Release of dissolved organic matter during oxic and anoxic decomposition of salt marsh cordgrass

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), as the light absorbing fraction of bulk dissolved organic matter (DOM), plays a number of important roles in the global and local biogeochemical cycling of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and in controlling the optical properties of estuarine and coastal waters. Intertidal areas such as salt marshes can contribute significant amounts of the CDOM that is exported to the ocean, but the processes controlling this CDOM source are not well understood. In this study, we investigate the production of DOM and CDOM from the decomposition of two salt marsh cordgrasses, Spartina patens, a C₄ grass, and Typha latifolia, a C₃ grass, in well-controlled laboratory experiments. During the seven-week incubation period of the salt marsh grasses in oxic and anoxic seawater, changes in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations, dissolved nitrogen (DN) concentrations, stable carbon isotopic composition of DOC (DOC-δ¹³C), and CDOM fluorescence demonstrate a significant contribution of DOC and CDOM to estuarine waters from salt marsh plants, such as Spartina and Typha species. In the natural environment, however, the release processes of CDOM from different cordgrass species could be controlled largely by the in situ oxic and anoxic conditions present during degradation which affects both the production and decomposition of DOC and CDOM, as well as the optical properties of CDOM in estuarine and coastal waters.     

Transportation of water,particulate and dissolved organic and inorganic matter between a salt marsh and the Ems-Dollard estuary,The Netherlands

Transport processes were studied in a gully between a salt marsh and an estuary. After storm tides, ebb currents in the gully reached high values. It is concluded that particulate matter (both organic and inorganic) are imported into the marsh. Coarse organic debris is exported during storm tides, but this amount is low when compared with the primary production on the marsh. Exports are shown for dissolved organic carbon, ammonia, phosphate and silica, while nitrate and possibly nitrite are imported. Organic matter derived from in situ production and net import is buried and partly mineralized in the marsh.     

Characterization of dissolved organic matter across the Subtropical Convergence off the South Island,New Zealand

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) was investigated along a gradient across the Subtropical Convergence (STC) off the South Island, New Zealand. Ultrahigh resolution electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS), excitation emission matrix fluorescence (EEM) spectroscopy, and molecular lignin analysis techniques were used to study this DOM. The analysis revealed a group of compounds found only in the coastal DOM samples, which were also characterized by an elevated terrestrial DOM fluorescence pattern and elevated lignin content if compared to the offshore samples. This group exhibited a high degree of carbon unsaturation, as evident from high double bond equivalence minus oxygen values (DBE-O > 9) and maximum fluorescence intensity. Sulfur-containing molecular formulae for summer DOM samples were much more abundant across the entire transect of the STC compared to winter and exhibited distinctly different hydrogen:carbon and oxygen:carbon elemental ratios, suggesting a possible correlation between biological activity and sulfur compounds. The molecular formulae common to all STC samples were compared with those calculated for DOM extracted from freshwater collected from a stream discharging into Doubtful Sound (West Coast, New Zealand). ESI-FT-ICR-MS measurements undertaken in negative electrospray ionization (ESI?) mode indicated that 30% of the molecular formulae were present in both types of DOM, while in positive ESI mode (ESI+) over 90% of the formulae were present in all samples. Hence, a significant portion of the molecular formulae assigned to the solid-phase extractable DOM pool (SPE-DOM) appear to be identical in oceanic and freshwater samples.     

The release of reducing sugars and dissolved organic carbon from Spartina alterniflora Loisel in a Georgia salt marsh

Eight monosaccharides were found to be released from both tall and short forms of Spartina alterniflora during tidal submergence including: 2-d ribose, rhamnose, ribose, mannose, arabinose, fructose, galactose and xylose. Glucose was not detected in the leachate of either growth form. Two additional monosaccharides were found but were not identified. Losses of total reducing sugars (TRS) and total dissolved organic carbon (TDOC) ranged from 14–54 μgCg⁻¹ dry wth⁻¹ and 42 to 850 μgCg⁻¹ dry wth⁻¹, respectively. Losses of individual monosaccharides were generally <5μgCg⁻¹ dry wth⁻¹ and varied from 0·5–17 μgCg⁻¹ dry wth⁻¹. Differences were observed in seasonal patterns of losses between tall and short Spartina. Tall Spartina TRS losses peaked in midsummer, while in short Spartina TRS losses peaked in the spring and fall. TDOC losses in both tall and short Spartina followed similar patterns with peak losses occurring in the spring and fall. Periods of net uptake of TDOC were observed in both growth forms in midsummer. Uptake rates varied from 142–930 μgCg⁻¹ dry wth⁻¹. Estimated annual losses of TDOC from tall and short Spartina were between 100–150 and 5–10 gCm⁻² year⁻¹, respectively. The magnitude and seasonal pattern of TDOC losses reported here support Turner's conclusions that losses of labile DOM from Spartina are substantial in Georgia salt marshes and related to seasonal patterns of estuarine metabolism.     

