@article {hanke_sequential_2023,
	title = {Sequential thermal analysis of complex organic mixtures: Procedural standards and improved CO2 purification capacity},
	journal = {Radiocarbon},
	volume = {65},
	number = {2},
	year = {2023},
	note = {Publisher: Cambridge University Press},
	month = {03/2023},
	pages = {389{\textendash}409},
	abstract = {Sequential thermal analysis allows for deconvoluting the refractory nature and complexity of carbon mixtures embedded in mineral matrices for subsequent offline stable carbon and radiocarbon (14C) isotope analyses. Originally developed to separate Holocene from more ancient sedimentary organic matter to improve dating of marine sediments, the Ramped Pyrolysis and Oxidation (RPO) apparatus, or informally, the {\textquotedblleft}dirt burner{\textquotedblright} is now used to address pressing questions in the broad field of biogeochemistry. The growing interest in the community now necessitates improved handling and procedures for routine analyses of difficult sample types. Here we report on advances in CO2 purification during sample processing, modifications to the instrumentation at the National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (NOSAMS) facility, and introduce sodium bicarbonate procedural standards with differing natural abundance 14C signatures for blank assessment. Measurements from different environmental samples are used to compare the procedure to the different generations of sequential thermal analyses. With this study, we aim to improve the standardization of the procedures and prepare this instrumentation for innovations in online stable carbon isotopes and direct AMS-interface measurements in the future.},
	keywords = {chemical analysis, dirt burner, full oxidation (FOX) mode, Radiocarbon dating, ramped pyrolysis oxidation},
	issn = {0033-8222, 1945-5755},
	doi = {10.1017/RDC.2023.13},
	url = {https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/radiocarbon/article/sequential-thermal-analysis-of-complex-organic-mixtures-procedural-standards-and-improved-co2-purification-capacity/E225F01B421614EE176553014E7B38BE},
	author = {Hanke, Ulrich M. and Gagnon, Alan R. and Reddy, Christopher M. and Gaylord, Mary C. Lardie and Cruz, Anne J. and Galy, Valier and Hansman, Roberta L. and Kurz, Mark D.}
}
@article {2952,
	title = {Terrestrial organic carbon age and reactivity in the Yellow River fueling efficient preservation in marine sediments},
	journal = {Earth and Planetary Science Letters},
	volume = {585},
	year = {2022},
	month = {Jan-05-2022},
	pages = {117515},
	abstract = {The Yellow River is one of the largest suppliers of sediments and organic carbon (OC) to the ocean. Previous studies have revealed that OC transported by the Yellow River largely derives from the erosion of the Chinese Loess Plateau, which is dominated by pre-aged soil carbon and could be efficiently preserved in marine sediments. Here, we used ramped oxidation radiocarbon analysis (RPO-14C) to characterize the age and reactivity distribution of OC in two Yellow River suspended sediment samples and six Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea (BS{\textendash}YS) surface sediments from a transect along the sediment transport pathway. RPO-14C independently characterizes the full spectrum of OC thermal stability and isotope compositions to reveal the source, age and reactivity structure of OC transported by the Yellow River and preserved in Chinese marginal sea sediments. We calculated the activation energy (E) distribution{\textemdash}a proxy for bonding environment and by extension reactivity{\textemdash}which, combined with 14C and stable carbon isotope (δ 13C) compositions, reveals OC origin and stability. Our data suggest that 96\% of OC in Yellow River suspended sediments is biospheric and weathered petrogenic, while unweathered petrogenic OC only accounts for 4\% which is almost an order of magnitude lower than the fossil OC estimates (32\%) based on compound specific 14C analysis. RPO data reveal the prevalence of aged biospheric loess OC in the Yellow River. We use δ 13C, 14C and RPO-derived activation energy data