Seasonal variations of phytoplankton diversity in the Coleroon coastal waters, southeast coast of India

The results of an investigation carried out during June 2005 to May 2007 on physico-chemical parameters,species composition and community structure of phytoplankton including Chlorophyll a(Chl-a) at the Coleroon coastal waters(Southeast coast of India) are reported.Air and surface water temperatures(°C) varied from 25.1 to 30.1 and from 24.5 to 28.5 respectively.Salinity values varied from 6 to 28.5 and the pH ranged between 7.0 and 8.3.Variation in dissolved oxygen content was from 3.1 to 7.5 mg/dm-3 while the light extinction coefficient values(LEC) ranged between 3.1 and 10.1 cm.The ranges of inorganic nutrients(μmol/dm-3) viz.,nitrate,nitrite,phosphate and silicate were 10.1-23.4,1.2-8.9,0.2-3.1 and 55-125,respectively.The ranges of Chlorophyll a(μg/dm-3) values was 2.0-7.5.Presently,124 phytoplankton species representing different classes viz:Bacillariophyceae(77),Dinophyceae(19),Cyanophyceae(15),Chlorophyceae(10) and Chrysophyceae(3) were recorded.The phytoplankton cell abundance varied from 0.290 to 111.662 cells/cm-3,with peak diversity(3.38 bits/ind.) during summer season.The maximum abundance was found during summer season coinciding with the stable hydrographical conditions.The seasonal distribution and abundance of phytoplankton are discussed in relation to hydrographical parameters.Canonical Correspondence Analysis(CCA) was applied in this paper for discriminating environmental factors having effect on phytoplankton community at species level.Coleroon coastal water is subjected to long term fluctuations in physico-chemical parameters depending upon the seasonal tidal amplitude and freshwater influx resulting in a continuous exchange of organic,inorganic,plant and animal matters.     

近10年珠江口海域赤潮发生特征及原因初探

对2000-2009年珠江口海域发生的各种赤潮灾害资料进行统计分析,研究珠江口海域赤潮发生的时空分布规律、赤潮种类的变化规律、海水营养限制的变化状况.结果表明,珠江口赤潮多发区为深圳湾海区,近年珠江口西部珠海沿岸海域频发大面积赤潮;赤潮灾害发生的持续时间呈上升趋势;赤潮多发种为中肋骨条藻,多发于深圳湾;定鞭藻类原球形棕囊藻引发的有毒赤潮明显增多且影响范围较大.研究发现,珠海沿岸海域频发大面积赤潮和深圳湾春季频发赤潮可能与出现潜在硅酸盐营养限制有关,冬季频发球形棕囊藻与季节骤然升温有关.     

长江口夜光藻(Noctiluca scintillans)年间变化和水域富营养化趋势

根据1959年和2002年在长江口海域28°00'—32°00'N,122°00'—123°30'E海域4个季节8个航次海洋调查资料,分析长江口夜光藻丰度的平面分布和季节变化特征。并结合同步的温度资料进行曲线拟合,构造数学模型,计算最适温度。结合夜光藻分布特征、生态类群,比较不同年间夜光藻丰度变化趋势,分析长江口富营养化趋势对夜光藻丰度的影响。结果表明,夜光藻出现率和平均丰度均表现为春季丰度极高而其它季节较低。例如春季长江口夜光藻的最高丰度可以达到48576.00ind/m3,出现率为96.30%。该种在春季有明显的集群性,其它季节聚集强度指标值较低。盐度是影响夜光藻的平面分布的主要因素。长江口夜光藻适温范围较窄。仅仅在15—20℃之间有较高的数量。通过曲线拟合计算,其丰度和温度的函数关系符合YieldDensity模型。进一步通过极值计算得出,夜光藻最适温度为17.53℃。在长江口,夜光藻往往生活在在长江径流和外海水形成的河口锋水域。因而是暖温性近海种。近年来在春季,长江口夜光藻数量明显增多,夜光藻数量的年间变化特征可能与长江口富营养化相关。夜光藻赤潮的爆发就是长江口海域富营养化的结果之一。     

