Distribution, source and burial of black carbon in the Aleutian Trench: local effects and global implication

This dataset file contains concentration, composition and stable carbon isotopes of black carbon in 11 sediment cores in Aleutian Trench. Black carbon (BC), a refractory component of total organic carbon (TOC), is widely distributed in marine environments. Recent studies for low- and mid-latitude trenches have identified the hadal zone, the deepest part of the ocean, as a significant sink for BC. However, the BC in high-latitude trenches remains to be explored. In this study, we employed chemothermal oxidation method (CTO-375), benzene polycarboxylic acid (BPCA), and isotopic analysis methods to determine BC content, composition and δ13C in 11 short sediment cores collected in the Aleutian Trench, the northernmost hadal trench. The total burial flux of BC in the Aleutian Trench is estimated to be approximately 80,000 tons. Per unit area (m2), the annual accumulation rate of BC in the Aleutian Trench is 0.9 ± 0.1 grams, which is 30 times greater than the global ocean average. These findings highlight the potential importance of hadal environments as significant sinks for BC.