Benthic fluxes in a tropical Estuary and their role in the ecosystem

In-situ measurements of benthic fluxes of oxygen and nutrients were made in the subtidal region of the Mandovi estuary during premonsoon and monsoon seasons to understand the role of sediment–water exchange processes in the estuarine ecosystem. The Mandovi estuary is a shallow, highly dynamic, macrotidal estuary which experiences marine condition in the premonsoon season and nearly fresh water condition in the monsoon season. The benthic flux of nutrients exhibited strong seasonality, being higher in the premonsoon compared to the monsoon season which explains the higher ecosystem productivity in the dry season in spite of negligible riverine nutrient input. NH₄⁺ was the major form of released N comprising 70–100% of DIN flux. The benthic respiration rate varied from −98.91 to −35.13 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹, NH₄⁺ flux from 5.15 to 0.836 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹, NO₃⁻ + NO₂⁻ from 0.06 to −1.06 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹, DIP from 0.12 to 0.23 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ and SiO₄⁴⁻ from 5.78 to 0.41 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ between premonsoon to monsoon period. The estuarine sediment acted as a net source of DIN in the premonsoon season, but changed to a net sink in the monsoon season. Variation in salinity seemed to control NH₄⁺ flux considerably. Macrofaunal activities, especially bioturbation, enhanced the fluxes 2–25 times. The estuarine sediment was observed to be a huge reservoir of NH₄⁺, PO₄³⁻ and SiO₄⁴⁻ and acted as a net sink of combined N because of the high rate of benthic denitrification as it could remove 22% of riverine DIN influx thereby protecting the eco system from eutrophication and consequent degradation. The estuarine sediment was responsible for ∼30–50% of the total community respiration in the estuary. The benthic supply of DIN, PO₄³⁻ and SiO₄⁴⁻ can potentially meet 49%, 25% and 55% of algal N, P and Si demand, respectively, in the estuary. Based on these observations we hypothesize that it is mainly benthic NH₄⁺ efflux that sustains high estuarine productivity in the NO₃⁻ depleted dry season.     

Benthic metabolism and the fate of dissolved inorganic nitrogen in intertidal sediments

We determined patterns of benthic metabolism and examined the relative importance of denitrification (DNF) and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) as sinks for nitrate (NO₃⁻) in intertidal sediments in the presence and absence of benthic microalgal (BMA) activity. By influencing the activity of BMA, light regulated the metabolic status of the sediments, and, in turn, exerted strong control on sediment nitrogen dynamics and the fate of inorganic nitrogen. A pulsed addition of ¹⁵N-labeled NO₃⁻ tracked the effect and fate of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in the system. Under illuminated conditions, BMA communities influenced benthic fluxes directly, via DIN uptake, and indirectly, by altering the oxygen penetration depth. Under dark hypoxic and anoxic conditions, the fate of water column NO₃⁻ was determined largely by three competing dissimilatory reductive processes; DNF, DNRA, and, on one occasion, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox). Mass balance of the added ¹⁵N tracer illustrated that DNF accounted for a maximum of 48.2% of the ¹⁵NO₃⁻ reduced while DNRA (a minimum of 11.4%) and anammox (a minimum of 2.2%) accounted for much less. A slurry experiment was employed to further examine the partitioning between DNF and DNRA. High sulfide concentrations negatively impacted rates of both processes, while high DOC:NO₃⁻ ratios favored DNRA over DNF.     

珠江口外表层沉积物底栖有孔虫组合及其与环境的关系

对珠江口外CJ14区块250个站位的表层沉积物进行底栖有孔虫分析,共发现底栖有孔虫118种,其中玻璃壳质80种,瓷质壳质21种,胶结壳质17种。有孔虫丰度基本随水深变深而增大。为研究底栖有孔虫分布与沉积环境之间的关系,对底栖有孔虫含量进行Q型因子分析,并选取前4个主因子,分别对应4个有孔虫组合。它们总共解释了总方差的86.2%,基本上反映了沉积物中有孔虫的群落结构。研究表明,水深和盐度是影响珠江口表层沉积物中有孔虫组合分布的控制因素,其他影响因素主要包括沉积物类型、水动力条件和沉积速率。水动力条件主要影响有孔虫的含量;沉积速率主要影响有孔虫的丰度。     

