AMS 14C dating with characterization by pyrolysis and infrared technology reveal terrestrial organic carbon cycling dynamics

Hong Wang; Xiaofei Gao; Yi Yang; Peng Cheng; Jia Cao; Dongxue Li; Peixian Shu; Guodong Ming; Yingna Liu; Keli Zhang; Baoshan Cui; Yongming Han; Xuefeng Lu; Hua Du; Feng Xian; Xiaolin Hou; Sanyuan Zhu; Yanmin Sun; Tianhe Liu; Lin Liu; Xiaolei Zhao; Weijian Zhou; Zhisheng An

doi:10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2026.100251

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AMS ¹⁴C dating with characterization by pyrolysis and infrared technology reveal terrestrial organic carbon cycling dynamics

1.
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Process and Disaster Rick Reduction, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
2.
State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Xi’an 710061, China
3.
School of Environment, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
4.
Institute of Deep Space Sciences, Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, Hefei 230088, China
5.
State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
6.
Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China

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Corresponding authors: hongwang@bnu.edu.cn (H.W.); chp@ieecas.cn (P.C.)
Received Date: December 15, 2025

Accepted Date: July 30, 2026

Published Online: August 03, 2026

The Innovation Geoscience https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2026.100251 | Cite this article

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PUBLIC SUMMARY
1. The updated pyrolysis system successfully partitions thermally labile and stable organic carbon fractions.
  
  Their AMS ¹⁴C age patterns demonstrate terrestrial carbon cycling dynamics that are known only in models.
  
  Their reverse older-younger/identical age patterns exhibit protective preservation under weak respiration.
  
  Their constant younger-older age patterns exhibit selective preservation under intensive organic degradation.
  
  Their identical modern to younger-older age patterns across depth reveal organic carbon fixation dynamics.

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

Terrestrial systems hold twice as much organic carbon (OC) as the atmosphere and vegetation combined. The long-term stability of this carbon pool influences ecological resilience and helps mitigate global climate change. Here, we couple an updated pyrolysis-combustion system with online infrared gas analyzer (IRGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to partition OC into thermally labile, recalcitrant, and stable fractions, enabling the analysis of their biochemical structures, origins, and AMS ¹⁴C ages. We find that the labile-recalcitrant and stable OC fractions from fluvial, eolian, and farmland ecosystems consistently exhibit younger-to-older age patterns over timescales ranging from 10² to 10⁴ years. These trends exhibit a first order reaction rate temperature dependance as predicted by Arrhenius equation. This pattern verifies selective preservation of OC compounds by minerals under microbial respiration. In contrast, labile-recalcitrant and stable OC fractions from rock varnish and flooding sediments in karst cracks and sinkholes exhibit reverse (older-younger) or identical age patterns, confirming protection of OC by minerals in the absence of intensive respiration. In high-organic-carbon-stock ecosystems, thermally labile-recalcitrant and stable OC fractions yield identical modern ages in the rhizosphere and younger-to-older age patterns in deeper zones, quantitatively exemplifying the process by which unprotected OC progressively attaches to mineral-associated forms. The CO₂ thermograms from IRGA and the OC functional groups from FTIR analysis provide biochemical evidence for assessing the origin of terrestrial OC compounds, thereby improving our understanding of their age patterns. We conclude that pyrolysis-combustion technology holds significant potential for revealing the mechanisms underlying terrestrial OC preservation.
- Updated pyrolysis technology /
- Partition of organic carbon components /
- Terrestrial carbon dynamics

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Wang H., Gao X., Yang Y., et al. (2026). AMS 14C dating with characterization by pyrolysis and infrared technology reveal terrestrial organic carbon cycling dynamics. The Innovation Geoscience 4:100251. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2026.100251

Wang H., Gao X., Yang Y., et al. (2026). AMS ¹⁴C dating with characterization by pyrolysis and infrared technology reveal terrestrial organic carbon cycling dynamics. The Innovation Geoscience 4:100251. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2026.100251

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AMS ¹⁴C dating with characterization by pyrolysis and infrared technology reveal terrestrial organic carbon cycling dynamics

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