基于水淘选分级的长江口及邻近海域表层沉积物中磷的形态分布和迁移转化

磷是一种重要的生源要素,在河口、边缘海的初级生产中发挥重要作用,了解沉积物中磷的形态分布和迁移转化有助于深入了解该区域生态系统动力学。于2013年3月在长江口及邻近海域采集了表层沉积物样品,利用水淘选方法对沉积物进行了分级,并采用化学连续提取法分析了未分级和分级沉积物样品中的6种磷形态含量:可交换态磷、活性有机磷、铁结合态磷、自生磷灰石磷、碎屑磷和难分解有机磷,讨论了该区域沉积物中磷的形态分布、选择性输运过程和迁移转化。沉积物中总磷含量在14.0~18.4 μmol/g,其中碎屑磷是其主要成分,占54.5%,其次是有机磷和难分解有机磷,分别占到15.1%和13.1%。不同粒级沉积物中磷形态含量不同,可交换态磷、活性有机磷、铁结合态磷、自生磷灰石磷和难分解有机磷随粒级增加含量逐渐降低,而碎屑磷主要集中在粗粒级（大于32 μm）沉积物中。基于各粒级磷形态的质量分布,发现小于32 μm粒级的沉积物中各磷形态含量从长江口向浙闽沿岸逐渐增加,向外海方向逐渐减小,而大于32 μm沉积物的变化趋势与此相反,体现了不同形态磷的选择性输运。随粒径增大,总有机碳对有机磷比值（TOC/Or-P）先降低后升高,在大粒级沉积物中,TOC/Or-P比值较高主要是因为陆源有机碳贡献较高,而在小粒级沉积物中,主要是由于有机磷的迁移和转化更为活跃,体现了细颗粒物中有机磷相对有机碳的优先分解。本研究表明,从分级的角度可以对河口、边缘海的磷循环有一个更全面的认识。     

末次盛冰期以来冲绳海槽中部沉积物有机碳和磷的地球化学研究

利用元素及同位素地球化学方法研究了冲绳海槽中部沉积物岩芯中有机碳及磷的地球化学特征及影响因素。结果表明，冲绳海槽沉积速率（16.5~32.5 cm/ka）变化小，不是沉积物中有机碳埋藏的重要影响因素。相对于全新世氧化性底水环境，末次盛冰期/冰消期冲绳海槽缺氧底水环境提高了沉积物对有机碳的埋藏效率。冲绳海槽沉积物中各形态磷的相对含量与其他边缘海沉积物中的相似。交换态磷（Ex-P）含量低、变化小。末次盛冰期/冰消期缺氧底水环境下铁氧化物的还原溶解导致铁结合磷（Fe-P）释放以及自生磷矿物（Au-P）的形成。全新世氧化性底水条件有利于铁氧化物的有效再生及对磷的再吸附，但不利于Au-P的保存。总有机碳（TOC）和有机磷（Org-P）之间良好的相关性表明TOC埋藏对Org-P含量的重要控制作用。冲绳海槽沉积物中碎屑磷（De-P）含量低于长江口及东海陆架沉积物中的含量，这与陆源碎屑向外海传输减弱有关。在约9.3 ka BP（岩芯200 cm深度），TOC、Fe-P、Org-P、De-P以及Fe_HR均出现的极小值可能由物质坡移造成。     