to quantify the contribution of terrestrial OC to surface sediments in the BS{\textendash}YS. The resulting estimates of terrestrial OC proto-burial efficiencies yield an average value of 89 {\textpm} 30\%, revealing overall very high terrestrial OC preservation in the BS{\textendash}YS. Additionally, and somewhat counter intuitively, we find that the preservation of terrestrial OC decreases with increasing E. This pattern may arise from an enhanced preservation of a pre-aged C4 plants derived fraction of the loess-derived OC associated with secondary clays characterized by smaller grain size and higher surface area. Alternatively, the high E component of the Yellow River OC might comprise partially weathered petrogenic carbon, undergoing further mineralization during transport from rivers to marginal sea sediments via marine organic matter priming.},
	issn = {0012821X},
	doi = {10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117515},
	url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0012821X22001510},
	author = {Zhang, Yushuang and Galy, Valier and Yu, Meng and Zhang, Hailong and Zhao, Meixun}
}
@article {2930,
	title = {Coal fly ash is a major carbon flux in the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) basin},
	journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences},
	volume = {118},
	year = {2021},
	month = {Jan-05-2023},
	pages = {e1921544118},
	abstract = {Fly ash-the residuum of coal burning-contains a considerable amount of fossilized particulate organic carbon (FOCash) that remains after high-temperature combustion. Fly ash leaks into natural environments and participates in the contemporary carbon cycle, but its reactivity and flux remained poorly understood. We characterized FOCash in the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) basin, China, and quantified the riverine FOCash fluxes. Using Raman spectral analysis, ramped pyrolysis oxidation, and chemical oxidation, we found that FOCash is highly recalcitrant and unreactive, whereas shale-derived FOC (FOCrock) was much more labile and easily oxidized. By combining mass balance calculations and other estimates of fly ash input to rivers, we estimated that the flux of FOCash carried by the Chang Jiang was 0.21 to 0.42 Mt C center dot y-1 in 2007 to 2008-an amount equivalent to 37 to 72\% of the total riverine FOC export. We attributed such high flux to the combination of increasing coal combustion that enhances FOCash production and the massive construction of dams in the basin that reduces the flux of FOCrock eroded from upstream mountainous areas. Using global ash data, a first-order estimate suggests that FOCash makes up to 16\% of the present-day global riverine FOC flux to the oceans. This reflects a substantial impact of anthropogenic activities on the fluxes and burial of fossil organic carbon that has been made less reactive than the rocks from which it was derived.},
	issn = {0027-8424},
	doi = {10.1073/pnas.1921544118},
	url = {http://www.pnas.org/lookup/doi/10.1073/pnas.1921544118https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1073/pnas.1921544118http://www.pnas.org/syndication/doi/10.1073/pnas.1921544118},
	author = {Li, Gen K. and Fischer, Woodward W. and Lamb, Michael P. and West, A. Joshua and Zhang, Ting and Galy, Valier and Wang, Xingchen Tony and Li, Shilei and Qiu, Hongrui and Li, Gaojun and Zhao, Liang and Chen, Jun and Ji, Junfeng}
}
@article {2933,
	title = {Limited Presence of Permafrost Dissolved Organic Matter in the Kolyma River, Siberia Revealed by Ramped Oxidation},
	journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences},
	volume = {126},
	year = {2021},
	month = {Jan-07-2021},
	issn = {2169-8953},
	doi = {10.1029/2020JG005977},
	url = {https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:000677821700019?AlertId=4d48b20a-7d27-4fa2-a6a8-37f0daa89864\&SID=8EgwPROzuFaD4cTggN2},
	author = {Rogers, Jennifer A. and Galy, Valier and Kellerman, Anne M. and Chanton, Jeffrey P. and Zimov, Nikita and Spencer, Robert G. M.}
}
@article {2675,