台湾海峡西部沉积物中碳的来源及埋藏

根据2005年夏季航次观测的沉积物中总有机碳(TOC)、无机碳(CaCO3)、总氮(TN)、悬浮体颗粒有机碳(POC)、沉积物粒度数据得出,台湾海峡西部表层沉积物TOC质量分数的范围为0.01～1.79,平均值为0.37±0.24,略高于20多年前台湾海峡南部海区,而低于台湾海峡中、北部海区;TOC的质量分数湾内比湾外...     

Tidal variability in benthic silicic acid fluxes and microphytobenthos uptake in intertidal sediment

Silicic acid (DSi) benthic fluxes play a major role in the benthic–pelagic coupling of coastal ecosystems. They can sustain microphytobenthos (MPB) development at the water–sediment interface and support pelagic diatoms when river DSi inputs decrease. DSi benthic fluxes have been studied at the seasonal scale but little is known about their dial variations. This study measured the amplitude of such variations in an intertidal area over an entire tidal cycle by following the alteration of DSi pore water concentrations at regular intervals over the flood/ebb period. Furthermore we independently estimated the potential DSi uptake by benthic diatoms and compared it to the variations of DSi pore water concentrations and fluxes. The microphytobenthos DSi demand was estimated from primary production measurements on cells extracted from the sediment. There were large changes in DSi pore water concentration and a prominent effect of tidal pumping: the DSi flushed out from the sediment at rising tide, occurs in a very short period of time, but plays a far more important role in fueling the ecosystem (800 μmol-Si m⁻² d⁻¹), than diffusive fluxes occurring throughout the rest of the tidal cycle (2 μmol-Si m⁻² d⁻¹). This process is not, to our knowledge, currently considered when describing the DSi cycling of intertidal sediments. Moreover, there was a large potential MPB requirement for DSi (812 μmol-Si m⁻² d⁻¹), similar to the advective flow periodically pumped by the incoming tide, and largely exceeded benthic diffusive fluxes. However, this DSi uptake by benthic diatoms is almost undetectable given the variation of DSi concentration profiles within the sediment.     

海洋沉积物中汞的释放通量及热力学研究

以胶州湾海泊河口和李村河口为对象,研究了其沉积物中的汞向海水的释放.结果表明,在静态条件下,沉积物汞向海水释放,平衡时海泊河口和李村河口沉积物汞的释放量分别为 0.070 5 ～ 0.117 μg/g 和 0.056 5 ～ 0.093 5 μg/g;汞的释放通量在前 2 h 最大,随后逐渐减小,通量与温度呈指数正相关.通过对汞释放的热力学分析,汞释放的反应热大于零,分别为 9.92 kJ·mol-1 和 9.98 kJ·mol-1,说明汞的释放是一个吸热过程;汞的释放是一个熵增过程;两个实验反应的标准自由能变分别为 2.34 ～ 3.22 kJ·mol-1和 1.19 ～ 2.20 kJ·mol-1,而且温度越高,ΔG0 越小,越利于反应向正方向进行.     

西北冰洋表层沉积物中的底栖有孔虫组合及其古环境意义

通过对中国第1~4次北极考察在西北冰洋采集的表层沉积物中底栖有孔虫丰度及其优势种分布特征与环境因素关系的综合研究发现,楚科奇海区低的底栖有孔虫丰度主要受较高的陆源物质输入的稀释作用影响;楚科奇海台和阿尔法脊较高的底栖有孔虫丰度主要受到暖而咸的大西洋中层水的影响;受碳酸钙溶解作用影响的门捷列夫深海平原和加拿大海盆底栖有孔虫丰度较低,并且水深3 597 m的站位出现了似瓷质壳的Pyrgo williamsoni和Quinqueloculina orientalis,说明该区的CCD深度大于3 600 m。根据底栖有孔虫7个优势属种的百分含量分布特征可以划分出5个区域组合:南楚科奇海陆架-白令海峡组合以优势种Elphidium excavatum和Buccella frigida为特征,可能反映受白令海陆架水影响的浅水环境;阿拉斯加沿岸-波弗特海组合以优势种Florilus scaphus和Elphidium albiumbilicatum为特征,可能反映受季节性海冰融化,低盐的阿拉斯加沿岸流以及河流淡水输入的低盐环境;大西洋中层水组合以优势种Cassidulina laevigata为特征,可能反映高温高盐的大西洋中层水影响的环境;北极深层水组合以优势种Cibicides wuellerstorfi为特征,可能反映水深大于1 500 m低温高盐的北极深层水环境;门捷列夫深海平原组合以优势种Oridorsalis umbonatus为特征,可能反映低营养的底层水环境。     

