Cycling of trace metals (Mn, Fe, Mo, U, V, Cr) in deep pore waters of intertidal flat sediments

Trace metals (Mn, Fe, Mo, U, Cr, V) were studied in pore waters of an intertidal flat located in the German Wadden Sea. The study system is an example of a permeable tidal flat system where pore water exchange is affected by tidal driven pressure gradients besides diffusion. Permanently installed in situ samplers were used to extract pore waters down to 5 m depth throughout one year. The samplers were either located close to the tidal flat margin or in central parts of the tidal flat. Despite dynamic sedimentological and hydrological conditions, the general trends with depth in deep tidal flat pore waters are remarkably similar to those observed in deep sea environments. Rates of trace metal cycling must be comparably large in order to maintain the observed pore water profiles. Trace metals further show similar general trends with depth close to the margin and in central parts of the tidal flat. Seasonal sampling revealed that V and Cr vary concurrent with seasonal changes in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration. This effect is most notable close to the tidal flat margin where sulphate, DOC, and nutrients vary with season down to some metres depth. Seasonal variations of Mn, Fe, Mo, and U are by contrast limited to the upper decimetres of the sediment. Their seasonal patterns depend on organic matter supply, redox stratification, and particulate matter deposited on sediment surfaces. Pore water sampling within one tidal cycle provides evidence for pore water advection in margin sediments. During low tide pore water flow towards the creekbank is generated by a hydraulic gradient suggesting that deep pore waters may be seeping out of creekbank sediments. Owing to the enrichment of specific elements like Mn in pore water compared to sea water, seeping pore waters may have an impact on the chemistry of the open water column. Mass balance calculations reveal that the impact of deep pore waters on the Mn budget in the open water column is below 4%. Mn deep pore water discharge of the whole Wadden Sea is estimated to be about 9% of the total dissolved riverine Mn input into the Southern North Sea.     

Sterol geochemistry of sediments from the western North Atlantic Ocean and adjacent coastal areas

Core sections from coastal bay, continental slope, and continental rise surface sediments of the western North Atlantic were analyzed for sterols. Changing rate or type of sediment input, bioturbation, and chemical conversion appear to be processes important in controlling the distribution of sterols in these sediments. Comparisons of individual sterol distributions and variations in the ratio of Soxhlet-extractable to non-extractable saponified sterols indicate that for the western North Atlantic, the extent to which each process is dominant varies with proximity to shore. Evidence is presented to show that sterols in the deep sea may be at least partially terrigenous in origin and not all biogenically derived in the surface waters. These sterols, and by analogy other labile organic compounds, may serve as a source of carbon for benthic organism metabolism.     

Contaminants in sediments from the central Gulf of Mexico

Surface sediment samples at 89 locations and 300-cm cores from 43 sites in the Mississippi Sound were examined for evidence of pollutant impact upon this coastal environment. Chemical variables determined were total organic carbon, Kjeldahl nitrogen, phenols, and hydrocarbons. Values of these pollutant indicators were about the same or lower in Gulf of Mexico samples compared to Missippi Sound sediments and considerably lower than those from rivers and bays emptying into the sound, indicating limited impact from sites of pollutant sources into the sound. Concentrations of sedimentary pollutants peaked in the Pascagoula River where levels of total organic carbon (TOC), Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), phenols, and hydrocarbons exceeded sound values by one to three orders of magnitude. Analysis of cores shows pollutant intrusion to sediment strata predating industrial development. The level of pollution varies from site to site but fortunately is only serious at localized sites within the sound.     

Dissolved organic matter in pore water of carbonate sediments from Bermuda

Pore water samples from seven nearshore areas in Bermuda were obtained under in situ conditions and analyzed for dissolved organic carbon, dissolved carbohydrates, dissolved free amino acids and dissolved humic substances. The concentration of dissolved organic carbon is higher than in the overlying nearshore waters indicating significant diagenetic remobilization of carbon in these recently deposited carbonate sediments. Dissolved carbohydrates decrease with depth due to microbial utilization.     

