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Sediment and Organic Carbon Burial in Englebright Lake, CA Over the Last Century W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 2014 Sediment and Organic Carbon Burial in Englebright Lake, CA over the Last Century Christina Rose Pondell College of William and Mary - Virginia Institute of Marine Science Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Geochemistry Commons Recommended Citation Pondell, Christina Rose, "Sediment and Organic Carbon Burial in Englebright Lake, CA over the Last Century" (2014). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539616814. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.25773/v5-qns9-y653 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 0 Sediment and Organic Carbon Burial in Englebright Lake, CA over the Last Century A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the School of Marine Science The College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Christina Rose Pondell 2 0 1 4 APPROVAL SHEET This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Christina R. Pondell Approved, by the Committee, July 2014 A' _______ Eliz^Qbth A. Canuel, Ph.D. Advisor A^rdn J. Beck, Ph.D. Mark J. Brus John D. Muliman, PhT). ye AT Kuehl, PhT). Scott A. Wright, Ph.D. USGS California Water Science Center Sacramento, California TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................vi LIST OF FIGURES..............................................................................................................vii ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................ viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................2 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER 2: APPLICATION OF PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES TO THE SEDIMENT GEOCHRONOLOGY OF COARSE-GRAINED SEDIMENTS FROM ENGLEBRIGHT LAKE, CA (USA).................................................................................................................17 Abstract............................................................................................................................18 Introduction .....................................................................................................................19 Methods ...........................................................................................................................22 Results.............................................................................................................................26 Discussion ....................................................................................................................... 27 Conclusions .................................................................................................................... 36 References ...................................................................................................................... 38 CHAPTER 3: MULTI-BIOMARKER ANALYSIS OF ORGANIC MATTER IN A SIERRA NEVADA LAKE AND ITS WATERSHED.....................................................53 Abstract............................................................................................................................54 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 55 Methods .......................................................................................................................... 58 Results.............................................................................................................................63 Discussion ....................................................................................................................... 6 6 Conclusions .................................................................................................................... 76 References ...................................................................................................................... 78 CHAPTER 4: ORGANIC MATTER ACCUMULATION IN A GILBERT-TYPE DELTA: ENGLEBRIGHT LAKE, CALIFORNIA, USA..............................................101 Abstract.......................................................................................................................... 102 Introduction ...................................................................................................................103 Methods ......................................................................................................................... 106 Results........................................................................................................................... 109 Discussion ......................................................................................................................110 References .....................................................................................................................121 CHAPTER 5: RESPONSE OF ORGANIC MATTER ACCUMULATION IN ENGLEBRIGHT LAKE, CALIFORNIA (USA) TO CLIMATE AND HUMAN IMPACTS............................................................................................................................ 135 Abstract..........................................................................................................................136 Introduction ...................................................................................................................137 Methods .........................................................................................................................139 Results...........................................................................................................................142 Discussion ......................................................................................................................145 Conclusions .................................................................................................................. 153 References .....................................................................................................................154 CHAPTER 6 : SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS...................................................... 170 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................. 176 APPENDIX 1: ORGANIC CARBON PROXIES FOR CORE SAMPLES.................178 APPENDIX 2: FATTY ACID BIOMARKERS FOR CORE SAMPLES.................... 189 APPENDIX 3: STEROL BIOMARKERS FOR CORE SAMPLES............................ 200 APPENDIX 4: LIGNIN BIOMARKERS FOR CORE SAMPLES.............................. 211 VITA.................................................................................................................................... 222 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am greatly appreciative for the support and advice from so many people who have helped me to complete this dissertation. First, thank you, Dr. Elizabeth Canuel, for your patience, your guidance, and for all of your support. Your passion for science inspires me to dig deeper and ask the tough questions, remembering that there is always more to be learned. Thank you Drs. Aaron Beck, Steve Kuehl, John Milliman, Scott Wright and Mark Brush, my committee members, for your recommendations and advice, and for your many provocative questions. You encouraged me to take a step back, get a new perspective, and try and focus on the bigger picture, and you definitely kept me on my toes for these last few years. To the administration and staff at VIMS who ensure everything runs smoothly, especially Dr. Iris Anderson, Dr. Linda Schaffner, Cynthia Harris and Cindy Hornsby. Thank you for helping me stay organized and focused, and for helping me develop professional network and make connections with the local community and with the broader scientific community. I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the teachers, students, fellows, and the management team of the GK-12 PERFECT program. For two years they worked with me outside of the lab, and I learned the coolest science from some of the most interesting people I know. Without the support of my lab mates, I would not be the same person today. Thank you Erin, Steph, Sarah, Emily, Hadley, Amanda, Arash, Yuehan, George, Matt, and Paul for all the long days in the lab, and for the longer—and hotter—days in the field. Above of all, thank you for all the laughs. Finally, to my friends, my family, and to Robert: thank you. Thank you for your support, for the motivation, and for your understanding, even when you couldn’t understand all of the dam carbon mumbo-jumbo. I am forever grateful to you. v LIST OF TABLES Page CHAPTER 2 Table 2-1. Plutonium activities in sand, silt, and clay grain size fractions ...................49 Table 2-2. Accumulation rates calculated from plutonium activity profiles ................50
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