崇明岛南侧盐沼潮滩消能状态研究

沿海盐沼潮滩可以有效降低波浪高度,耗散波浪能量,在海岸防护和沿海城市安全中扮演着重要角色。以长江河口崇明岛南侧盐沼潮滩为对象,基于不同潮间带实测波浪变化数据,采用波能衰减模型对波浪横向沿潮滩衰减状态进行定量分析,由此探讨波浪衰减主控要素。结果表明:波浪沿盐沼潮滩向岸传播过程中,波高以及波能大幅下降,其中光滩—芦苇前部区域波能平均下降19%,芦苇区域波能平均下降71%,有植被覆盖区域对波浪的衰减效应更为显著。同时,水深、入射波高及阻力是影响盐沼潮滩波浪衰减的主要因素,波浪衰减强度随水深增大而减小,入射波高增加以及阻力的增大而增强。     

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter and dissolved organic carbon in Chesapeake Bay

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is the light absorbing fraction of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The optical properties of CDOM potentially permit remote sensing of DOC and CDOM, and correction for CDOM absorption is essential for remote sensing of chlorophyll a (chl a) in coastal and estuarine waters. To provide data for this purpose, we report the distributions of CDOM, DOC, and chl a from seven cruises in Chesapeake Bay in 1994–1997. We observed non-conservative distributions of chl a and DOC in half of the cruises, indicating net accumulations within the estuary; however, there were no net accumulations or losses of CDOM, measured as absorption at 355 nm or as fluorescence. Freshwater end member CDOM absorption varied from 2.2 to 4.1 m⁻¹. Coastal end member CDOM absorption was considerably lower, ranging over 0.4–1.1 m⁻¹. The fluorescence/absorption ratio was similar to those reported elsewhere for estuarine and coastal waters; however, in the lower salinity/high CDOM region of the Bay, the relationship was not constant, suggestive of the mixing of two or more CDOM sources. Chl a was not correlated with the absorption for most of the cruises nor for the data set as a whole; however, CDOM and DOC were significantly correlated, with two groups evident in the data. The first group had high CDOM concentrations per unit DOC and corresponded to the conservative DOC values observed in the transects. The second group had lower CDOM concentrations per unit DOC and corresponded to the non-conservative DOC values associated with net DOC accumulation near the chl a maximum on the salinity gradient. This indicates the production of non-chromophoric DOC in the region of the chl a maximum of Chesapeake Bay. In terms of remote sensing, these data show that (1) the retrieval of the absorption coefficient of CDOM from fluorescence measurements in the Bay must consider the variability of the fluorescence/absorption relationship, and (2) estimates of DOC acquired from CDOM absorption will underestimate DOC in regions with recent, net accumulations of DOC.     

Sources and preservation of organic matter in Plum Island salt marsh sediments (MA, USA): long-chain n-alkanes and stable carbon isotope compositions

Elemental (TOC, TN, C/N) and stable carbon isotopic (δ¹³C) compositions and n-alkane (nC_16–38) concentrations were measured for Spartina alterniflora, a C₄ marsh grass, Typha latifolia, a C₃ marsh grass, and three sediment cores collected from middle and upper estuarine sites from the Plum Island salt marshes. Our results indicated that the organic matter preserved in the sediments was highly affected by the marsh plants that dominated the sampling sites. δ¹³C values of organic matter preserved in the upper fresh water site sediment were more negative (−23.0±0.3‰) as affected by the C₃ plants than the values of organic matter preserved in the sediments of middle (−18.9±0.8‰) and mud flat sites (−19.4±0.1‰) as influenced mainly by the C₄ marsh plants. The distribution of n-alkanes measured in all sediments showed similar patterns as those determined in the marsh grasses S. alterniflora and T. latifolia, and nC₂₁ to nC₃₃ long-chain n-alkanes were the major compounds determined in all sediment samples. The strong odd-to-even carbon numbered n-alkane predominance was found in all three sediments and nC₂₉ was the most abundant homologue in all samples measured. Both δ¹³C compositions of organic matter and n-alkane distributions in these sediments indicate that the marsh plants could contribute significant amount of organic matter preserved in Plum Island salt marsh sediments. This suggests that salt marshes play an important role in the cycling of nutrients and organic carbon in the estuary and adjacent coastal waters.     