黄东海表层沉积物中磷的赋存形态和分布特征及其对生态系统的潜在影响

For better understanding the phosphorus(P) cycle and its impacts on one of the most important fishing grounds and pressures on the marine ecosystem in the Yellow Sea(YS) and East China Sea(ECS), it is essential to distinguish the contents of different P speciation in sediments and have the knowledge of its distribution and bioavailability. In this study, the modified SEDEX procedure was employed to quantify the different forms of P in sediments. The contents of phosphorus fractions in surface sediments were 0.20–0.89 μmol/g for exchangeable-P(Exch-P), 0.37–2.86 μmol/g for Fe-bound P(Fe-P), 0.61–3.07 μmol/g for authigenic Ca-P(ACa-P), 6.39–13.73μmol/g for detrital-P(DAP) and 0.54–10.06 μmol/g for organic P(OP). The distribution of Exch-P, Fe-P and OP seemed to be similar. The concentrations of Exch-P, Fe-P and OP were slightly higher in the Yellow Sea than that in the East China Sea, and low concentrations could be observed in the middle part of the ECS and southwest off Cheju Island. The distribution of ACa-P was different from those of Exch-P, Fe-P and OP. DAP was the major fraction of sedimentary P in the research region. The sum of Exch-P, Fe-P and OP may be thought to be potentially bioavailable P in the research region. The percentage of bioavailable P in TP ranged from 13% to 61%. Bioavailable P burial flux that appeared regional differences was affected by sedimentation rates, porosity and bioavailable P content, and the distribution of bioavailable P burial flux were almost the same as that of TP burial flux.     

Water, organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus contents in sediment of a large-scale mariculture area in the Zhelin Bay of eastern Guangdong Province, China

The Zhelin Bay is one of the most important bays for large-scale mariculture in Guangdong Province, China. Owing to the increasing human population and the expanding mariculture in the last two decades, the ecological environment has greatly changed with frequent harmful algal blooms. A monthly survey of water content, organic matter （TOM）, and various forms of nitrogen and phosphorous in sediment from July 2002 to July 2003 in the bay was conducted. The results showed that the water content was correlated significantly with TOM and various forms of nitrogen and phosphorus and can be used as proxy for quick and rough estimate of these factors in the future surveys. TOM was also correlated significantly with various forms of nitrogen and phosphorus, indicating that it was one of the key factors affecting the concentrations and distributions of nitrogen and phosphorus in the investigated waters. Average total Kjeldhal nitrogen （TkN） content was（ 1 113.1 ± 382.5）μg/g and average total phosphorus （TP） content was（567.2± 223.3）μg/g, and both were much higher than those of similar estuaries in China and elsewhere. Average nitrogen and phosphorus tended to be higher inside than outside the bay, higher at aquaculture than non-aquaculture areas, and higher at fish-cage culture than oyster culture areas, suggesting that large-scale mariculture inside the bay played an important role in the eutrophication of the Zhelin Bay. Various forms of nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were higher during the warm season （July--September）, which was due to the increased decomposition and concentration of organic matter resulted from the fast growth and high mortality of the cultured species. Compared with July 2002, TkN and TP contents were much higher in July 2003, in consonance with the eutrophication of the Zhelin Bay. Because exchangeable phosphorus （Ex-P）, iron-bounded phos- phorus （Fe-P） and organic phosphorus （OP） combined accounted for 34.3% of the TP and authigenic phosphorus （Au-P     

粤东大规模海水增养殖区柘林湾表层沉积物中的含水量、有机质、氮和磷

柘林湾是粤东地区规模最大的海水增养殖区,近20年来水体富营养化情况日益加重,赤潮频繁发生。2002年7月至2003年7月对该湾9个站位表层沉积物中的含水量(W)、有机质(TOM)和不同形态的氮(TkN,NH₄+)与磷(Ex-P,Fe-P,Au-P,De-P,OP)进行每月一次的周年调查。结果显示,表层沉积物中的含水量和有机质及不同形态的氮、磷均呈现极显著意义的正相关关系,今后可用含水量直接对这些指标进行粗略估算。有机质与氮、磷呈显著意义的正相关关系,表明有机质是影响氮、磷含量和分布的重要因素之一。凯氏氮(TkN)和总磷(TP)的总平均值分别为(1113.1±382.5)μg/g和(567.2±223.3)μg/g,显著高于国内外许多同类型的海湾。各形态氮、磷含量年均值的平面分布呈现湾内(除S1,S7站外)高于湾外、养殖区高于非养殖区、网箱渔排养殖区高于牡蛎养殖区的总体趋势,说明湾内大规模增养殖业对海湾富营养化进程起着重要的作用。各形态氮、磷含量均于盛夏至初秋的高温季节(7-9月)处于年度峰值,这与该季节养殖动物处于生长旺期与高死亡率所造成的生物碎屑增多和有机质分解加速有关。与2002年7月相比,2003年7月的TkN和TP均出现大幅升高,与水体富营养化程度不断加重的趋势相符。此外,自生磷(Au-P)年平均占TP的49.2%,是该湾沉积物中最主要的磷形态。由于水体富营养化能导致沉积物的pH降低,继而促进Au-P中的自生钙氟磷灰石和碳酸钙所结合的磷释放进入水体,因而表层沉积物中高浓度的Au-P可能成为此类海湾富营养化水平加剧和赤潮大规模暴发加剧的隐患。     

