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Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, a new method for rapid determination of total organic and inorganic carbon and biogenic silica concentration in lake sediments

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Abstract

We demonstrate the use of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIRS) to make quantitative measures of total organic carbon (TOC), total inorganic carbon (TIC) and biogenic silica (BSi) concentrations in sediment. FTIRS is a fast and cost-effective technique and only small sediment samples are needed (0.01 g). Statistically significant models were developed using sediment samples from northern Sweden and were applied to sediment records from Sweden, northeast Siberia and Macedonia. The correlation between FTIRS-inferred values and amounts of biogeochemical constituents assessed conventionally varied between r = 0.84–0.99 for TOC, r = 0.85–0.99 for TIC, and r = 0.68–0.94 for BSi. Because FTIR spectra contain information on a large number of both inorganic and organic components, there is great potential for FTIRS to become an important tool in paleolimnology.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the EC Environment and Climate Research Programme (contract ENV4-CT97-0642, Climate and Natural Hazards), the Climate Impacts Research Centre (CIRC) via funding from EU Structural Funds and Swedish Regional Funds to the Environment and Space Research Institute in Kiruna. Daniel Conley was partially supported by an EU Marie Curie Action (COMPACT MEXC-CT-2006-042718) and the Crafoord Foundation. We thank Christian Bigler, Tom Korsman, Martin Melles and Ulf Segerström for providing lake sediments, Dan Hammarlund for providing TOC values for Makkasjön, Johannes Förster, Ulla Kokfelt, Nina Stenbacka and Thomas Westin for field and lab assistance and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments.

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  1. Nina Reuss

    Present address: Freshwater Biological Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Helsingørsgade 51, 3400, Hillerød, Denmark

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Climate Impacts Research Centre (CIRC), Umeå University, 98107, Abisko, Sweden

    Peter Rosén & Laura Cunningham

  2. Institute for Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne, Zuelpicher Str. 49a, 50674, Cologne, Germany

    Hendrik Vogel

  3. GeoBiosphere Science Centre, Quaternary Sciences, Lund University, Sölvegatan. 12, 223 62, Lund, Sweden

    Nina Reuss & Daniel J. Conley

  4. Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, 90187, Umeå, Sweden

    Per Persson

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Correspondence to Peter Rosén.

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Rosén, P., Vogel, H., Cunningham, L. et al. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, a new method for rapid determination of total organic and inorganic carbon and biogenic silica concentration in lake sediments. J Paleolimnol 43, 247–259 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-009-9329-4

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