南海北部油气缓释环境沉积物脂类化合物组成特征

认识沉积环境有机碳留存状况是阐述油气形成过程中有机碳早期成岩的关键内容。以南海珠江口盆地及其邻近海域为背景,通过研究表层沉积物中脂类化合物的形态组成,认识脂类有机碳的来源和留存状态,阐述特征脂类分子的早期成岩特征。结果表明,研究区域表层沉积物有机碳含量为0.22%～0.66%,有机碳稳定同位素分布在-20.88‰～-22.93‰之间,表现为显著的海源特征。沉积物中共检测出21种脂肪酸、6种脂肪醇、8种甾醇和植醇;总脂肪酸、脂肪醇、甾醇和植醇含量分别为12.57～40.27μg/g、5.35～8.98μg/g、0.15～3.75μg/g和0.01～3.99μg/g干重,总体表现为靠近珠江口和台湾海峡略高。脂类化合物的存在形态以游离态(FR)和碱性水解态(BH)为主,酸性水解态(AH)贡献较低;其中植醇和甾醇呈现显著的BH优势,植醇中未检出AH组分的贡献。脂类化合物主要来自于海洋现场生产,海洋微藻和细菌的相对贡献率分别为21.18%～33.78%和11.02%～15.64%,陆源高等植物贡献低于5%。来源于硫酸盐还原菌的支链脂肪酸在靠近珠江口海域高达1.79～2.62μg/g,占总脂肪酸的5.14%～6.50%,并与硫酸盐还原过程相关的古菌分布相一致。     

Marine and terrigenous lipids in coastal sediments from the Peru upwelling region at 15°S: Sterols and triterpene alcohols

The distributions of free 4-desmethyl sterols in sediments from the Peru coastal zone at 15°S have been determined. Major free sterols in the surface sediments include cholesterol, which is mainly derived from zooplankton, and two C₂₈ sterols: 24-methylcholesta-5,24(28)-dien-3β-ol and 24-methylcholesta-5,22E-dien-3β-ol both of which are derived fro diatoms. Their concentrations decrease by almost an order of magnitude in the top 20 cm of sediment depth, indicating that free sterols are rapidly degraded in this sedimentary environment. Lipids from higher plants were also detected: long chain fatty acids and alcohols and various triterpenoid alcohols, including taraxerol, lupeol and α- and β-amyrin. The concentrations of most terrigenous lipids varied by less than a factor of 3 over the same depth, and these changes were not correlated with changes in the concentrations of total organic carbon. Below 3 cm, lipids from higher plants predominated in the extractable lipid distributions due to the more rapid degradation of marine lipids. We postulate that there are significant marine sources of the higher plant sterols 24-ethylcholesterol, 24-ethylcholesta-5,22E-dien-3β-ol and 24-methylcholesterol in these sediments. A high proportion of many of the terrigenous lipids in these sediments are probably transported into the coastal zone by rivers, rather than from the atmosphere, and then redistributed by bottom currents.     

Diagenesis of Organic Matter in the Top Layer of the Sediments of the Peter the Great Bay in Hypoxia Locations

During Cruise 62nd of the R/V “Professor Gagarinsky” in September, 2014, the carbonate system of sediments and contents of nutrients and organic carbon in pore water were studied in two geochemical stations located in hypoxia areas in the Peter the Great Bay. It was established that the concentrations of silica, phosphorus, and ammonium increase by 5, 10, and 20 times, respectively, with sediment depth to 70–80 cm. The alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, and the partial pressure of carbon dioxide significantly increase with depth, while рН value and organic matter (ОM) decrease. Changes in the chemical composition of pore water with sediment depth (0–80 cm) are caused by anaerobic microbial degradation of OM, concentration of which in the top sediment layer is 2–3%. The degradation products of OM in the bottom waters of bay and pore waters of bottom sediments indicate that its main sources are diatoms. During hypoxia, the oxygen demand rate by sediment surface near Furugelm Island is estimated to be 5 mmol/(m² day). A combination of such factors as downwelling circulation, the absence of photosynthetically active radiation, and the high oxygen demand rate at the water/sediment interface provides hypoxia formation in the depressions of the Peter the Great Bay bottom topography.     