溶解无机氮在胶州湾沉积物一海水界面上的交换速率和通量研究

应用实验室培养法测定了溶解无机氮(DIN)在胶州湾16个站位沉积物-海水界面上的交换速率。结果表明, NH4 -N,NO2 -N和NO3 -N的交换速率一般分别在-0.5~1.6,0.005~0.67, + - --2.0~2.8 mmol/(m2·d)范围内。由于间隙水中DIN主要以NH4 -N形态存在,DIN在胶州湾沉 +积物-海水界面上的交换以NH4 -N的扩散为主,在大部分站位表现为由沉积物向水体的释放, +NO3 -N主要来自NH4 -N的硝化反应,而NO2 -N是NH4 -N和NO3 -N之间化学转化过程的中 - + - + -间产物。考虑胶州湾沉积物类型, 在胶州湾沉积物-海水界面上的交换通量为9.68×108 DINmmol/d,是河流输入DIN的50%左右,可提供维持胶州湾初级生产力所需DIN的52%。     

Pore-water distribution and quantification of diffusive benthic fluxes of nutrients in the Huanghai and East China Seas sediments

1 Indroduction The coastal zone and continental shelf area is an important region in the global biogeochemical cycle of nutrients in the ocean. This portion of the global ocean interacts closely with the continents, atmosphere and the open ocean in a comp…     

广西钦州湾大型底栖动物生态特征及其与沉积物环境的相关性研究

为研究钦州湾大型底栖动物的生态特征,探讨影响大型底栖动物分布的主要因素,于2011年5月在钦州湾进行大型底栖动物调查,并同步采集沉积物样品,进行理化性质分析。使用Surfer软件绘制各群落特征指数的平面分布图,用SPSS软件分析群落特征指数与沉积物环境因子之间的关联性。共采集到大型底栖动物种类55种。平均生物量为105.48 g/m2,平均密度为50ind/m2。香农-维纳指数(H')、种类均匀度指数(J')和丰富度指数(D)的平均值分别为1.44,0.63和0.64。群落特征指数与沉积物环境因子之间的相关性分析结果显示,密度与Cu,Pb,Zn,Cd,Cr,Hg以及有机碳呈显著负相关;种类数与所分析的10项沉积物环境因子之间均呈显著负相关;均匀度指数与Hg和有机碳呈显著负相关;丰富度指数与硫化物呈显著负相关;生物量和香农-威纳指数与沉积物各环境因子之间均没有显著的相关性。     

南海北部海域表层沉积物底栖有孔虫分布特征及影响因素

有孔虫在海洋环境指示方面具有重要意义,对现代环境中有孔虫的分布及影响因素进行研究有助于利用有孔虫对地质历史时期的沉积环境进行还原。我国南海海域辽阔,南海有孔虫的相关研究很早便有报道。对我国南海北部海域表层沉积物中的底栖有孔虫分布特征进行了描述,研究区以玻璃质壳底栖有孔虫占主导,胶结壳其次,瓷质壳最少。根据底栖有孔虫的分布特征划分了4个底栖有孔虫组合,组合1为Heterolepa subpraecincta - Hanzawaia mantaensis - Rotalinoides gaimardii;组合2为Bulimina marginate - Lagena substriata;组合3为Elphidium advenum - Pararotalia nipponica;组合4 为Recurvoides contortus - Ammodisus cretaceous - Bulimina aculeata。对影响该区域底栖有孔虫分布的环境因素进行了探究,结果表明,温度、盐度、底质类型等对底栖有孔虫的分布均存在一定程度的影响,海流对研究区底栖有孔虫时空分布的影响值得进一步探究。     