	title = {Biomass-Derived Provenance Dominates Glacial Surface Organic Carbon in the Western HimalayaBiomass-Derived Provenance Dominates Glacial Surface Organic Carbon in the Western Himalaya},
	journal = {Environmental Science \& Technology},
	volume = {54},
	year = {2020},
	month = {Sep-07-2021},
	pages = {8612 - 8621},
	abstract = {The origin, transport pathway, and spatial variability of total organic carbon (OC) in the western Himalayan glaciers are poorly understood compared to those of black carbon (BC) and dust, but it is critically important to evaluate the climatic role of OC in the region. By applying the distribution of OC activation energy; C-14 activity; and radiogenic isotopes of Pb-208/Pb-204, (207)pb/(204)pb and (206)pb/Pb-204 in glacial debris and atmospheric particulate matter (PM10 size fraction), we demonstrate that 98.3 +/- 1.6 and 1.7 +/- 1.6\% of OC in western Himalayan glaciers are derived from biomass and petrogenic sources, respectively. The (delta C-13 and N/C composition indicates that the biomass is a complex mixture of C3 vegetation and autochthonous photoautotrophic input modified by heterotrophic microbial activity. The data set reveals that the studied western Himalayan glacier has negligible contributions from fossil-fuel- derived particles, which contrasts to the central and eastern Himalayan glaciers that have significant contributions from fossil fuel sources. We show that this spatial variability of OC sources relates to regional differences in air mass transport pathways and precipitation regimes over the Himalaya. Moreover, our observation suggests that biomass-derived carbon could be the only primary driver of carbon-induced glacier melting in the western Himalaya.},
	keywords = {; MASS BALANCES, AEROSOLS, ALBEDO REDUCTION, ATMOSPHERIC LEAD, BLACK CARBON, DUST TRANSPOR, isotopic composition, PB, SNOW ALBEDO, TIBETAN PLATEAU},
	issn = {0013-936X},
	doi = {10.1021/acs.est.0c0271010.1021/acs.est.0c02710.s001},
	url = {https://apps.webofknowledge.com/InboundService.do?product=WOS\&Func=Frame\&DestFail=http\%3A\%2F\%2Fwww.webofknowledge.com\&SrcApp=search\&SrcAuth=Alerting\&SID=8Aqj2WiW4A71bymjSli\&customersID=Alerting\&mode=FullRecord\&IsProductCode=Yes\&AlertId=ab9062f8-b111-4f95-},
	author = {Nizam, Sarwar and Sen, Indra S. and Vinoj, Velu and Galy, Valier and Selby, David and Azam, Mohammad F. and Pandey, Satyendra K. and Creaser, Robert A. and Agarwal, Avinash K. and Singh, Akhilendra P. and Bizimis, Michael}
}
@article {2757,
	title = {Significance of Perylene for Source Allocation of Terrigenous Organic Matter in Aquatic SedimentsSignificance of Perylene for Source Allocation of Terrigenous Organic Matter in Aquatic Sediments},
	journal = {Environmental Science \& Technology},
	volume = {53},
	year = {2019},
	month = {Apr-07-2020},
	pages = {8244 - 8251},
	abstract = {Perylene is a frequently abundant, and sometimes the only polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in aquatic sediments, but its origin has been subject of a longstanding debate in geochemical research and pollutant forensics because its historical record differs markedly from typical anthropogenic PAHs. Here we investigate whether perylene serves as a source-specific molecular marker of fungal activity in forest soils. We use a well-characterized sedimentary record (1735-1999) from the anoxic-bottom waters of the Pettaquamscutt River basin, RI to examine mass accumulation rates and isotope records of perylene, and compare them with total organic carbon and the anthropogenic PAH fluoranthene. We support our arguments with radiocarbon (14C) data of higher plant leaf-wax n-alkanoic acids. Isotope-mass balance-calculations of perylene and n-alkanoic acids indicate that \~{}40\% of sedimentary organic matter is of terrestrial origin. Further, both terrestrial markers are pre-aged on millennial time-scales prior to burial in sediments and are insensitive to elevated 14C concentrations following nuclear weapons testing in the mid-20th Century. Instead, changes coincide with enhanced erosional flux during urban sprawl. These findings suggest that perylene is definitely a product of soil-derived fungi, and a powerful chemical tracer to study the spatial and temporal connectivity between terrestrial and aquatic environments. },