长江口表层沉积物中正构烷烃的高分辨分布特征及有机碳来源解析

于2014年3月对长江口及邻近海域的表层沉积物进行了高分辨率采样，分析了沉积物粒级组成、比表面积、总有机碳含量及其稳定碳同位素组成(δ13C)、正构烷烃及其相关分子指标，讨论了此区域沉积有机碳和正构烷烃的高分辨分布特征，并结合基于主成分分析?蒙特卡洛模拟的三端元混合模型，对沉积有机碳的来源进行了定量解析。结果表明，长江口及其邻近海域表层沉积物中总有机碳含量为0.45%±0.16%，近岸泥质区总有机碳含量较高，外海砂质区含量较低。总正构烷烃(C₁₄?C₃₅)的绝对含量和相对于总有机碳的含量分别为(1.42±0.73) μg/g和(0.34±0.21) mg/g。泥质区以长链正构烷烃占优势，具有较强的奇碳优势；砂质区以短链正构烷烃占优势，且具有一定的偶碳优势。长江输入、老黄河口输入、闽浙沿岸小型河流输入和水动力分选等因素制约了正构烷烃的输运和分布特征。模型结果显示此区域沉积有机碳来自海源、土壤和高等植物的混合输入，其中以海源为主，其贡献为42.70%±18.18%，由陆地向外海贡献逐渐升高，其次是土壤和高等植物，其贡献分别为28.99%±15.37%和28.31%±17.12%。在水动力分选作用的影响下，两种陆源有机碳在入海之后的输运过程中存在明显的分异，土壤有机碳主要与细颗粒物结合，并沿闽浙沿岸向南输运，而高等植物来源有机碳则在长江口存在东北方向的输运。     

东、黄海柱状沉积物中有机磷与无机磷的含量与分布研究

研究了东、黄海海域典型站位柱状沉积物中总磷(TP)、无机磷(IP)及有机磷(OP)的含量及其分布特征.东海、黄海海域3种形态磷的浓度范围分别如下:东海:TP 13.73～19.85 μmol·g~(-1),IP 11.39～16.03 μmol·g~(-1)和OP 2.11～3.81 μmol·g~(-1);黄海:TP 14.44～18.33 μmol·g~(-1);IP 11.79～15.88 μmol·g~(-1)和OP 2.45～2.65 μmol·g~(-1).两海区沉积物中IP/TP和OP/TP变化范围分别为79%～88%和12%～21%.IP是研究海域沉积物中磷的主要存在形式,陆源输入为影响沉积物磷浓度的主要因素.地处长江口附近的E4站和东海中部海区的E6站分别为所有调查站位中各形态磷浓度的最高和最低者.不同海区柱状沉积物中各形态磷浓度的垂直分布特点不同.其分布特征在一定程度上反映了相应历史时段该站位营养盐输入水平、自然条件和人类活动的重大变化.     

