jlimnol.2017.1667