	issn = {0013-936X},
	doi = {10.1021/acs.est.9b0234410.1021/acs.est.9b02344.s001},
	url = {https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.9b02344},
	author = {Hanke, Ulrich M. and Lima-Braun, Ana L. and Eglinton, Timothy I. and Donnelly, Jeffrey P. and Galy, Valier and Poussart, Pascale and Hughen, Konrad and McNichol, Ann P. and Xu, Li and Reddy, Christopher M.}
}
@article {2642,
	title = {Temporal constraints on lateral organic matter transport along a coastal mud belt},
	journal = {Organic Geochemistry},
	volume = {128},
	year = {2019},
	month = {Jan-02-2019},
	pages = {86 - 93},
	abstract = {Constraints on timescales of lateral transport of sedimentary organic carbon (OC) over continental shelves and associated influences on the distribution and abundance of OC remain sparse. Preferential degradation of labile, young OC during lateral transport results in apparent {\textquotedblleft}diagenetic aging{\textquotedblright} of OC. Additionally, sediment translocation can also result in {\textquotedblleft}transport time-associated aging{\textquotedblright} of associated organic matter (OM) as a function of the lateral transport time (LTT). Here, we use a coupled thermal decomposition and radiocarbon (14C) approach to constrain timescales of lateral transport and concomitant loss of OC associated with different grain size fractions of sediments collected from two locations \~{}275 km apart along a dispersal pathway on the inner shelf of the East China Sea. The 14C age contrasts between corresponding thermal fractions are used to distinguish these two components of sedimentary OM {\textquotedblleft}aging{\textquotedblright}. To minimize interferences from hydrodynamic sorting and diagenetic aging of OC accompanying lateral transport, we assess 14C age differences of decomposition products from the most thermally-refractory OC components associated with specific grain size fractions between locations. We show that LTTs vary among different grain size fractions, and examine relationships between LTTs and sedimentary OC loss in order to assess the decomposition of OC as a consequence of lateral transport. We suggest that the decomposition of OC associated with protracted lateral transport exerts a strong influence on OC burial efficiency, with broad implications for carbon cycling over continental shelves.},
	keywords = {14C aging, Continental shelf seas, East China Sea, Mud belt, organic matter, Sediment resuspension},
	issn = {01466380},
	doi = {10.1016/j.orggeochem.2019.01.007},
	url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0146638019300075},
	author = {Bao, Rui and Zhao, Meixun and McNichol, Ann and Galy, Valier and McIntyre, Cameron and Haghipour, Negar and Eglinton, Timothy I.}
}
@article {2636,
	title = {Using Stable Carbon Isotopes to Quantify Radiocarbon Reservoir Age Offsets in the Coastal Black SeaAbstract},
	journal = {Radiocarbon},
	volume = {61},
	year = {2019},
	month = {Jan-02-2019},
	pages = {309 - 318},
	abstract = {Constraining radiocarbon (C-14) reservoir age offsets is critical to deriving accurate calendar-age chronologies from C-14 dating of materials which did not draw carbon directly from the atmosphere. The application of C-14 dating to such materials is severely limited in hydrologically sensitive environments like the Black Sea because of the difficulty to quantify reservoir age offsets, which can vary quickly and significantly through time, due to the dynamics of the biogeochemical cycling of carbon. Here we reconstruct C-14 reservoir age offsets (Rshell-atm) of Holocene bivalve shells from the coastal Black Sea relatively to their contemporaneous atmosphere. We show that the C-14 reservoir age offset and the stable carbon isotope composition of bivalve shells are linearly correlated in this region. From a biogeochemical standpoint, this suggests that inorganic stable carbon isotope and C-14 compositions of Black Sea coastal waters are controlled by the balance between autochthonous primary productivity and heterotrophic respiration of allochthonous pre-aged terrestrial organic matter supplied by rivers. This provided an important implication for Black Sea geochronology as the reservoir age offset of C-14-dated bivalve shell can be inferred from its stable carbon isotope composition. Our results provide a fundamental and inexpensive geochemical tool which will considerably improve the accuracy of Holocene calendar age chronologies in the Black Sea.},