藻类生长对沉积物上磷迁移转化的影响

通过模拟中肋骨条藻(Skeletonema costatum)和沉积物共存体系,探究了富营养化条件下,藻类与沉积物对无机磷的吸收/吸附作用的相互影响。采用自制的金汞伏安微电极测定了藻与沉积物共存体系中溶解氧(DO)的含量变化,分析了体系中溶解氧含量变化与磷消耗速率以及沉积物中磷形态分布变化之间的关系。结果表明,在本课题研究范围内,共存的藻类与沉积物互相影响彼此对磷的消耗过程,1.0×10^4、5.0×10^4和1.0×10^5 cells/mL三种初始藻密度的中肋骨条藻(Skeletonema costatum)48 h后对磷的吸收百分比分别达54.7%、73.4%、93.8%,添加沉积物后分别降至21.3%、34.1%和51.9%;沉积物对培养基介质中的无机磷的吸附百分比为42.5%,加入三种不同藻密度的藻体后分别降至9.1%、2.8%及0.3%。高密度藻与沉积物共存体系的耗磷速率与体系DO含量呈显著负相关(p<0.05)。体系中DO浓度降低会促进沉积物中Fe-P向水体中释放,从而导致沉积物中铁结合态磷(Fe-P)含量的降低。可交换态磷(Ex-P)、有机磷(OP)和Fe-P是藻类存在时沉积物向水体中较易释放的形态。     

海水中总氮和总磷的同时测定

早期总氮和总磷的过硫酸钾法氧化分析分别是在碱性和酸性介质中进行［１,２］,样品分别保存,然后分别氧化测定,工作较繁琐。１９７７年Ｋｏｒｏｌｅｆｆ用过硫酸钾氧化法同时氧化水体中的总氮和总磷,使样品的保存和氧化分析工作简化。１９８１年Ｖａｌｄｅｒｒａｍａ对该方法测定天然海水中的总氮和总磷做了进一步研究,总氮和总磷同时氧化后,水样中的硝酸盐和磷酸盐用手工分别进行分析。Ｗａｌｓｈ１９８９年和Ｋａｒｌ等１９９３年曾采用ＵＶ光氧化法对海水中总溶解氮和总溶解磷进行同时氧化后,用自动分析对氧化后的无机氮和磷进行…     

长江口及毗邻海区沉积物中磷的分布特征

于2006年6月和2007年4月在长江口及毗邻海区采集了表层沉积物样品,利用水淘选法对沉积物进行了粒径分级,并采用改进后的SEDEX方法对沉积物样品及分粒级沉积物样品进行了磷形态分析。结果表明,2006年6月和2007年4月长江口及毗邻海区沉积物总磷变化分别为12.56~19.64μmol/g和8.99~19.91μmol/g,其中碎屑磷是磷的主要存在形态。可交换态磷、铁结合态磷、有机磷、自生磷灰石磷及难分解有机磷在长江口外的平面分布比较一致,均在紧邻长江口门外、杭州湾外的条状带出现了含量的高值,而在口门内及口门外河口靠海一侧碎屑磷含量较高。不同形态磷在不同粒径沉积物中的含量不尽相同:有机磷、自生磷灰石磷以及难分解有机磷是小于8μm粒级沉积物中磷的主要组成部分,而且其在总磷中所占比例随沉积物粒径的增加而下降;碎屑磷则主要集中在粗沉积物中,为32~63μm及大于63μm粒级沉积物中磷的主要贡献者。沉积物的粒度分异以及各形态磷在不同粒径沉积物中含量的差异,共同影响着河口沉积物中磷的分布。     

山东南部近海沉积物中碳、氮、磷的分布特征

对山东近海31个站位表层沉积物中的总氮、总磷和总有机碳的含量和分布特征进行了研究。结果表明,总氮、总磷和总有机碳含量均较低,高值区主要分布在胶州湾及湾口和北部海域,总氮浓度范围为0.31～0.75mg/g,平均值为0.52mg/g,总磷浓度范围为0.18～0.32mg/g,平均值为0.24mg/g,总有机碳浓度范围为0.17%～0.49%,平均值为0.33%。相关性分析表明,总氮和总有机碳的相关性较好,总有机碳和总氮比值(TOC/TN)略高于Redfield比值,表明这两种生源要素的来源可能是一致的。     

Geochemical records of phosphorus in Jiaozhou Bay sediments-Implications for environmental changes in recent hundred years

