Anthropogenically Induced Shift to Labile Phytoplankton-Derived Carbon Undermines Lake Carbon Burial Efficiency

Anthropogenically Induced Shift to Labile Phytoplankton-Derived Carbon Undermines Lake Carbon Burial Efficiency | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Anthropogenically Induced Shift to Labile Phytoplankton-Derived Carbon Undermines Lake Carbon Burial Efficiency Kelin Wang, Tiangang Tang, Wei Zhang, Zhanxiang He, Yang Gao, and 10 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8965697/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Inland lakes are vital carbon sinks, yet their climatic benefit hinges on burial efficiency (BE)—the fraction of deposited organic carbon (OC) preserved long-term—beyond mere burial rates. Traditional flux-centric models treat BE as static, overlooking anthropogenic-driven sedimentary feedbacks and overestimating sequestration. Here, we introduce a dynamic BE framework, redefining BE as the ratio of observed to source- and age-predicted burial, isolating in-lake preservation controls. Applying this via compound-specific δ 13 C–δ 2 H Bayesian mixing, kinetic mineralization modeling, and causal inference to two-century records from eutrophic Lakes Erhai and Chenghai (Southwest China), we reveal a paradox: OC burial rates surged 2.5–3-fold since ~1950, but dynamic BE declined ~20%. This stems from shifts to labile phytoplankton-derived carbon, promoting anoxia, weakening organo-mineral bonds, and favoring bacterial over fungal necromass, enhancing mineralization. Terrestrial inputs show offsetting effects. Proxy-validated extrapolation indicates similar declines may impact ~25% of perturbed lakes globally. Monte Carlo scaling suggests lake carbon burial is overestimated by up to one-fifth, implying unaccounted emissions. Macrophyte restoration offers a high-leverage strategy for bloom-prone systems. These findings advocate for broader adoption of dynamic BE frameworks to improve the accuracy of lake carbon sink projections under global change. Earth and environmental sciences/Limnology Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences/Environmental impact Earth and environmental sciences/Biogeochemistry/Carbon cycle Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files DATA.xlsx Dataset1 SupplementaryInformation.pdf Supplementary Information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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