	keywords = {Black Sea, Carbon cycle, freshwater reservoir effect, Geochronology, Reservoir age},
	issn = {0033-8222},
	doi = {10.1017/RDC.2018.61},
	url = {https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0033822218000619/type/journal_articlehttps://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033822218000619},
	author = {Soulet, Guillaume and Giosan, Liviu and Flaux, Cl{\'e}ment and Galy, Valier}
}
@article {2600,
	title = {Turning up the Heat on Organic Matter to Track Carbon},
	journal = {Eos},
	volume = {98},
	year = {2017},
	month = {Jul-09-2018},
	keywords = {Antarctic sediments, Foraminifera, radiocarbon, stable carbon isotopes},
	doi = {10.1029/2017EO080771},
	url = {https://eos.org/meeting-reports/turning-up-the-heat-on-organic-matter-to-track-carbon},
	author = {McNichol, Ann and Rosenheim, Brad and Galy, Valier}
}
@article {1280,
	title = {Arctic Deltaic Lake Sediments As Recorders of Fluvial Organic Matter Deposition},
	volume = {4},
	year = {2016},
	month = {2016},
	pages = {77},
	abstract = {Arctic deltas are dynamic and vulnerable regions that play a key role in land-ocean interactions and the global carbon cycle. Delta lakes may provide valuable historical records of the quality and quantity of fluvial fluxes, parameters that are challenging to investigate in these remote regions. Here we study lakes from across the Mackenzie Delta, Arctic Canada, that receive fluvial sediments from the Mackenzie River when spring flood water levels rise above natural levees. We compare downcore lake sediments with suspended sediments collected during the spring flood, using bulk (\% organic carbon, \% total nitrogen, 13C, 14C) and molecular organic geochemistry (lignin, leaf waxes). High-resolution age models (137Cs, 210Pb) of downcore lake sediment records (n=11) along with lamina counting on high-resolution radiographs show sediment deposition frequencies ranging between annually to every 15 years. Down-core geochemical variability in a representative delta lake sediment core is consistent with historical variability in spring flood hydrology (variability in peak discharge, ice jamming, peak water levels). Comparison with earlier published Mackenzie River depth profiles shows that (i) lake sediments reflect the riverine surface suspended load, and (ii) hydrodynamic sorting patterns related to spring flood characteristics are reflected in the lake sediments. Bulk and molecular geochemistry of suspended particulate matter from the spring flood peak and lake sediments are relatively similar showing a mixture of modern higher-plant derived material, older terrestrial permafrost material, and old rock-derived material. This suggests that deltaic lake sedimentary records hold great promise as recorders of past (century-scale) riverine fluxes and may prove instrumental in shedding light on past behaviour of arctic rivers, as well as how they respond to a changing climate.},
	isbn = {2296-6463},
	doi = {10.3389/feart.2016.00077},
	url = {http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/feart.2016.00077},
	author = {Vonk, Jorien E. and Dickens, Angela F. and Giosan, Liviu and Hussain, Zainab A. and Kim, Bokyung and Zipper, Samuel C. and Holmes, Robert M. and Montlu{\c c}on, Daniel B. and Galy, Valier and Eglinton, Timothy I.}
}
@article { ISI:000372829700018,
	title = {A Note on Reporting of Reservoir C-14 Disequilibria and Age Offsets},
	journal = {RADIOCARBON},
	volume = {58},
	number = {{1}},
	year = {2016},
	month = {MAR},
	pages = {205-211},
	type = {Article},