Methane gas Seeps Along the Oxic/Anoxic Gradient in the Black Sea: Manifestations, Biogenic Sediment Compounds and Preliminary Results on Benthic Ecology

Abstract. Sediment parameters (grain size, organic content, chloroplastic pigments, Adenylates, Potential hydrolytic activity and electron transport system activity) and benthic biota were studied in methane seep area south-west of the Crimean Peninsula in the Black Sea over a depth range from 60 to 260m. A control transect with similar depths was performed in an adjacent nonseep area. Methane seepage in this region occurs from 35 to ˜ 85m depth, passing the oxic anoxic interface zone at 130 to 180m. The methane seep areas were characterized by abundant carbonate precipitates which occurred in various shapes from small, flat structures to tall chimneys with increasing anoxia. The carbonates were associated with distinct bacterial mats. Most of the measured biochemical parameters in the sediment were quite similar in the seep and nonseep areas. The content of organic matter was higher and grain size was more uniform in the nonseep areas. However, the seep areas were charaterized by highter proportions of the larger fauna (size classes 0.5–1 mm and ≥ 1mm) as well as increased total numbers of benthic fauna in the suboxic and upper anoxic zone. The animals did not show any seep-specific adaptations. In addition to methane seepage, highly variable hydrochemical and sedimentary conditions on the lower shelf and upper slope may also play an important role in structuring the composition and distribution of the benthic fauna.     

长江远端三角洲表层沉积物中底栖有孔虫分布及其对环境的指示

长江远端三角洲是东海内陆架泥质沉积体重要组成部分,是全新世高海平面时期以来形成的重要地貌单元,其包含了高分辨率沉积环境与气候变化信息,对该地区现代沉积环境及其影响条件的分析将有助于长时间尺度古记录识别与反演。对研究区海域145个站位的表层沉积物样品进行了底栖有孔虫化石分析,鉴定结果表明该地区底栖有孔虫有52种,以玻璃壳体类型为主,平均含量占底栖有孔虫总量的90.6 %,其次为瓷质壳,胶结壳含量最低。进一步因子分析结果表明,研究区底栖有孔虫可划分为4个组合：组合Ⅰ（Ammonia beccarii vars.-Quinqueloculina spp.）分布在研究区西部近岸浅水区,组合Ⅱ（Bolivina robusta-Bulimina marginata-Hanzawaia spp.）分布于研究区东南部水深较大处,组合Ⅲ（Elphidium hispidulum-Fursenkoina schreibersiana）呈带状分布于近岸,组合Ⅳ（Elphidium advenum-Ammonia pauciloculata）分布区域位于组合Ⅰ和组合Ⅱ之间。组合Ⅰ可能指示区域水体环境受闽浙沿岸水团影响;组合Ⅱ可能指示区域水体环境受台湾暖流水团影响;组合Ⅲ的分布可能与夏季闽江水与外海水混合发生水体层化有关;组合Ⅳ可能指示区域水体环境受季节性闽浙沿岸水与台湾暖流水团影响。     

Overview and status of estuarine microphytobenthos ecological research in South Africa

This article presents a historical overview of estuarine microphytobenthos (MPB) research in South Africa published over the period 1950 to the present, highlighting major milestones, challenges and estuarine management problems, as well as future research needs within the South African context. The studies that were covered comprise peer-reviewed books and journal articles on relevant research conducted in any estuarine environment during the period reviewed. There was a general increase in MPB research outputs over the decades, from only two publications in the 1950s, to over 20 outputs between 2010 and the present. Whereas the MPB studies in South Africa cover a broad spectrum of themes, the research priorities in these works have changed from taxonomically biased studies to those of ecologically based research. Research in the 1950s and 1960s was exclusively taxonomic in nature, with the first ecological investigation incorporating MPB being produced in the 1970s. By the 1980s, ecological studies dominated the research outputs and this trend has persisted to the present. The 1990s and 2000s saw the rise of research into the role of fresh water as a driver of MPB dynamics, whereas the period 2010 to the present saw an increase in more diverse ecological themes, ranging from an autecological investigation to food-web studies and the assessment of multiple drivers of MPB dynamics. However, the majority of studies have focused on either diatoms or estimates of overall MPB biomass. Moreover, there is a regional underrepresentation that runs broadly along biogeographic lines, with the bulk of the work having been conducted in the warm-temperate and subtropical zones of South Africa. Challenges and future research needs for the region are outlined, as is the need to expand MPB research to include other aspects of the biology and ecology of this flora.     

