Determination of csrbon reserves in bottom sediments using ground penetrating radar data: a case study of Polevskoe lake (Zaonezhsky peninsula)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17308/geology/1609-0691/2026/1/117-129Keywords:
Zaonezhsky peninsula, organic carbon, bottom sediments of lakes, georadiolocationAbstract
Introduction: the study and quantitative determination of carbon stocks in lake bottom sediments is necessary for assessing the role of lake systems in the global carbon cycle. Methods for estimating carbon stocks in bottom sediments are based on studying sediment structure and identifying lithostratigraphic horizons corresponding to different conditions of sediment formation during the evolution of the water body.
Methodology: geophysical survey can be used as an auxiliary method that characterizes the structure and thickness of sediments, which may serve as a basis for calculating carbon stocks in lakes. The authors propose supplementing the classical approach to determining carbon stocks (core sampling, identification of lithological packages (facies), determination of carbon concentrations within them, and estimation of stocks per unit area of the lake bottom) with ground penetrating radar data. This allows modeling the thickness of lake bottom deposits and more accurately determining the volume of accumulation, thereby increasing the accuracy of quantitative estimates of carbon stocks in studied lakes.
Results and discussion: the proposed approach has been implemented using Polevskoye Lake (Zaonezhsky Peninsula) as an example: georadar surveys were conducted, cores of bottom sediments were sampled, sediment density was calculated, total organic carbon was determined throughout the sediment column (Shimadzu TOC-L analyzer), a volumetric model of the sediment layer was constructed, and the stock of organic carbon was estimated at approximately 200000 tons.
Conclusion: the joint use of geophysical data with results from chemical analyses of bottom sediment samples enables a more accurate assessment and spatial modeling of sediment facies distribution in the studied waterbody. This approach to carbon stock evaluation is important for understanding the functioning mechanisms of lake ecosystems in the global carbon cycle.
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