Marine biota, nearshore sediments, and the global carbon balance

Nearshore waters to a depth of 200 m constitute only 0.2% of the volume of the world's oceans, but they receive and process 25% of the oceans' input of organic carbon, between 6 and 7 × 10¹⁵ g C per year. Man's activities during the past century have significantly increased both the supply of nutrients from land to coastal waters and the total sediment load carried by rivers and deposited in nearshore waters. The combination of increased primary productivity, due to increased supply of nutrients, and increased burial of organic matter, due to increased sedimentation, could sequester a significant fraction of the carbon released into the atmosphere by man as organic carbon in recent shallow-water sediments.     

Benthic fluxes and porewater concentration profiles of dissolved organic carbon in sediments from the North Carolina continental slope

Numerous studies of marine environments show that dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in sediments are typically tenfold higher than in the overlying water. Large concentration gradients near the sediment–water interface suggest that there may be a significant flux of organic carbon from sediments to the water column. Furthermore, accumulation of DOC in the porewater may influence the burial and preservation of organic matter by promoting geopolymerization and/or adsorption reactions. We measured DOC concentration profiles (for porewater collected by centrifugation and “sipping”) and benthic fluxes (with in situ and shipboard chambers) at two sites on the North Carolina continental slope to better understand the controls on porewater DOC concentrations and quantify sediment–water exchange rates. We also measured a suite of sediment properties (e.g., sediment accumulation and bioturbation rates, organic carbon content, and mineral surface area) that allow us to examine the relationship between porewater DOC concentrations and organic carbon preservation. Sediment depth-distributions of DOC from a downslope transect (300–1000 m water depth) follow a trend consistent with other porewater constituents (ΣCO₂ and SO₄²⁻) and a tracer of modern, fine-grained sediment (fallout Pu), suggesting that DOC levels are regulated by organic matter remineralization. However, remineralization rates appear to be relatively uniform across the sediment transect. A simple diagenetic model illustrates that variations in DOC profiles at this site may be due to differences in the depth of the active remineralization zone, which in turn is largely controlled by the intensity of bioturbation. Comparison of porewater DOC concentrations, organic carbon burial efficiency, and organic matter sorption suggest that DOC levels are not a major factor in promoting organic matter preservation or loading on grain surfaces. The DOC benthic fluxes are difficult to detect, but suggest that only 2% of the dissolved organic carbon escapes remineralization in the sediments by transport across the sediment-water interface.     

近岸沉积物再悬浮期间所释放溶解有机物的荧光特征

对采自厦门湾九龙江人海河口的4个沉积物样品进行了室内再悬浮模拟实验,利用荧光激发-发射矩阵光谱(EEMs)研究了再悬浮过程中从沉积物中释放出的有色溶解有机物(CDOM)的荧光特征,同时通过与相应站位沉积物间隙水和底层水的对比分析,探讨了河口近岸海域的沉积物再悬浮作用作为水体中溶解有机物来源之一的可能性.结果表明,对给定站位,CDOM相对荧光强度和溶解有机碳(DOC)含量分布变化非常一致,均为间隙水最高,再悬浮次之,底层水最低;站位之间,底层水和再悬浮水样中CDOM相对荧光强度随盐度的降低而增加,从海端向河端增加的趋势明显.EEMs分析表明,各样品中均存在类腐殖质荧光与类蛋白质荧光团,且模拟实验也表明再悬浮作用可释放类腐殖质与类蛋白质荧光物质到底层水中,表明底质再悬浮将是近岸水体中CDOM的一个重要来源.与相应的底层水相比,间隙水的荧光峰(如峰A/C)的位置发生红移.再悬浮样品中EEMs的荧光团同时表现出相应底层水和间隙水的特征,但是荧光峰(峰A和峰C)的最大激发和发射波长更接近底层水中相应荧光团,与间隙水相比,则发生谱峰位置的蓝移.近海端样品中荧光峰M明显,随着盐度的降低,底层水和再悬浮水样的γ(M/C)值逐渐降低,且海源的峰M由海端向河端逐渐消失,表明峰M属于海洋自生来源.本研究区域DOM的荧光指数在1.61～1.93之间,表明近海端样品DOM主要为生物来源,而近河端样品DOM主要为陆源输入,或者为陆源与生物活动共同作用的结果.     

