Spatial variation of organic carbon sequestration in large lakes and implications for carbon stock quantification

• Spatial variability of one-century OC accumulation in two contrasting large lakes were studied. • Sediment OC standing stocks showed significant spatial heterogeneity. • Intra-lake primary production rather than sediment focusing was dominant. • Anthropogenic land-use change and phosphorus supply laid behind. • Integrating spatial heterogeneity into OC stock estimate of inland waters. Lakes are recognized as critical zones for carbon transformation and storage, and lacustrine sediments sequestrate considerable amounts of organic carbon (OC). Understanding sedimentation processes and OC burial patterns is crucial to clarifying lakes’ role in global carbon cycling. However, OC sedimentation may be quite spatially heterogeneous within an aquatic system, owing to the differences in OC production and sources, hydrodynamic conditions and underwater topography. The uncertainties in estimating OC sequestration in the world’s large lakes remain poorly constrained. This study takes the test case of two large lakes (50 and 249 km 2 ) with different water depth and trophic status, using a multi-core paleolimnological technique, to identify the spatial variation in OC accumulation and its main influencing factors over the past century. Results of multi-core comparisons revealed similar temporal trends in major organic and nutrient parameters, suggesting coherent processes of whole-lake sedimentary environment changes for each lake. The OC preserved in sediments was primarily of autochthonous origin. However, OC standing stocks varied ∼3-fold spatially, and average OC accumulation rates ranged between 9.5–27.4 g m −2 yr −1 (post–1963 in oligo-mesotrophic deep-lake Lugu) and between 17.4–43.5 g m −2 yr −1 (post–1980 in eutrophic shallow-lake Erhai), respectively. These variations were primarily attributable to the spatial differences in aquatic primary production and terrestrial detritus supply relating to anthropogenic land-use change and phosphorus loading, rather than intra-lake sediment focusing-related transport and redistribution. The single central-core approach from Lugu Lake would overestimate whole-lake OC stock by 32% or underestimate the value by 48%, indicating spatial variability is an important source of uncertainty for OC stock quantification in similar large and/or morphometrically complex waterbodies. Therefore, spatial heterogeneity of OC accumulation in inland waters requires considerable research with well-placed multi-cores to provide a deeper understanding of carbon sequestration patterns and mechanisms.