Pore Water Nutrient Regeneration in Shallow Coastal Bohai Sea, China

The regeneration of pore water nutrients was studied and the contribution of benthic nutrient fluxes to the overlying water was evaluated on the basis of field specific observations conducted in September–October 1998 and April–May 1999 in the Bohai Sea. Nutrient concentrations in sediment pore waters were examined by incubating sediment core samples with overlying seawater in air and/or nitrogen conditions. Nutrient diffusion fluxes calculated by diagenetic equations were within a factor of 2 during incubations. The factors affecting nutrient diffusion across sediment/water interface include bioturbation, nitrification, denitrification, adsorption, and dissolution. The regeneration of nutrients from sediments will increase nutrient loads of the Bohai Sea and affect nutrient atomic ratios in this region. Among nutrient sources from riverine input, atmospheric deposition and sediment regeneration, ammonium and phosphate mainly came from atmospheric deposition (>50%); nitrate was mainly transported by riverine input into the Sea, silicate from sediment regeneration accounts up to 60%. This demonstrates that nutrient regeneration in sediments contributes more silicate than riverine input and atmospheric deposition together, but benthic flux contributes very much less phosphate and nitrate relative to riverine input and atmospheric deposition. The benthic fluxes of nutrients may lead to a decrease of the amount of nitrate, an increase of phosphate, ammonia and silicate in the water column. The release of silicate from sediments may compensate the decrease of silicate due to the reduction of riverine discharge. Nutrient regeneration in sediment may have an important influence on the eutrophic character of coastal waters in this region. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Changes of nutrient concentrations and N: P: Si ratios and their possible impacts on the Huanghai Sea ecosystem

To investigate the impacts of nutrient concentrations and N:P:Si ratios on the ecosystem of the Huanghai Sea (Yellow Sea), the current status and long-term variation of nutrients concentrations and ratios as well as phytoplankton community structure in the Huanghai Sea were collected and analyzed. The results reveal great annual and seasonal fluctuations in the nutrient concentrations and N:P:Si ratios during 1998-2008 with no clear pattern observed in the whole region. Yet on a seasonal scale of spring and in the coastal regions such as the Jiaozhou Bay and Sanggou Bay, the increase of DIN concentration and N:P ratio as well as the decrease of phosphate and silicate concentrations and Si:N ratios were relatively significant. Many pelagic ecosystem changes have occurred concurrent with these changes of the nutrient regime, such as the recent increase of primary production, changes of phytoplankton chlorophyll a biomass and abundance, an increase of eutrophication, and occurrence of HABs. In addition, new trends in the variation of nutrients seem to be developing in some particular transect such as 36°N, which suggests that long-term and systematic ecosystem monitoring in the Huanghai Sea is necessary.     

Mechanism of Nutrient Supply to Warm-Core Ring off Sanriku, Japan

The mechanism by which nutrient is supplied to a warm-core ring (WCR) was investigated in order to understand the greater productivity of WCR than that of the Kuroshio, where the WCR originattes. A single WCR was observed in January and May, 1997. The thermostad (a layer of isothermal and isohaline water) of the WCR had different properties from January to May, the differences: Δwater temperature: −0.698°C, Δsalinity: −0.048, Δsigma θ: +0.072, Δnitrite+nitrate-N: +1.83 μM, Δphosphate: +0.011 μM and Δsilicate: +3.2 μM. We examined three possible mechanisms for nutrient supply to WCR in winter, namely: 1) inflow of the Oyashio surface water into WCR; 2) isopycnal mixing with Oyashio water; 3) entrainment of the water below the WCR into the WCR. The results were as follows: 1) When the decrease of salinity was due to the inflow of the Oyashio surface water, the increase of nutrients (nitrite+nitrate-N, phosphate-P and silicate-Si) was estimated to be only 17–27% of the observed increase. 2) When the decrease of salinity was due to isopycnal mixing, the increase of nutrients was estimated to be 30–42% of the observed increase. 3) When the decrease of salinity in the WCR in May was due to entrainment of the water below the WCR in winter by convection, the mixing depth was calculated be 620 m according to the salt budget. The increase of nutrients in this case was calculated to be 82–95% of the observed increase. The main mechanism of nutrient supply to WCR was concluded to be due to the entrainment of the water below the WCR by winter mixing. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

