Abstract: Samples ofsoils, sediments, and two mosses around China’s Yellow River Station in the Arctic were collected in August 2010. The samples were analyzed for grain size, organic carbon content (OC%), total nitrogen (TN%), isotope of organic carbon (δ¹³C (‰)), and lignin-derived phenols. The OC% and TN% in soil and sediment samples were linearly correlated (R²=1, p < 0.001), which indicated common sources. The grain size was not the main factor controlling the distribution of OC and TN. Data showed the source of lignin was mosses and non-woody vascular plants. The average degradation indictor (Ad/Al)v for all samples was 1.02. The results indicated that the addition of coal dust might lead to a higher (Ad/Al)v compared with fresh vascular plants. The ratio of CAD to FAD ranged from 0.55 to 4.01, and individual yields decreased from the mosses to the soils to the sediments. This pattern showed an increased digenetic characteristic. We concluded that the sources of organic carbon around Yellow River Station were moss and non-woody vascular plants, and the contribution of coal was difficult to distinguish.

Key words: Yellow River Station, organic carbon, stable carbon isotopes, lignin-derived phenols, moss, coal dust