	abstract = {Reservoir age offsets are widely used to correct marine and speleothem radiocarbon age measurements for various calibration purposes. They also serve as a powerful tracer for carbon cycle dynamics. However, a clear terminology regarding reservoir age offsets is lacking, sometimes leading to miscalculations. This note seeks to provide consistent conventions for reporting reservoir C-14 disequilibria useful to a broad range of environmental sciences. This contribution introduces the (FR)-R-14 and R-14 metrics to express the relative C-14 disequilibrium between two contemporaneous reservoirs and the R metric as the associated reservoir age offset.},
	keywords = {freshwater effect, hardwater effect, radiocarbon, Reservoir age, Reservoir effect, ventilation age},
	issn = {0033-8222},
	doi = {10.1017/RDC.2015.22},
	author = {Soulet, Guillaume and Skinner, Luke C. and Beaupr{\'e}, Steven R. and Galy, Valier}
}
@article {132,
	title = {Direct measurement of riverine particulate organic carbon age structure},
	journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
	volume = {39},
	year = {2012},
	note = {id: 2248; PT: J; TC: 0; UT: WOS:000309605800002},
	pages = {L19703-L19703},
	abstract = {Carbon cycling studies focusing on transport and transformation of terrigenous carbon sources toward marine sedimentary sinks necessitate separation of particulate organic carbon (OC) derived from many different sources and integrated by river systems. Much progress has been made on isolating and characterizing young biologically-formed OC that is still chemically intact, however quantification and characterization of old, refractory rock-bound OC has remained troublesome. Quantification of both endmembers of riverine OC is important to constrain exchanges linking biologic and geologic carbon cycles and regulating atmospheric CO2 and O-2. Here, we constrain petrogenic OC proportions in suspended sediment from the headwaters of the Ganges River in Nepal through direct measurement using ramped pyrolysis radiocarbon analysis. The unique results apportion the biospheric and petrogenic fractions of bulk particulate OC and characterize biospheric OC residence time. Compared to the same treatment of POC from the lower Mississippi-Atchafalaya River system, contrast in age spectra of the Ganges tributary samples illustrates the difference between small mountainous river systems and large integrative ones in terms of the global carbon cycle. Citation: Rosenheim, B. E., and V. Galy (2012), Direct measurement of riverine particulate organic carbon age structure, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L19703, doi:10.1029/2012GL052883.},
	issn = {0094-8276},
	doi = {10.1029/2012GL052883},
	author = {Rosenheim, Brad E. and Galy, Valier}
}
@article {212,
	title = {The provenance of vegetation and environmental signatures encoded in vascular plant biomarkers carried by the Ganges{\textendash}Brahmaputra rivers},
	journal = {Earth and Planetary Science Letters},
	volume = {304},
	year = {2011},
	note = {id: 2187},
	pages = {1-12},
	abstract = {Organic matter carried by rivers and deposited in continental and marine sediments contains valuable information on past environmental conditions and their impact on the terrestrial biosphere. In order to use sedimentary records to reconstruct past environmental conditions on the continents, such as vegetation cover and type, or precipitation intensity, we need to understand the provenance of the organic signatures and how they are transferred, and potentially modified, by fluvial transport to the sedimentary reservoir. In particular, we need to understand how environmental conditions are imprinted in the composition of riverine particulate organic carbon. Here we investigate the stable carbon and hydrogen isotopic signatures of vascular plant leaf wax biomarkers in the modern-day Ganges and Brahmaputra river complex, one of the largest fluvial systems on Earth. The distribution of n-alkanes and n-alkanoic acids in Ganges{\textendash}Brahmaputra river sediments suggests that vascular plant inputs are consistently a significant component of the organic carbon pool. Molecular δ13C measurements reveal that C3 vegetation inputs delivered by the Himalayan rivers are partly degraded and replaced by mixed C3/C4 vegetation input