南麂列岛自然保护区海域红色裸甲藻赤潮及其成因分析

2002年9月16～19日南麂列岛海域发生3km2 红褐色赤潮 ,其原因种为红色裸甲藻(GymnodiniumsanguineumHirasaka) ,密度高达4.6×105 个/L。赤潮发生时伴随细菌的大量繁殖 ,江浙沿岸流所携带的营养物质是本次赤潮发生的基础 ,森拉克台风是本次赤潮的重要诱因。南麂海域的赤潮多发季节为4～5月份 ,9～11月份发生赤潮的可能性也较大 ,大沙岙、马祖岙和火岙等水体交换相对较弱的岙口为赤潮多发区。为保护南麂列岛国家级海洋自然保护区珍稀海洋贝藻资源 ,需协调好保护和开发之间日益尖锐的矛盾 ,控制养殖业的发展规模和游客的数量。     

Nutrient composition and distributions in coastal waters impacted by the Changjiang plume

Four cruises were conducted during 2002--2003 in the Changjiang Estuary and adjacent coastal areas. The data presented show a clear coast to open sea gradient in nutrients related to the river inputs. Maximum values of chlorophyll a were typically observed at intermediate salinities at surface water and coincided with non-conservative decreases in nutrients along the salinity gradient, indicating that removal of nutrients was related to phytoplankton uptake. The seasonal variations of nutrient concentrations were just opposite to those of chlorophyll a, indicating that the seasonal variations of nutrients were mainly controlled by phytoplankton uptake, whereas riverine inputs merely weakened or balanced its extent. During the estuarine mixing, phosphate demonstrated some remobilization during all the four cruises; whereas both conservative and non-conservative behaviors for dissolved inorganic nitrogen and silicate were observed in the study area, indicating that both biotic and abiotic events may affect their behaviors during the estuarine mixing. Under the influence of freshwater inputs with high value of ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus, the estuarine and coastal waters impacted by the Changjiang plume were high （ 〉 30） in ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus, but rates of primary production were apparently not constrained by any kind of nutrient elements. However, the low （ 〈 1 ） ratio of silicate to nitrogen in most of the study area might be linked with the rapidly increasing frequency of harmful algal bloom （HAB） incidents in recent years in the coastal waters impacted by the Changjiang plume.     

利用耐盐沉水植物控制滨海再生水景观河道的富营养化研究

研究了由广盐性沉水植物川蔓藻(Ruppia maritima)构建的沉水植被系统对滨海再生水景观河道的富营养化控制。实验室静态试验与工程现场中试研究结果表明:由单一广盐性沉水植物川蔓藻构建的沉水植被系统对含盐量7000~13000mg/L的再生水中的氮和磷都有较高的去除率,当河道川蔓藻的生物量达4627gFw/m2时,再生水体中总氮和总磷的去除率分别达到74.6%和85.4%。出水氮磷浓度达到了《城市污水再生利用景观环境用水质》(GB/T18921-2002)的标准。泰达再生水河道中川蔓藻的生物量与河道水体中的叶绿素a存在显著的线性负相关。因此,在景观河道之前先构建一个川蔓藻沉水植被系统,对于利用再生水恢复与重建滨海湿地,并控制水体富营养化有重要作用。     

The Irish Sea: Is it eutrophic?

The question of whether the Irish Sea is eutrophic is addressed by reviewing the evidence for anthropogenic nutrient enrichment, elevated phytoplankton production and biomass and undesirable disturbance in the context of the EU and OSPAR definitions of eutrophication. Winter concentrations of dissolved available inorganic phosphate (DAIP), nitrogen (DAIN as nitrate and nitrite) and silicate (Si) in coastal waters and concentrations of DAIP and Si in offshore waters of the Irish Sea are elevated relative to winter Celtic Sea shelf break concentrations (0.5 μM DAIP, 7.7 μM DAIN and 2.7 μM Si). Significant, negative nutrient salinity relationships and analysis of the Isle of Man nutrient time-series indicate that the elevated Irish Sea levels of DAIP and DAIN are the result of anthropogenic enrichment with highest concentrations (≈2.0 μM DAIP, 30 μM DAIN and 17 μM Si) measured in near shore eastern Irish Sea waters.     

Daily Variations in Nutrient Concentrations of Seawater at 321 m Depth in Toyama Bay, Japan Sea

Nutrient concentrations (nitrate + nitrite, phosphate and silicate) in deep seawater (321 m depth) of Toyama Bay, Japan, were measured from August 1996 to July 1997 to determine the magnitude of daily variations. Significant daily variations were observed; concentrations ranged from 4.42 to 22.4 µM for nitrate + nitrite, from 0.86 to 1.98 µM for phosphate, and from 9.91 to 47.7 µM for silicate, respectively. However, there were not significant relationships between nutrient concentrations and water temperature, or between nutrients and salinity. Since temperature and salinity in the >300 m depth layer were constant through the year, the results suggest that there may be water masses with different nutrient concentrations in the deep layers (at about 320 m depth) of the bay, and a horizontal advection of these water masses may be responsible for the observed daily variations.     

