Temperature seasonality regulates organic carbon burial in lake

Shengfang Zhou, Hao Long (), Weizhe Chen, Chunjing Qiu, Can Zhang, Hang Xing, Jingran Zhang, Liangqing Cheng, Cheng Zhao, Jun Cheng () and Philippe Ciais
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Shengfang Zhou: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hao Long: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Weizhe Chen: China University of Geosciences
Chunjing Qiu: East China Normal University
Can Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hang Xing: Fujian Normal University
Jingran Zhang: Jiangsu Centre for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application
Liangqing Cheng: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Cheng Zhao: Nanjing University
Jun Cheng: Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
Philippe Ciais: Université Paris-Saclay

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Organic carbon burial (OCB) in lakes, a critical component of the global carbon cycle, surpasses that in oceans, yet its response to global warming and associated feedbacks remains poorly understood. Using a well-dated biomarker sequence from the southern Tibetan Plateau and a comprehensive analysis of Holocene total organic carbon variations in lakes across the region, here we demonstrate that lake OCB significantly declined throughout the Holocene, closely linked to changes in temperature seasonality. Process-based land surface model simulations clarified the key impact of temperature seasonality on OCB in lakes: increased seasonality in the early Holocene saw warmer summers enhancing ecosystem productivity and organic matter deposition, while cooler winters improved organic matter preservation. The Tibetan Plateau’s heightened sensitivity to climate and ecosystem dynamics amplifies these effects. With declining temperature seasonality, we predict a significant slowdown or reduction in OCB across these lake sediments, leading to carbon emissions and amplified global warming.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56399-4

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