夏季东、黄海沉积物中甲烷的分布和沉积物-水界面通量

沉积物释放是海洋环境中甲烷(CH_4)的重要来源。通过2013年7月和8月两个航次,对东、黄海泥质区沉积物中CH_4浓度的垂直分布和沉积物-水界面通量进行了研究。结果表明,除个别站位外,黄海沉积物(50 cm以浅)中CH_4的浓度变化范围在0.2～1.0μmol/L之间,长江口及浙闽沿岸附近的沉积物中CH_4浓度则要更高(1.0～2.0μmol/L),而东海东部海域沉积物中CH_4浓度波动范围为0.2～3.0μmol/L。总体来说,东、黄海沉积物中CH_4浓度偏低,这可能与观测到的高浓度硫酸盐(20 mmol/L)有关。通过整柱密室培养实验估算出东、黄海沉积物-水界面CH_4释放速率在0.64～2.12μmol/(m2·d)之间,东、黄海沉积物CH_4释放总量为6.7×108 mol/yr;但采用菲克定律估算的CH_4扩散通量则要比现场培养的结果低2～5倍,表明不同的方法在估算沉积物-水界面CH_4通量上还具有一定的不确定性。     

Ecosystem dynamics of the Pacific-influenced Northern Bering and Chukchi Seas in the Amerasian Arctic

The shallow continental shelves and slope of the Amerasian Arctic are strongly influenced by nutrient-rich Pacific waters advected over the shelves from the northern Bering Sea into the Arctic Ocean. These high-latitude shelf systems are highly productive both as the ice melts and during the open-water period. The duration and extent of seasonal sea ice, seawater temperature and water mass structure are critical controls on water column production, organic carbon cycling and pelagic–benthic coupling. Short food chains and shallow depths are characteristic of high productivity areas in this region, so changes in lower trophic levels can impact higher trophic organisms rapidly, including pelagic- and benthic-feeding marine mammals and seabirds. Subsistence harvesting of many of these animals is locally important for human consumption. The vulnerability of the ecosystem to environmental change is thought to be high, particularly as sea ice extent declines and seawater warms. In this review, we focus on ecosystem dynamics in the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas, with a more limited discussion of the adjoining Pacific-influenced eastern section of the East Siberian Sea and the western section of the Beaufort Sea. Both primary and secondary production are enhanced in specific regions that we discuss here, with the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas sustaining some of the highest water column production and benthic faunal soft-bottom biomass in the world ocean. In addition, these organic carbon-rich Pacific waters are periodically advected into low productivity regions of the nearshore northern Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off Alaska and sometimes into the East Siberian Sea, all of which have lower productivity on an annual basis. Thus, these near shore areas are intimately tied to nutrients and advected particulate organic carbon from the Pacific influenced Bering Shelf-Anadyr water. Given the short food chains and dependence of many apex predators on sea ice, recent reductions in sea ice in the Pacific-influenced sector of the Arctic have the potential to cause an ecosystem reorganization that may alter this benthic-oriented system to one more dominated by pelagic processes.     

琼东南盆地陵水17-2深水气田开发区表层沉积物类型及工程地质特性

陵水17-2气田位于中国南海琼东南盆地,是中国海油自营勘探发现的第一个深水高产气田,探明储量规模超千亿立方米.在水深200～1600 m区域,采用工程调查船与自主式水下潜器调查结合的方式,进行地球物理资料采集、海底表层取样及钻探取样,并对多波束测深、后向散射强度、侧扫声呐、浅地层剖面、室内测试分析等数据进行综合分析,研...     