岙山监测浮标周边海域水质分析与评价

文章根据岙山监测浮标周边海域2015年9-12月水质调查资料,采用水质有机污染指数(A)、富营养化指数(E)和营养状态质量指数(NQI)等进行评价。结果表明:岙山监测浮标周边海域水质化学需氧量(COD)、溶解氧(DO)、油类(oils)符合二类海水水质标准,无机磷(DIP)和无机氮(DIN)含量均超过二类海水水质标准,DIP最高为0.048mg/L,DIN最高为0.753mg/L,总磷(TP)各月平均含量范围0.098~0.185mg/L,总氮(TN)各月平均含量范围0.650~0.818mg/L,叶绿素a(Chl a)含量基本稳定,DIN是主要的超标污染因子;富营养化评价结果显示,岙山监测浮标周边海域水质富营养程度严重,E值最高达9.10,NQI值最高为4.58;有机污染评价结果表明,岙山监测浮标周边海域水质总体处于轻度污染状态,A值最小为10月的1.90,最大为12月的2.73;使用A值、E值和NQI值方法同时对岙山监测浮标周边海域进行评价,其结果变化的一致性较好。     

运输方式对马氏珠母贝(Pinctada fucata)稚贝存活率、生长、消化及抗氧化性能的影响探究

为优化马氏珠母贝苗种运输技术,提高运输效率,以马氏珠母贝(Pinctada fucata)稚贝为研究对象,分别以有水和无水两种运输方式汽运8 h条件下开展实验,比较分析其在运输前后、运输后恢复阶段的生长、消化和抗氧化性能。结果显示:有水运输后存活率达98%,无水运输97%;在恢复期第14 d,有水运输和无水运输存活率分别达97%、96%;有水运输皮质醇含量由(2 607.61±15.27)μg/L显著降低至(1 412.98±5.09)μg/L,无水运输后显著降低至(2 287.36±10.18)μg/L;在恢复期第7 d和14 d皮质醇含量均呈逐渐上升趋势;有水和无水运输后和恢复期淀粉酶活性不断上升,且有水运输酶活性高于无水运输(P<0.05),最高值为(1.43±0.05) U/mg prot;有水和无水运输后及恢复期超氧化物歧化酶酶活性在不断下降,最低下降至(16.00±0.14) U/mg prot,有水运输超氧化物歧化酶活性均高于无水运输(P<0.05);有水运输碱性磷酸酶、谷草转氨酶和谷丙转氨酶活性均上升,无水运输均下降;在恢复阶段,碱性磷酸酶活性在不断下降,谷草转氨酶和谷丙转氨酶活性在不断上升。有水和无水运输会对马氏珠母贝稚贝产生不同的影响,有水运输方式相对无水运输方式可使马氏珠母贝稚贝在后期阶段具有更好的存活效果和生长状态。     

Level and fate of heavy metals in the Changjiang estuary and its adjacent waters

Dissolved concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd were measured in the Changjiang estuary and its adjacent waters. The results indicate that the ranges of dissolved heavy metals in the studied waters are as follows: Cu = 1.0−6.9 μg/L, Pb = 0.10−0.39 μg/L, Zn = 3.2−9.1 μg/L, and Cd = 0.011−0.049 μg/L. The behavior of the dissolved Cu was essentially conservative, but a high scatter was observed for the high salinity samples, and it is the same with Zn and Pb. The overall concentrations of dissolved Cd increase with the salinity. There were no differences between the surface, middle, and bottom layer for Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd. Seasonal changes of their averages were not obvious on the whole. River discharges, sedimentary dynamics, and biological processes might determine the profiles of heavy metals. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Water quality variability and eutrophic trends in karstic tropical coastal lagoons of the Yucatán Peninsula