Phosphorus is a key element and plays an important role in global biogeochemical cycles. The evolution of sedimentary environment is also influenced by phosphorus concentrations and fractions as well as phosphate sorption characteristics of the marine sediments. The geochemical characteristics of phosphorus and their environmental records were presented in Jiaozhou Bay sediments. Profiles of different forms of phosphorus were measured as well as the roles and vertical distributions of phosphorus forms in response to sedimentary environment changes were investigated. The results showed that inorganic phosphorus (IP) was the major fraction of total phosphorus (TP); phosphorus which is bound to calcium, iron and occluded phosphorus, as well as the exchangeable phosphorus were the main forms of IP, especially calcium-phosphorus, including detrital carbonate-bound phosphorus (Det-P) and authigenic apatite-bound phosphorus (ACa-P), are the uppermost constituent of IP in Jiaozhou Bay sediments. Moreover, the lead-210 chronology technology was employed to estimate how much phosphorus was buried ultimately in sediments. And the research showed that the impacts of human activities have increased remarkably in recent years especially between the 1980s and 2000. According to research, the development of Jiaozhou Bay environment in the past hundred years can be divided into three stages: (1) before the 1980s characterized by the relatively low sedimentation rate, weak land-derived phosphorus inputs and low anthropogenic impacts; (2) from the 1980s to around 2000, accelerating in the 1990s, during which high sedimentation rates, high phosphorus abundance and burial fluxes due to the severe human activities impacted on the whole environmental system; (3) after 2000, the period of the improvement of environment, the whole system has been improved including the decreasing sedimentation rates, concentration and the burial fluxes of phosphorus.     

湛江湾沉积物中酸可挥发性硫和重金属含量分布及重金属生态风险评价

测定了湛江湾海域20个站位表层沉积物中的酸可挥发性硫（AVS）、同步浸提重金属（SEM）、TOC含量和Eh值,对AVS、SEM含量的平面分布及AVS与SEM、TOC含量、Eh值的相互关系进行了分析.结果表明：该海域表层沉积物中AVS含量范围为0.004～0.547μmol/g,平均值为0.155μmol/g,SEM含量范围为2.10～4.27μmol/g,平均值为3.32μmol/g,相对其他海域湛江湾海域沉积物表现出AVS含量较低,SEM含量较高的特征.AVS与SEM含量平面分布较一致,湾顶的含量都较高,含量均值分别为0.361和3.52μmol/g,特呈岛以南到湾口呈逐渐减小的明显趋势.调查海域沉积物AVS与TOC含量呈显著正相关,与Eh值呈显著负相关,说明高有机质含量、低氧化还原电位沉积环境有利于AVS的生成.20个站位CSEM5-CAVS的差值均为0〈（CSEM5-CAVS）〈5,说明该海域可能存在重金属的中等毒性生态风险.     

长江口沉积记录反映的近80年陆源输入和营养盐变化特征

A variety of environmental problems have been observed in the Changjiang River Estuary and adjacent coastal area, including eutrophication, harmful algal blooms (HABs), and hypoxia in recent decades. A...     

白令海及西北冰洋有机质来源与新鲜程度的脂肪酸指示

白令海、西北冰洋等高生产力海域在北冰洋“生物泵”中起到重要作用；海水升温、海冰消退等北极快速变化，将强烈影响该海域“生物泵”的结构与规模，并在沉积物中有机质的来源与新鲜程度上有所体现，可用脂肪酸加以指征。对第五次、第六次中国北极科学考察在以上海域采集的表层沉积物进行脂肪酸含量（以沉积物干重计）及组成分析，结果显示楚科奇海陆架总脂肪酸含量非常高((97.15± 55.31) μg/g)，白令海盆最低((15.00±1.30) μg/g)，加拿大海盆、楚科奇海陆坡、白令海陆架居中(分别为(88.65 ± 3.52) μg/g，(70.35±11.32) μg/g与(38.28±14.89) μg/g)。海源脂肪酸占总脂肪酸比例最高(86.82%±7.08%)，陆源次之(8.45%±6.62%)，细菌最低(4.63%±2.24%)；硅藻指数(16:1ω9/16:0)在楚科奇海陆架(> 0.82)、白令海陆架边缘(> 0.65)较高，其他区域均较低。脂肪酸结果表明:(1) 该海域沉积有机质主要来自海源，陆源贡献小；在北部、南部楚科奇海陆架、白令海陆架边缘，硅藻生物量占主要优势；细菌脂肪酸比例显著低于温暖海域，指示低温抑制细菌活动。(2) 楚科奇海陆架区硅藻生产力高、细菌活动弱，新鲜有机质沉降效率高，但对未来海水升温、浮游植物群落变化也较为敏感。(3) 加拿大海盆、楚科奇海陆坡的浮游植物群落由绿藻与金藻主导。以上结论说明脂肪酸可指示表层沉积物中有机质的来源与新鲜程度；未来，脂肪酸有望进一步揭示北冰洋“生物泵”对北极快速变化的响应。     

