Compound specific radiocarbon content of lignin oxidation products from the Altamaha river and Coastal Georgia

Compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) is a powerful tool in organic geochemistry by providing detailed information about an individual organic compound's history with regard to its source and process of formation. Most CSIA involves measurement of the stable isotope ratio of carbon (13C/12C) and hydrogen (D/H) following separation by gas or liquid chromatography. New applications are being developed using compound-specific radiocarbon (14C) content for delineating age of materials, rates of decomposition and residence time in various environments. This paper details the isotopic work on specific lignin monomers derived from terrestrial plants transported and deposited within the Altamaha River, estuary and off-shore Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. By using gas chromatographic separation and identification of selected lignin oxidation products (LOP), the harvesting of these compounds using preparative fraction collection, and measurement of their 14C content using accelerator mass spectrometry, details of the age and presence of specific biomarkers unique to a given terrestrial source are revealed. Radiocarbon ages determined from water-column particulate organic carbon and sediment LOPs indicate a range of ages from modern to well over 5,000 years for the former and latter respectively. Transport mechanisms and particle size associations on mineral grains may play a significant role in 14C distribution in estuary and near-shore coastal environments. This data indicates higher than modern 14C activities in large particle-size sediment fractions in contrast to older LOP 14C ages found associated with the same coarse grain sediments. Individual LOP ages substantiate older terrestrial materials persist in the off-shore environment even though in the presence of modern marine 14C sources.