Coastal lagoon ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to eutrophication due to often restricted water exchange with the adjacent ocean, leading to an accumulation of nutrients from the surrounding watershed. The coastal areas of the northern Yucatán (SE Mexico) show similar geological characteristics: carbonate soils, and strong groundwater discharges (SGD), which are a source of fresh water and dissolved inorganic nutrients. However, due to differences in land use and human impact, these coastal lagoons have different water quality characteristics. To determine the variables and processes that influence water quality and eutrophic status of these tropical coastal lagoons with different hydrological regimes and human impacts, bimonthly samplings were carried for a year at 11 stations in Celestún and Chelem lagoons. The results indicate that Celestún is influenced by bioturbation (resuspension and nutrients inputs from waterfowl) and SGD with high concentrations of nitrate and silicate, leading to oligo-mesotrophic conditions. Chelem had high ammonium and phosphate concentrations, reflecting impacts by wastewaters from the surrounding urban area, resulting in meso-eutrophic conditions. Forcing functions such as climatic patterns, water residence time and local aquifer pollution are probably the main variables that explain the observed patterns.     

Cultural eutrophication in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) plume: History and perspective

The Changjiang (Yangtze River) is known to contribute significantly to the eutrophication that has caused drastic changes to the ecosystem of the East China Sea. However, evidence for historical changes in nutrient concentrations and composition and the consequent effects on the ecosystem in the coastal water is sparse. In this paper we present some long-term data for nutrient concentrations and Si:N:P ratios in the freshwater and the river plume and the long-term response of the ecosystem structure in the river plume. These data reveal increases in the dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphate concentrations in the Changjiang freshwater by a factor of five from the1960s to the end of the 1990s and a reduction in dissolved silicate by two thirds over the same period. Concomitantly, an increase in DIN concentration and a reduction in silicate concentration both by a factor of two were observed in the surface water of the Changjiang plume. As an ecological consequence to such nutrient changes, the chlorophyll a concentration increased by a factor of four since the 1980s and harmful algal blooms increased rapidly since 1985 in the Changjiang estuary and adjacent sea areas. The macrozoobenthic biomass decreased sharply from the mid 1980s to the present, suggesting that the Changjiang estuary has been in a high eutrophication state since that time. We predict that, due to the continuously increasing nutrient pressure, the symptoms of eutrophication associated with nutrients will worsen in the Changjiang plume in the near future.     

春、夏季秦皇岛海域超微型浮游植物

2017年6月和8月，通过对秦皇岛海域的超微型浮游植物进行现场调查和流式细胞仪分析，发现了聚球藻(Synechococcus)和超微型真核藻类(picoeukaryotes)两大类群，其中聚球藻又分为聚球藻Ⅰ和聚球藻Ⅱ两个亚群。调研期间，正处于秦皇岛海域褐潮高发期。通过分析超微型浮游植物细胞丰度、碳生物量及分布特点，研究了秦皇岛海域在褐潮高发期超微型浮游植物分布及相关环境因子影响。结果表明，6月份超微型真核藻、聚球藻Ⅰ和聚球藻Ⅱ平均丰度分别为1.14×104 个/mL、4.02×104 个/mL和1.04×104 个/mL，碳生物量均值分别为27.22 μg/L、8.49 μg/L和2.27 μg/L；在8月份超微型真核藻、聚球藻Ⅰ和聚球藻Ⅱ平均丰度分别为3.27×103 个/mL、5.79×104 个/mL 和2.58×104个/mL，碳生物量均值分别为6.35 μg/L、13.41 μg/L和5.83 μg/L。超微型真核藻、聚球藻Ⅰ和聚球藻Ⅱ在6月份和8月份表现出不同的分布特征。超微型真核藻的细胞丰度从6月到8月明显降低一个数量级，说明8月份过高的水体温度与低浓度的营养物质等因素限制了超微型真核藻中褐潮种的生长。聚球藻Ⅰ和聚球藻Ⅱ细胞丰度在6月份呈现从河口到近岸逐渐升高的分布趋势，而超微型真核藻呈现下降的分布趋势。与6月份聚球藻Ⅰ和聚球藻Ⅱ细胞丰度分布相反，超微型真核藻和聚球藻Ⅰ细胞丰度则在8月份呈现从河口到近岸逐渐降低的分布趋势，而聚球藻Ⅱ细胞丰度的区域分布趋势不明显，主要分布在水体表层。通过对超微型真核藻、聚球藻Ⅰ和聚球藻Ⅱ与环境因子相关性分析表明，6月份硝酸盐与铵盐是聚球藻Ⅰ细胞生长的主要控制因子，而聚球藻Ⅱ与环境因子没有明显的相关性，超微型真核藻的细胞丰度与硅酸盐浓度呈正相关。在8月份，超微型真核藻细胞的生长受到多种环境因子(硝酸盐、亚硝酸盐、硅酸盐、磷酸盐、温度以及光照)的共同作用的影响，聚球藻Ⅰ细胞丰度与硝酸盐呈正相关，温度与光照则是影响聚球藻Ⅱ细胞分布的关键因素。     

