Lipid biomarkers in urface sediments of the Southeast Atlantic

Surface sediments from the eastern South Atlantic were investigated for their lipid biomarker contents and bulk organic geochemical characteristics to identify sources, transport pathways and preservation processes of organic components. The sediments cover a wide range of depositional settings with large differences in mass accumulation rates. The highest marine organic carbon (OC) contributions are detected along the coast, especially underlying the Benguela upwelling system. Terrigenous OC contributions are highest in the Congo deep-sea fan. Lipid biomarker fluxes are significantly correlated to the extent of oxygen exposure in the sediment. Normalization to total organic carbon (TOC) contents enabled the characterization of regional lipid biomarker production and transport mechanisms. Principal component analyses revealed five distinct groups of characteristic molecular and bulk organic geochemical parameters. Combined with information on lipid sources, the main controlling mechanisms of the spatial lipid distributions in the surface sediments are defined, indicating marine productivity related to river-induced mixing and oceanic upwelling, wind-driven deep upwelling, river-supply of terrigenous organic material, shallow coastal upwelling and eolian supply of plant-waxes.

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Cite this as

Schefuß, Enno, Versteegh, Gerard J M, Jansen, J H Fred, Sinninghe Damsté, Jaap S (2004). Dataset: Lipid biomarkers in urface sediments of the Southeast Atlantic. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.740090

DOI retrieved: 2004

Additional Info

Field Value
Imported on November 30, 2024
Last update November 30, 2024
License CC-BY-3.0
Source https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.740090
Author Schefuß, Enno
Given Name Enno
Family Name Schefuß
More Authors
Versteegh, Gerard J M
Jansen, J H Fred
Sinninghe Damsté, Jaap S
Source Creation 2004
Publication Year 2004
Resource Type application/zip - filename: Schefuss_2004
Subject Areas
Name: Oceans

Related Identifiers
Title: Lipid biomarkers as major source and preservation indicators in SE Atlantic surface sediments
Identifier: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2004.05.002
Type: DOI
Relation: IsSupplementTo
Year: 2004
Source: Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers
Authors: Schefuß Enno , Versteegh Gerard J M , Jansen J H Fred , Sinninghe Damsté Jaap S .