Free and bound lipids in recent (1835–1987) sediments from Santa Barbara Basin

In order to study the first steps of incorporation of lipids in recent organic-rich sediments into free and bound fractions, we have selected the Santa Barbara Basin, off California. This basin with a maximum of 590 m water depth is characterized by high phytoplankton production in surface waters and a low oxygen content in bottom waters. Sediments show the following features: high sedimentation rate ≈ 4 mm/yr, no bioturbation, and development of a bacterial mat community at the surface with predominance of sulphur-oxidizing bacteria trapping particles, thus preventing re-distribution of sediment, which permit a unique observations of organic sedimentation on a new few years basis.A sediment core has been divided into 2 cm thick slices corresponding to a time resolution of ≈5 years, from 1835 up to 1987. Samples have been analyzed using a multi-parameter approach, such as for plankton species identification, carbon stable isotope ratios and, as reported here, for lipid organic tracers. Organic tracers have been analyzed in the sterol and fatty series for both free and bound compounds by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.The incorporation processes of sterols with depth appear different for free and bound compounds. Total free sterol concentrations show high values in surface sediments (≈ 100 μg/g dry sediment), rapidly decrease up to ≈ 10 cm depth and remain at a constant value of 30–40 μg/g. Total bound sterol concentrations show low values in surface sediment (13.6 μg/g), and vary irregularly with depth up to a value of 55 μg/g at 7.3 m, and then remain constant at 25–26 μg/g.Profiles of evolution with depth of free C₂₇, C₂₈ sterols show a regular decrease, whereas C₂₉ sterols show an irregular decrease with anomalies at 7.3 cm (approximately age: 1977–1978) and at 14.1 cm (1962–1964). Profiles of bound compounds are rather different, very regular for C₂₈ sterols, irregular with oscillations for C₂₇ and C₂₉ sterols at 7.3, 12.2 and 18.0 cm (1954–1956), suggesting a different mode of incorporation and probably different inputs for C₂₇, C₂₉ and C₂₈ sterols.The study of the kinetics of degradation of sterols between surface (1987) and 10.5 cm (1968–1972) shows that C₂₇ compounds are degraded at a slight higher rate (0.53 μg/μg of initial C₂₇ concentration/ year) than are C₂₈ and C₂₉ compounds (0.047 μg/μg of initial concentration/year). An intermediate value is found for brassicasterol: 0.049 μg/μg/year.     

A comprehensive survey of lignin geochemistry in the sedimentary organic matter along the Kapuas River (West Kalimantan, Indonesia)

In this first study of lignin geochemistry in the world’s longest river on an island, surface sediments were collected along the Kapuas River, three lakes in the upper river, a tributary in the lower river and a separate river during June-July 2007 and December 2007-January 2008. The samples were analyzed for lignin-derived phenols and bulk elemental and stable carbon isotope compositions. Λ values (the sum of eight lignin phenols, expressed as mg/100 mg organic carbon (OC)) ranged from 0.13 to 3.70. Ratios of syringyl/vanillyl (S/V) and cinnamyl/vanillyl (C/V) ranged from 0.34 to 1.18 and 0.28 to 1.40, respectively, indicating the presence of non-woody angiosperm tissues. The high vanillic acid to vanillin (Ad/Al)v (0.71-2.01) and syringic acid to syringaldehyde (Ad/Al)s (0.72-2.12) ratios indicate highly degraded lignin materials. In the upper Kapuas River, highly degraded soil materials discharged from lands that were barren as a result of deforestation activities were detected in the locations directly in those vicinities. The middle Kapuas River showed rapid organic matter degradation, probably due to the presence of fresh terrestrial and phytoplankton organic matter fueling the biogeochemical cycling. The Kapuas Kecil River, one of the two branches in the lower reach of the Kapuas River, showed higher levels and diagenesis of sedimentary organic matter due to input from anthropogenic sources and increased marine organic matter near the mouth. This study shows that different stretches along the river exhibit different levels and composition of sedimentary organic matter, as well as different carbon dynamics, which is directly attributable to the varying landscapes and quality of organic matter.     