Variation in groundwater salinity in a tidal salt marsh basin,North Inlet Estuary,South Carolina

Groundwater flow of freshwater from upland forests into salt marshes is influenced by hydrologic forces that operate over a wide range of temporal scales, including storm events, tidal fluctuations, seasonal variations in rainfall and evapotranspiration (ET). Groundwater salinity can be a useful first order indicator of the balance between these flow processes. A dipole-dipole electrical resistivity survey was conducted approximately monthly during 2005 to measure groundwater salinity across a portion of Crabhaul Creek, a tidal salt marsh basin at the boundary of the upland forest and the North Inlet marsh in South Carolina. The monthly electrical resistivity surveys were designed to provide a detailed, spatially continuous measurement of subsurface conductivity to a depth of 4 m in order to further investigate the seasonal variation in groundwater salinity. Resistivity models were corroborated by simultaneous measurements of salinity in nearby piezometers. The freshwater-brackish water interface was clearly imaged by the resistivity. Movement of this interface occurs on a timescale of months rather than a regular seasonal variation. The average salinity in the marsh basin is highest in late Summer (July–August) when ET is highest, and lowest during the Winter (November–December). The position of the brackish-freshwater interface changes, but is not well correlated to local rainfall or tidal cycles except under specific circumstances. A steady-state hydrological model correctly predicts the average position of the freshwater-brackish interface and suggests a linear relationship between the height of the water table and the location of the interface. These results suggest a complex relationship between precipitation events and groundwater flow from the forest into the marsh.     

长江口崇明东滩盐沼前缘地带悬浮泥沙横向通量的潮周期变化

对长江口崇明东滩盐沼边缘及邻近光滩处的水深、流速和悬沙含量的潮周期变化过程进行了现场实测,并对横向悬沙通量进行了计算和分析。研究结果表明,在平静天气条件下光滩和盐沼上的流速过程有明显差异,植被缓流作用在落潮期更为显著,流速在涨潮由光滩向盐沼不断增大。与涨潮流速优势相对应,涨潮期平均悬沙含量是落潮期的1.8倍。横向悬沙通量以向岸输移为主,悬沙总通量与潮次内最大水深的四次方呈显著正相关。在平静天气条件下潮汐作用控制着盐沼前缘地带泥沙输移水平,盐沼滩面保持稳定淤积,前缘光滩淤积速率高于盐沼处的,盐沼逐渐向海延伸。在大风天气条件下潮次内的流速和悬沙含量水平提高了数倍,悬沙输移量大增,净输移仍以向岸方向为主,在盐沼上部和前缘光滩均可能在短期内发生大量淤积。     

长江三角洲南翼盐沼有机质分布及来源初探

通过对长江三角洲南翼最大淤涨带钻孔柱样进行沉积有机碳(POC)、有机碳同位素组成(δ~(13)C)、总氮(TN)、粒度的测定,研究长江三角洲南翼盐沼有机质分布及来源。结果表明:POC、TN分布受控于长江入海泥沙及人类活动,有机质主要赋存于细颗粒物质中(16μm),长江入海泥沙偏粗,有机质含量降低,围垦导致物质组成趋向均一化。δ13C自陆向海方向增大,自陆向海盐沼陆相有机质比例下降,海相有机质比例上升。围垦活动使海相有机质比例上升,长江入海泥沙对盐沼发育影响力下降,但长江入海泥沙对盐沼发育仍起主导作用。此研究揭示流域水沙及人类活动对河口盐沼发育的影响,丰富海岸带研究资料。     

Cross-shore suspended sediment flux in the salt marsh pioneer zone of Chongming eastern beach in the Changjiang Estuary in China

Between April 2002 and April 2003, in situ measurements of water depth, current velocity and suspended sediment content were carried out in edge region of East Chongming salt marsh and neighboring bald flat in the Changjiang (Yangtze) Estuary under different weather conditions. Cross-shore suspended sediment flux was calculated and analyzed. The results show that under calm weather conditions, the current velocity process in bald field and salt marsh area varied differently during semidiurnal tidal cycles. Owing to current velocity asymmetry, mean SSC during flood tide phase was 1.8 times higher than that of ebb tide phase. As a result, net onshore sediment flux controlled cross-shore suspended sediment transport process and salt marsh pioneer zone was generally accreting. There was significant positive correlation between total sediment flux and quartic power of maximum water depth. It indicates that tidal ranges dominate suspended sediment transport and sedimentation process in the salt marsh pioneer zone under the calm weather condition. The sedimentation rate on the adjacent mudflat was higher than the salt marsh, which induced stable accreting of salt marsh towards the sea. The wind events enhanced SSC and current velocity during the semidiurnal tides. And the remarkable onshore net sediment flux could occur on the high marsh and mudflat close to the marsh fringe during the short period under the rough weather condition.     

