Millennial-aged organic matter preservation in anoxic and sulfidic mangrove soils: Insights from isotopic and molecular analyses

Abstract

Mangrove forests are known as coastal carbon sinks, but the long-term (millennium-scale) preservation processes of organic matter (OM) in their soils and the role of sulphur in these processes are still not fully understood. These processes are crucial for better estimating the impact of sea-level variations on the carbon dynamics in mangrove forests, which are particularly sensitive to sea-level changes due to their direct hydrological interactions with coastal waters. This study focuses on a soil layer enriched in mangrove-derived OM that accumulated during a stable sea-level period of the Holocene in New Caledonia (South Pacific). Radiocarbon dating situates this enriched layer at approximately 4000 cal BP. The aim of this study is to characterize the enriched OM layer using bulk (Rock-Eval), isotopic (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N), and molecular (lignin and neutral carbohydrates) analyses. This OM has undergone diagenetic processes such as dehydrogenation, and the loss of components such as the main neutral carbohydrates: glucose, xylose, and galactose. However, some Rock-Eval parameters, the total lignin content, and carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios are characteristic of well-preserved OM, suggesting differential decomposition/preservation processes. In addition, SEM observations highlighted the presence of pyrite associated to preserved root material. Along with high S_org/TOC ratio, these results suggest potential processes of OM sulfurization preserving it from decomposition. Prolonged sea-level stability in addition to anoxic and sulfidic soil conditions enhanced OM accumulation and long-term sequestration in mangrove soils.