1. Understanding the formation of a major terrestrial carbon sink:
A molecular isotopic study of an Andean watershed
Angela F. Dickens
Mount Holyoke College
Lowland floodplain sediments accumulate vast amounts of organic carbon. We are using isotopic analysis of plant-derived compounds to determine where in the watershed this carbon originated.
The Rio Beni watershed spans a wide range of elevations, and the plants at these different elevations should have characteristic isotopic signatures.
Map of the Bolivian Rio Beni watershed with sampling locations shown as yellow circles (from GoogleEarth and Guyot et al. (1993) Geodinamica Acta.)