南海海域海水中各形态磷的化学分布特征

根据1998年7月和1999年1月两个航次的调查资料,对南海水体中磷的含量分布以及夏、冬季变化规律进行了探讨.结果表明,南海表层水体中磷酸盐夏季含量明显低于冬季,夏季平均含量为0.004μmol/dm3,而冬季为0.35 μmol/dm3;有机磷含量夏季高于冬季,含量分别为0.12,0.04 μmol/dm3;总磷含量的季节变化与无机磷酸盐类似,夏、冬季含量分别为0.22,0.61 μmol/dm3.在垂向分布上表层50 m水柱中PO₄3--P,总溶解态磷和总磷含量最小,随水深增加基本上呈线性快速增加,至500 m增加减缓,1 000 m左右为最大含量,然后随着水深略有下降.在夏季垂直分布比较典型,不同站位在一水深的含量离散性小,而冬季PO₄3--P,总溶解态磷和总磷的垂直分布则显得离散性大,尤其是PO₄3--P分布在200 m左右出现最大值,说明当年冬季南海各区域存在着较大水文、生物差异,很大的影响了化学环境的变化.在南海表层水中通常以有机磷占优势,在150 m深处以下的水中则以无机磷为主.深水中溶解的有机磷含量一般随水深减少.夏季的有机磷明显高于冬季,表明夏季的生物作用强烈.     

长棘海星暴发对珊瑚礁区沉积物营养盐动力学的影响研究

长棘海星暴发对珊瑚礁生态系统产生了严重危害,而水体营养盐的补充可能是导致长棘海星暴发的一个关键因素。砂质沉积物对调控珊瑚礁区的营养盐浓度和结构起着关键作用,因此本研究通过流动式反应器对长棘海星和砂质沉积物进行模拟实验,分析长棘海星排泄活动及其死亡后有机体降解对水体营养盐的影响,并探究砂质沉积物的响应。实验结果表明:（1）长棘海星排泄的溶解无机氮（DIN）和溶解无机磷（DIP）通量分别为（83.55±4.74）μmol/(ind.·h)和（2.53±0.03）μmol/(ind.·h),这些营养盐可能给长棘海星的持续暴发提供营养条件;（2）砂质沉积物对长棘海星排泄导致的营养盐浓度升高具有缓冲作用,约70.7%的DIN和91.4%的DIP被截留在沉积物中,但沉积物界面营养盐交换导致的氮磷比升高可能不利于珊瑚生长;（3）长棘海星死后的有机体降解可促使沉积物–水界面释放营养盐,结合海星暴发密度估算,其释放的营养盐可导致上覆水中DIN和DIP浓度分别升高0.32 μmol/L和0.01 μmol/L,这可能会促使大型藻的快速生长而妨碍珊瑚的自我修复。     

The chemical distribution characteristics of variant form phosphorus in the seawater of the South China Sea

