Radiocarbon content of lignin-enriched fraction in core sediment from Lake Biwa, central Japan

The transport and deposition of terrestrially derived organic matter (TOM) into lake and ocean is a key but poorly constrained aspect of the modern global carbon cycle. An attempt has been done for estimating a transport time of TOM from the drainage basin of Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. We have determined the 14C contents of the lignin-enriched fraction of the core sediment from the central part of Lake Biwa. The age of lignin-enriched fraction at the deposition time was estimated to be 7.5 x 103 years for the last glacial interval. Even in Lake Biwa with more than 100 rivers from the relatively small drainage basin (3850 km2), TOM was transported at very long time (>103 years).