New approaches in assessment of tsunami deposits in Dalaman (SW Turkey)

Some earthquakes in the Eastern Mediterranean are tsunamigenic and some of their tsunamis affected the coastal area of the Gulf of Fethiye, SW Turkey. Recent trenching surveys on the low-lying coastal areas of Dalaman delta beach across the Rhodes Pass revealed three probable tsunami impacts as a result of the historical earthquakes of 1303, 1481 and 1741. Yet, there have been relatively few studies of the processes associated with tsunami sediment transport, their deposition and nature in geological record. In addition to the interpretation of sedimentary features, accurate paleoenvironmental assessments might be possible by distinctive biogeochemical researches on marine-sourced organic matters, geochemical properties, quantitative amounts of marine-sourced biomarkers and deterministic ratios. The identification of major lipid biomarkers (fatty acids and sterols) in the samples recovered from the sidewalls of the studied trench, for example, indicated biogenic contributions due to the presence of phytoplankton, zooplankton, dinoflagellates and bacteria. Quantitative estimation of biomarkers and deterministic ratios also indicated some evidences for marine-sourced organic matters, implying that biomarkers can be used to answer the open questions in tsunami and paleotsunami researches.     

Evidence for the enhanced lability of dissolved organic matter following permafrost slope disturbance in the Canadian High Arctic

Arctic landscapes are believed to be highly sensitive to climate change and accelerated disturbance of permafrost is expected to significantly impact the rate of carbon cycling. While half the global soil organic matter (SOM) is estimated to reside in Arctic soils, projected warmer temperatures and permafrost disturbance will release much of this SOM into waterways in the form of dissolved organic matter (DOM). The spring thaw and subsequent flushing of soils releases the highest contributions of DOM annually but has historically been undersampled due to the difficulties of sampling during this period. In this study, passive samplers were placed throughout paired High Arctic watersheds during the duration of the 2008 spring flush in Nunavut, Canada. The watersheds are very similar with the exception of widespread active layer detachments (ALDs) that occurred within one of the catchments during a period of elevated temperatures in the summer of 2007. DOM samples were analyzed for structural and spectral characteristics via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and fluorescence spectroscopy as well as vulnerability to degradation with simulated solar exposure. Lignin-derived phenols were further assessed utilizing copper(II) oxide (CuO) oxidation and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The samples were found to have very low dissolved lignin phenol content (∼0.07% of DOC) and appear to originate from primarily non-woody angiosperm vegetation. The acid/aldehyde ratios for dissolved vanillyl phenols were found to be high (up to 3.6), indicating the presence of highly oxidized lignin. Differences between DOM released from the ALD vs. the undisturbed watershed suggest that these shallow detachment slides have significantly impacted the quality of Arctic DOM. Although material released from the disturbed catchment was found to be highly oxidized, DOM in the lake into which this catchment drained had chemical characteristics indicating high contributions from microbial and/or primary productivity. The resulting pool of dissolved carbon within the lake appears to be more biologically- and photochemically-labile than material from the undisturbed system. These disturbances may have implications for projected climate warming; sustained elevated temperatures would likely perpetuate widespread ALDs and further affect carbon cycling in this environment.     

Assessment of the geochemical reactivity of Fe-DOM complexes in wetland sediment pore waters using a nitroaromatic probe compound

The reductive capacity of Fe(II) present in anoxic sediment pore waters affects biogeochemically significant processes that occur in these environments, such as metal speciation, mineral solubility, nutrient bioavailability, and the transformation of anthropogenic organic compounds. We studied the reduction of pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) in natural pore waters to elucidate the reductive capacity of Fe(II) complexes, and monitored the redox-active species responsible for the observed kinetics. Differential pulse polarography (DPP) scans of sediment pore waters from a coastal Lake Erie wetland (Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve, Huron, OH) revealed an increase in both Fe(III)-organic and Fe(II) species to a depth of ∼30 cm below the sediment-water interface. Concentrations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in pore waters increased while pH decreased with depth. We found that Fe(II) was necessary for rapid PCNB reduction (<24 h), and observed faster reduction with increased pH. PCNB reduction in preserved pore waters (acidified to pH 2.5 after pore water extraction and raised to the native pH (6.7-7.6) prior to reaction) was similar to that observed in a model system containing Fe(II) and fulvic acid isolated from this site. Conversely, PCNB reduction in unaltered pore water was significantly slower than that observed in preserved pore water, indicating that the Fe(II) speciation and its reductive capacity differed. DPP scans of pore waters used for kinetic studies confirmed that pH-adjustment affected Fe_T speciation in the pore waters, as the Fe(III)-DOM peak current was lowered or disappeared completely in the preserved pore water samples. These data show that pH-adjustment of pore waters presumably alters both their complexation chemistry and reactivity towards PCNB, and shows how small changes in Fe complexation can potentially affect redox chemistry in anoxic environments. Our results also show that reactive organic Fe(II) complexes are naturally present in wetland sediment pore waters, and that these species are potentially important mediators of Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox biogeochemistry in anoxic sedimentary environments.     