Comparison of Chlorophyll a Concentrations Obtained with 90% Acetone and N,N-dimethylformamide Extraction in Coastal Seawater

Determinations of Chlorophyll a (Chl a) in eutrophic coastal marine waters were compared using N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and 90% acetone techniques. Measured Chl a concentrations ranged from 0.89 to 10.65 μg l₋₁ for 90% acetone extracts and from 0.97 to 12.92 μg l⁻¹ for DMF extracts, respectively, for 24 surface water samples from the Harima-nada, Seto Inland Sea, Japan. Chl a concentrations using DMF as a solvent were consistently higher than those found using 90% acetone (p < 0.001, n= 24). Chl a is thus likely to be underestimated (by 13%) when 90% acetone is used for eutrophic waters. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

2014年夏季南海北部浮游植物群落结构

2014年8月20日-9月6日对南海北部(18°~22°N,114°~116°E)的11个站位进行了浮游植物群落结构的调查,其中2个站位为时间连续站。共鉴定出浮游植物4门68属229种(包括变种、变型及未定种),其中硅藻门43属147种,甲藻门20属75种。浮游植物平均细胞丰度为16.318×103 cells/L,硅藻的平均细胞丰度为14.653×103 cells/L,占总丰度的89.80%,硅藻的分布决定了浮游植物的分布。近岸冲淡水含有丰富的营养盐,因此近岸海域的细胞丰度高于大洋海域,垂直分布表现出先增加后降低的趋势。本次调查的优势种为铁氏束毛藻(Trichodesmium thiebautii)、中肋骨条藻(Skeletonema costatum)、拟脆杆藻(Fragilariopsis sp.)、短孢角毛藻(Chaetoceros brevis)、菱形海线藻(Thalassionema nitzschioides)、柔弱伪菱形藻(Pseudo-nitzschia delicatissima)、尖刺伪菱形藻(Pseudo-nitzschia pungens)、扁面角毛藻(Chaetoceros compressus)、洛氏角毛藻(Chaetoceros lorenzianus)以及海洋角毛藻(Chaetoceros pelagicus),各优势种的分布趋势相似,呈现出近岸高于外海的趋势。Shannon-Weiner多样性指数与Pielou均匀度指数的平均值分别为2.37和0.56。浮游植物昼夜垂直变化明显。典范对应分析结果显示浮游植物空间分布主要受总氮盐、硅酸盐、微型浮游动物与盐度的影响。根据细胞丰度进行的站位的聚类分析显示浮游植物群落明显可划分为近岸群聚与大洋群聚。     

Microbial processes of the carbon and sulfur cycles in the Kara Sea

The results of microbiological, biogeochemical, and isotope geochemical studies in the Kara Sea are described. The samples for these studies were obtained during the 54th voyage of the research vessel Akademik Mstislav Keldysh in September 2007. The studied area covered the northern, central, and southwestern parts of the Kara Sea and the Gulf of Ob. The quantitative characteristics of the total bacterial population and the activity of the microbial processes in the water column and bottom sediments were obtained. The total population of the bacterioplankton (BP) varied from 250000 cells/ml in the northern water area to 3000000 cells/ml in the Gulf of Ob. The BP population depended on the content of the water suspension. The net BP production was minimal in the central water area, amounting to 0.15–0.2 μg C/(l day), and maximal (0.5–0.75 μg C/(l day)) in the Gulf of Ob. The organic material at the majority of the stations in the Ob transect predominantly contained light carbon isotopes (−28.0 to −30.18‰) of terrigenous origin. The methane content in the surface water layer varied from 0.18 to 2.0 μl CH₄/l, and the methane oxidation rate changed in the range of 0.1–100 nl CH₄/(l day). The methane concentration in the upper sediment layer varied from 30 to 300 μl CH₄/dm³; the rate of the methanogenesis was 44 to 500 nl CH₄/(dm³ day) and that of the methane oxidation, 30 to 2000 nl CH₄/(dm³ day). The rate of the sulfate reduction varied from 4 to 184 μg S/(dm³ day).