Distribution and fluxes of suspended sediments in the offshore waters of the Changjiang (Yangtze) Estuary

The offshore waters of the Changjiang Estuary are the transitional areas where river-supplied water and sediment are transported to the sea, and material exchanges occur with the neighbored Hangzhou Bay and the Jiangsu waters. Field observations of currents and sediment properties were conducted to study temporal and spatial distributions of suspended sediments under various dynamical conditions. The high sediment concentrations were found to occur in the western and southern waters of the offshore, and the low concentrations occurred in the eastern and northern waters. This pattern of the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) distribution is obviously influenced by the runoff and tidal current. The significant difference of along-estuary SSC distribution indicates that the SSC is reduced gradually from the west to the east, and that in the spring tide is obviously higher than in the neap tide. The methods of mechanism analysis and equal-area grids were used to calculate the suspended sediment fluxes at the typical cross sections. It was found that 44 percent of total suspended sediments from the Changjiang River were deposited in the submarine delta, and more than 27 percent of sediments were transported southernly into the Hangzhou Bay, and only 9 percent of sediments was supplied and exchanged with the northern Jiangsu waters, and about 20 percent of sediments was delivered offshore to the sea.     

Meiofauna and macrofauna community structure in relation to sediment composition at the Iberian margin compared to the Goban Spur (NE Atlantic)

Meiofauna and macrofauna communities and several sediment characteristics were compared between a slope situated far from the coast (Goban Spur) and two transects across the Iberian Margin with steep slopes and close to the shore. The northern Galician transect (off La Coruña) was situated in an area subjected to wind-induced upwelling events. The western Galician transect was also subjected to upwelling, was additionally influenced by outflows of water rich in organic matter from the Rías Bajas. This transect also included the Galicia Bank. Macrofauna density decreased exponentially from the shelf edge (154 m) to the abyssal plain (4951 m) and different communities occurred on the shelf, the upper- and lower slope and on the abyssal plain. Apart from two extremely low-density stations on the Iberian Margin, there were no significant differences in the meiofauna between the Goban Spur and the Iberian Margin. Along the La Coruña-transect a station where meiofaunal densities were low occurred at a depth of 1522 m, where the sediment was characterised by having a high median-grain size, ripple structures, a low C_org and total N content. There were relatively high numbers of macrofaunal filter-feeders but low numbers of crustaceans, indicating a high current velocity regime. On top of the Galicia Bank (˜770 m) the sediment consisted mainly of shells of pelagic foraminifers, and had low contents of C_org and N. The macrofauna was dominated by filter-feeding and carnivorous taxa. At both these stations meiofauna densities were low. Meiofauna densities and community structure differed between the Goban Spur and the Iberian Margin. Meiofauna densities on the Galician shelf were more than double those on the Goban Spur shelf. The two deep stations on the La Coruña transect and the deepest station on the Galicia Bank transect all contained meiofaunal densities that were higher than found at similar depths off the Goban Spur. The meiofaunal densities were inversely correlated with %CaCO₃ content and, excluding the shelf stations, were positively correlated with both %C_org and total N at the Iberian Margin. Neither upwelling nor the enriched outflows from the rias affected the macrofauna, but meiofaunal densities were greatly enhanced.     

长江口及邻近海域细颗粒沉积物中重金属的空间分布及沉积通量

长江每年输送大量的泥沙进入东海,其中细颗粒沉积物具有搬运距离远、扩散范围大的特点,成为示踪河口及近海沉积物源汇过程的良好载体。本文基于采自长江口及邻近海域的44个表层沉积物样品,分析了细颗粒组分中重金属的空间分布和沉积通量,探讨了重金属来源和搬运沉积过程。研究表明:长江口及邻近海域细颗粒沉积物中Cu、Cr、Ni、V和Zn含量、沉积通量的空间分布具有高度的相似性,总体表现为长江口及浙闽沿岸高,向外急剧降低;该区细颗粒沉积物中的重金属主要来自长江,入海后向两个方向扩散,其一为向西南方向扩散,沉积于内陆架泥质区;其二是向东的跨陆架输送,沉积于长江冲淡水影响的海域。从长江口向西南方向的输送和沉积是长江入海重金属最重要的汇。