Spectroscopic and Chromatographic studies of organic carbon in Recent marine sediments from the Peruvian Upwelling Zone

Early diagenesis of organic matter in sediments from two sites in the Peruvian Upwelling Zone (12°05′S, 77°39′W; 15°17′S, 75°24′W) has been studied by observing changes in the total organic carbon and lipid and humin fractions with depth. Transformations of the total carbon and humin fraction have been characterized by conventional and time-dependent solid state NMR techniques, while lipid diagenesis was monitored by measuring the concentration of sterols in the same sedimentary horizons. Both the quantity of total sterols and the relative abundances of individual sterols vary with sampling location, suggesting a difference in the input of biomass to the sediments at the two sites. Total sterol concentrations decrease with depth at both sites, but the loss of sterols occurs much more slowly at the more anoxic northern site, where sedimentation rates and organic carbon contents are approximately twice those at the southern site. ¹³C-NMR spectra of the total organic carbon and the humin fraction suggest that humin-like compounds are an original component of the sedimentary biomass, and dipolar-dephased spectra of the humin residue indicate that diagenetic alterations of the humin fraction are occurring even in these very young sediments. Conventional and time-dependent spectroscopic data support the hypothesis that humin formation results from selective preservation of microbially-resistant biopolymers which are an original component of the sedimentary biomass combined with loss of certain labile compounds.     

Mineral ballast and particle settling rates in the coastal upwelling system off NW Africa and the South Atlantic

The ocean off NW Africa is the second most important coastal upwelling system with a total annual primary production of 0.33 Gt of carbon per year (Carr in Deep Sea Res II 49:59–80, 2002). Deep ocean organic carbon fluxes measured by sediment traps are also fairly high despite low biogenic opal fluxes. Due to a low supply of dissolved silicate from subsurface waters, the ocean off NW Africa is characterized by predominantly carbonate-secreting primary producers, i.e. coccolithophorids. These algae which are key primary producers since millions of years are found in organic- and chlorophyll-rich zooplankton fecal pellets, which sink rapidly through the water column within a few days. Particle flux studies in the Mauretanian upwelling area (Cape Blanc) confirm the hypothesis of Armstrong et al. (Deep Sea Res II 49:219–236, 2002) who proposed that ballast availability, e.g. of carbonate particles, is essential to predict deep ocean organic carbon fluxes. The role of dust as ballast mineral for organic carbon, however, must be also taken into consideration in the coastal settings off NW Africa. There, high settling rates of larger particles approach 400 m day⁻¹, which may be due to a particular composition of mineral ballast. An assessment of particle settling rates from opal-production systems in the Southern Ocean of the Atlantic Sector, in contrast, provides lower values, consistent with the assumptions of Francois et al. (Global Biogeochem Cycles 16(4):1087, 2002). Satellite chlorophyll distributions, particle distributions and fluxes in the water column off NW Africa as well as modelling studies suggest a significant lateral flux component and export of particles from coastal shelf waters into the open ocean. These transport processes have implications for paleo-reconstructions from sediment cores retrieved at continental margin settings.     