According to two cruises investigation information in summer and winter during 1998 and1999, the phosphorous concentration distribution and changes of summer and winter were discussed pri-marily in the South China Sea. The results show that the phosphate concentration of surface seawater insummer is distinctly lower than that in winter, averaging 0.04 μmol/dm3 in summer and 0.35 μmol/dm3 in winter. The organic phosphorous concentration of surface seawater in summer is higher than thatin winter, averaging 0.12μmol/dm3 in summer and 0.04 μmol/dm3 in winter respectively. The season-al changes of total phosphorus are similar to phosphate, averaging 0.22 μmol/dm3 in summer and 0.61μmol/dm3 in winter respectively. In vertical direction, phosphate, TDP and TP content are the lowestin upper 50 m water column, and increase in linearity rapidly with water depth, increasing slowly under500 m, reach to maximum about 1 000 m, then decrease slightly with water depth increasing. The ver-tical distribution is typical in summer, and there is small dispersed for phosphorus concentration for thesame depth of different stations. However, in winter there is a large disperse for phosphate, TDP andTP, specifically for phosphate at 200 m at which the concentration is maximum. This result indicatesthat there are large differences in hydrology and biology conditions that affect largely the chemical envi-ronment of the South China Sea. The organic phosphorus is the predominant in surface seawater of theSouth China Sea, but the inorganic phosphorus is the predominant in layers below depth of 150 m. Theorganic phosphorus concentration in deep water usually decreases with water depth increasing. The or-ganic phosphorus in summer is remarkably more than that in winter because of the strong biology activi-ties in summer.     

Nutrient (N,P and Si) and carbon partitioning in the stratified NW Mediterranean

The distribution of nutrients and carbon in the different pools present in the three functional layers (the upper, biogenic layer, the thermocline layer, and the deeper, biolythic layer) of the stratified NW Mediterranean Sea was examined. The stoichiometry between dissolved inorganic nutrients, which had low concentrations in the surface waters, indicated a deficiency in nitrogen, relative to phosphorus, and an excess nitrogen relative to phosphorus within the thermocline, as well as a general silicate deficiency relative to both N and P, even extending to the biolythic layer. The dissolved organic matter was highly depleted in N and, particularly, in P relative to C, with average DOC/DON ratios >60 and DOC/DOP ratios >1500 in all three layers. The particulate pool was also depleted in N and P relative to C, particularly in the biolythic layer. The concentration of biogenic silica was low relative to C, N and P, indicating that diatoms were unlikely to contribute a significant fraction of the seston biomass. Most (>80%) of the organic carbon was present as dissolved organic carbon. Total organic N and P comprised 50–80% of the N and P pool in the biogenic layer, and decreased with depth to represent 10–25% of these nutrient pools in the biolythic layer. The high total N:P ratios in all three depth layers (N/P ratio >20) indicated an overall phosphorus deficiency in the system. The high P depletion of the dissolved organic matter must derive from a very rapid recycling of the P-rich molecules within DOM, and the increasing C/N ratio of DOM with depth indicates that N is also recycled faster than C in the DOM. Because of the uniform depth distribution of the total dissolved nitrogen concentration, the increase in the percent inorganic N and the decline in the percent dissolved organic N with depth indicates that there must be biological transformations between these pools, with a dominance of DON production in surface waters and remineralisation in the underlying layers, from which dissolved inorganic nitrogen is supplied back to the biogenic layer. Downward fluxes of DON and DOC were estimated at 200–250 μmol N m⁻² d⁻¹ and 1.4–2.1 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively, while there should be little or no export of P as dissolved organic matter. The downward DON flux exceeded the diffusive DIN supply of about 145 μmol N m⁻² d⁻¹ to the biogenic layer, suggesting that allochthonous N inputs must be important in the region.     

The measurement of the volatile organic fraction of the TOC in seawater

A method based on a dynamic head-space extraction and high-temperature oxidation of the trapped organic matter is described for the determination of the volatile organic carbon (VOC) concentration in seawater. The VOC concentrations in various geographic regions have been measured and calculated as a fraction of the total organic carbon (VOC/TOC). The VOC concentrations ranged from 15–60 μg C/liter in most oceanic areas. This volatile component was found to be a small fraction (1.5–6%) of the TOC. The VOC concentrations are highest in coastal regions and in the surface zone while the VOC/TOC ratio is relatively constant with depth and location. The volatile organic components may be important to the cycling of organic matter in sea water and the dynamics of this role have been postulated.