in the floodplain. The hydrogen isotopic composition of long-chain (C24+) n-alkanoic acids, in combination with their stable C isotopic composition, provides constraints on the isotopic composition of the environmental water used by higher plants within the drainage basin. Calculated compositions compare well with the depleted δD isotopic ratios of the river water during the summer monsoon, suggesting that H-isotopic compositions of long-chain alkanoic acids are a valuable proxy for the composition of summer monsoon moisture in the Ganges{\textendash}Brahmaputra basin. Detailed studies of the {\textquotedblleft}isotopic anatomy{\textquotedblright} of modern river systems are critical for informed interpretation of marine sedimentary records in river-influenced continental margins.},
	issn = {0012-821X},
	doi = {10.1016/j.epsl.2011.02.003},
	url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X11000744},
	author = {Galy, Valier and Eglinton, Timothy and France-Lanord, Christian and Sylva, Sean}
}
@article { ISI:000275306200022,
	title = {Sr-Nd-Os evidence for a stable erosion regime in the Himalaya during the past 12 Myr},
	journal = {EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS},
	volume = {290},
	number = {{3-4}},
	year = {2010},
	month = {FEB 20},
	pages = {474-480},
	type = {Article},
	abstract = {Modern erosion of the Himalaya, the world{\textquoteright}s largest mountain range, transfers huge dissolved and particulate loads to the ocean. It plays an important role in the long-term global carbon cycle, mostly through enhanced organic carbon burial in the Bengal Fan. To understand the role of past Himalayan erosion, the influence of changing climate and tectonic on erosion must be determined. Here we use a 12 Myr sedimentary record from the distal Bengal Fan (Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 218) to reconstruct the Mio-Pliocene history of Himalayan erosion. We use carbon stable isotopes (delta(13)C) of bulk organic matter as paleo-environmental proxy and stratigraphic tool. Multi-isotopic - Sr, Nd and Os - data are used as proxies for the source of the sediments deposited in the Bengal Fan over time. delta(13)C values of bulk organic matter shift dramatically towards less depleted values, revealing the widespread Late Miocene (ca. 7.4 Ma) expansion of C4 plants in the basin. Sr, Nd and Os isotopic compositions indicate a rather stable erosion pattern in the Himalaya range during the past 12 Myr. This supports the existence of a strong connection between the southern Tibetan plateau and the Bengal Fan. The tectonic evolution of the Himalaya range and Southern Tibet seems to have been unable to produce large re-organisation of the drainage system. Moreover, our data do not suggest a rapid change of the altitude of the southern Tibetan plateau during the past 12 Myr. Variations in Sr and Nd isotopic compositions around the late Miocene expansion of C4 plants are suggestive of a relative increase in the erosion of High Himalaya Crystalline rock (i.e. a simultaneous reduction of both Transhimalayan batholiths and Lesser Himalaya relative contributions). This could be related to an increase in aridity as Suggested by the ecological and sedimentological changes at that time. A reversed trend in Sr and Nd isotopic compositions is observed at the Plio-Pleistocene transition that is likely related to higher precipitation and the development of glaciers in the Himalaya. These almost synchronous moderate changes in erosion pattern and climate changes during the late Miocene and at the Plio-Pleistocene transition support the notion of a dominant control of climate on Himalayan erosion during this time period. However, stable erosion regime during the Pleistocene is suggestive of a limited influence of the glacier development on Himalayan erosion. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.},
	keywords = {Bengal Fan, climate, erosion, Himalaya, Miocene, radiogenic isotopes},
	issn = {0012-821X},
	doi = {10.1016/j.epsl.2010.01.004},
	author = {Galy, Valier and France-Lanord, Christian and Peucker-Ehrenbrink, Bernhard and Huyghe, Pascale}
}