Effect of changes in water level on sediment pore water redox geochemistry at a reservoir shoreline

Pore water samplers with high vertical resolution were used to evaluate the response of sediment redox geochemistry during transient hydrologic conditions at Lake Powell, a large reservoir in Utah and Arizona, USA. Samplers were deployed at two different yet proximal shoreline locations, White and Farley Canyons, before and after exposure of sediment to air and subsequent resubmersion, which resulted from fluctuations in the water level of the reservoir. Before exposure to air, an observed increase in dissolved Mn concentrations and, at Farley Canyon, an observed decrease in dissolved U concentrations across and immediately below the sediment–water interface indicated reducing conditions in the sub-surface. After exposure and resubmersion of the sediment, pore water profiles at each site differed distinctly from those observed before the fluctuation in water level. At White Canyon, an increase in U concentrations and a decrease in Mn concentrations in pore water after exposure and subsequent resubmersion are suggestive of oxidative processes occurring during the period of sediment exposure. Data from Farley Canyon suggest that the same processes may be occurring, but to a lesser extent. Depth profiles of As and Pb were also examined, but were relatively featureless compared to those of Mn and U. At both sites, sediment evaluated for pore water chemistry in the second sampling was only fully resubmerged for 2–5 days prior to the second sampling event, yet reducing conditions were clearly evident in the Mn pore water profiles. This suggests that the dynamics of the biogeochemical processes occurring in surface sediment at Lake Powell are responsive on the timescale defined by the fluctuating water levels in the reservoir.     

Metabolic Responses of Estuarine Microbial Communities to Discharge of Surface Runoff and Groundwater from Contrasting Landscapes

Groundwater discharge is increasingly recognized as a significant source of nutrient input to coastal waters, relative to surface water inputs. There remains limited information, however, on the extent to which nutrients and organic matter from each of these two flowpaths influence the functional responses of coastal microbial communities. As such, this study determined dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nutrient concentrations of surface water runoff and groundwater from both an urbanized and a relatively pristine forested drainage basin near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and quantified the changes in production rates and biomass of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton in response to these inputs during two microcosm incubation experiments (August and October, 2011). Rainwater in the urbanized basin that would otherwise enter the groundwater appeared to be largely rerouted into the surface flowpath by impervious surfaces, bypassing ecosystem buffers and filtration mechanisms. Surface runoff from the developed basin was most enriched in nutrients and DOC and yielded the highest production rates of the various source waters upon addition to coastal waters. The metabolic responses of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton were generally well predicted as a function of initial chemical composition of the various source waters, though more so with bacterial production. Primary and bacterial productivities often correlated at reciprocal time points (24-h measurement of one with the 72-h measurement of the other). These results suggest human modification of coastal watersheds enhances the magnitude of dissolved constituents delivered to coastal waters as well as alters their distributions between surface and groundwater flowpaths, with significant implications for microbial community structure and function in coastal receiving waters.     

Increased concentrations of dissolved trace metals and organic carbon during snowmelt in rivers of the alaskan arctic

Arctic rivers typically transport more than half of their annual amounts of water and suspended sediments during spring floods. In this study, the Sagavanirktok, Kuparuk and Colville rivers in the Alaskan Arctic were sampled during the spring floods of 2001 to determine levels of total suspended solids (TSS) and dissolved and particulate metals and organic carbon. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) increased from 167 to 742 μmol/L during peak discharge in the Sagavanirktok River, at about the same time that river flow increased to maximum levels. Concentrations of dissolved Cu, Pb, Zn and Fe in the Sagavanirktok River followed trends observed for DOC with 3- to 25-fold higher levels at peak flow than during off-peak discharge. Similar patterns were found for the Kuparuk and Colville rivers, where average concentrations of dissolved trace metals and DOC were even higher. These observations are linked to a large pulse of DOC and dissolved metals incorporated into snowmelt from thawing ponds and upper soil layers. In contrast with Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn, concentrations of dissolved Ba did not increase in response to increased discharge of water, TSS and DOC. Concentrations of particulate Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn were more uniform than observed for their respective dissolved species and correlated well with the Al content of the suspended particles. However, concentrations of particulate Al were poorly correlated with particulate organic carbon. Results from this study show that >80% of the suspended sediment and more than one-third of the annual inputs of dissolved Cu, Fe, Pb, Zn and DOC were carried to the coastal Beaufort Sea in 3 and 12 d, respectively, by the Kuparuk and Sagavanirktok rivers.