Stratigraphic evidence of organic carbon depletion in an intensely trawled muddy seabed.

IF 5.7 2区环境科学与生态学 Q2 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Ambio Pub Date : 2026-06-28 DOI:10.1007/s13280-026-02439-2

Hannah C Muir, James A Strong, Jan G Hiddink, David G Reading, Phillip E Warwick, Rowan Henthorn, Jacqui Keenan, Richard K F Unsworth, Claire Evans

{"title":"Stratigraphic evidence of organic carbon depletion in an intensely trawled muddy seabed.","authors":"Hannah C Muir, James A Strong, Jan G Hiddink, David G Reading, Phillip E Warwick, Rowan Henthorn, Jacqui Keenan, Richard K F Unsworth, Claire Evans","doi":"10.1007/s13280-026-02439-2","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the long-term effects of bottom trawling on sedimentary organic carbon (OC) is crucial for assessing its role in carbon cycling and climate regulation. Most studies analyse effects on surface sediments (≤10 cm), leaving impacts on deeper sediments poorly resolved. This study investigates how bottom trawling influences sediment OC density (SCD) and OC content within 0-50 cm of the Western Irish Sea Mud Belt, representing sediments deposited from 1860 to 2022. SCD and OC content were lower in intensely trawled areas, declining by 0.031 × 10-2 gC cm-3 and 0.05 wt% per additional swept area ratio (+1 yr-1). OC decreased by 0.007×1 0-2 gC cm-3 and 0.01 wt% for every centimetre into the sediment. Mud content had a significant effect on OC content, but not SCD, whereas Nephrops burrowing did not significantly affect either. These findings support evidence of trawlings potentially long-term negative impact on OC in muddy sediments.","PeriodicalId":461,"journal":{"name":"Ambio","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7000,"publicationDate":"2026-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Ambio","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-026-02439-2","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Understanding the long-term effects of bottom trawling on sedimentary organic carbon (OC) is crucial for assessing its role in carbon cycling and climate regulation. Most studies analyse effects on surface sediments (≤10 cm), leaving impacts on deeper sediments poorly resolved. This study investigates how bottom trawling influences sediment OC density (SCD) and OC content within 0-50 cm of the Western Irish Sea Mud Belt, representing sediments deposited from 1860 to 2022. SCD and OC content were lower in intensely trawled areas, declining by 0.031 × 10^-2 gC cm^-3 and 0.05 wt% per additional swept area ratio (+1 yr^-1). OC decreased by 0.007×1 0^-2 gC cm^-3 and 0.01 wt% for every centimetre into the sediment. Mud content had a significant effect on OC content, but not SCD, whereas Nephrops burrowing did not significantly affect either. These findings support evidence of trawlings potentially long-term negative impact on OC in muddy sediments.

查看原文本刊更多论文

强烈拖网拖网泥泞海床中有机碳耗竭的地层证据。

了解海底拖网捕捞对沉积有机碳（OC）的长期影响对于评估其在碳循环和气候调节中的作用至关重要。大多数研究分析了对表层沉积物（≤10厘米）的影响，而对深层沉积物的影响却没有得到很好的解决。本研究调查了海底拖网捕捞如何影响西爱尔兰海泥带0-50厘米范围内沉积物的OC密度（SCD）和OC含量，代表了1860年至2022年沉积的沉积物。在密集拖网区，SCD和OC含量较低，每增加1年，SCD和OC含量分别下降0.031 × 10-2 gC cm-3和0.05 wt%。每进入沉积物1厘米，OC降低0.007×1 0-2 gC cm-3, 0.01% wt%。泥浆含量对OC含量有显著影响，但对SCD含量无显著影响，而肾钻穴对OC和SCD含量均无显著影响。这些发现支持了拖网捕捞对泥质沉积物中有机碳可能产生长期负面影响的证据。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Ambio 环境科学-工程：环境

CiteScore

14.30

自引率

3.10%

发文量

123

审稿时长

6 months

期刊介绍： Explores the link between anthropogenic activities and the environment, Ambio encourages multi- or interdisciplinary submissions with explicit management or policy recommendations. Ambio addresses the scientific, social, economic, and cultural factors that influence the condition of the human environment. Ambio particularly encourages multi- or inter-disciplinary submissions with explicit management or policy recommendations. For more than 45 years Ambio has brought international perspective to important developments in environmental research, policy and related activities for an international readership of specialists, generalists, students, decision-makers and interested laymen.