长江品崇明东滩盐沼前缘地带悬浮泥沙横向通量的潮周期变化

对长江口崇明东滩盐沼边缘及邻近光滩处的水深、流速和悬沙含量的潮周期变化过程进行了现场实测,并对横向悬沙通量进行了计算和分析.研究结果表明,在平静天气条件下光滩和盐沼上的流速过程有明显差异,植被缓流作用在落潮期更为显著,流速在涨潮由光滩向盐沼不断增大.与涨潮流速优势相对应,涨潮期平均悬沙含量是落潮期的1.8倍.横向悬沙通量以向岸输移为主,悬沙总通量与潮次内最大水深的四次方呈显著正相关.在平静天气条件下潮汐作用控制着盐沼前缘地带泥沙输移水平,盐沼滩面保持稳定淤积,前缘光滩淤积速率高于盐沼处的,盐沼逐渐向海延伸.在大风天气条件下潮次内的流速和悬沙含量水平提高了数倍,悬沙输移量大增,净输移仍以向岸方向为主,在盐沼上部和前缘光滩均可能在短期内发生大量淤积.     

The summertime net transport of dissolved oxygen,salt and heat in a salt marsh basin,North Inlet,S.C.

This study addresses the impact marshes have on the dissolved oxygen content of tidal waters, particularly during summer when respiratory demand for oxygen in adjacent coastal waters is at a maximum and the solubility of oxygen is lowest. The net transports of dissolved oxygen, salt and heat have been measured for 65 tidal cycles during late spring and summer for a small (0·14 km²) salt marsh basin near North Inlet, S.C. The results indicate that export of dissolved oxygen occurs only on tidal cycles that begin between 2:00 am and 10:00 am such that high tide occurs within 4 h of noon. The largest exports of oxygen and heat are produced by spring tides beginning near sunrise. Although the time window for oxygen export is only about 8 h in duration, there is a more or less overall long-term balance between export and import because the magnitude of oxygen export is about 25% greater than import. The magnitude of heat export similarly exceeds heat import but because the time windows for heat export and import are equal, there is an overall export of heat. This study thus suggests that in summer salt marshes of the Atlantic coast export heat and are in balance with respect to the export and import of dissolved oxygen. However, because of the interaction of the diurnal tide with the daily cycle of solar radiation, transient dissolved oxygen concentrations in tidal waters can range from 1.5 to 10.0 ppm. Thus loading of additional oxygen consuming materials to these waters possibly could lead to significant periods of anoxia.     

Luminescence quenching of dissolved organic matter in seawater

To characterize more fully the nature of the fluorophores present in the dissolved organic matter found in seawater, steady state and time-resolved measurements of the luminescence quenching of a number of samples of marine dissolved organic matter with known quenchers, such as iodide, acrylamide and methyl viologen (MV) (1,1′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium), were compared. Quenching characteristics of these systems were analyzed using Stern-Volmer plots for both intensity and lifetime measurements. The bimolecular quenching constants, κ_q, for these quenchers were found to decrease in the order MV²⁺ (κ_q 10¹⁰M⁻¹s⁻¹) > I⁻ (κ_q 2 × 10⁹ M⁻¹ s⁻¹) >CH₂CHCONH₂ (κ_q 2 × 10⁸ M⁻¹ s⁻¹) for the samples measured. The results also show that different samples are quenched to differing extents by the quenchers studied, that ionic strength alters the quenching constants, and that both static and diffusional quenching mechanisms may operate.Such studies are appropriate to the quantification of the reactivity of the singlet states of the chromophores found within marine dissolved organic matter. Although excess energy of the singlet state may be readily transferred to another chemical species, the combination of competing physical deactivation paths and the low concentrations of efficient quenches in the oceans serves to lessen the direct chemical impact of this process.     

Multivariate analysis of fluorescence and source identification of dissolved organic matter in Jiaozhou Bay, China

Hierarchical clustering analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) methods were used to assess the similarities and dissimilarities of the entire Excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy (EEMs) data sets of samples collected from Jiaozhou Bay, China. The results demonstrate that multivariate analysis facilitates the complex data treatment and spectral sorting processes, and also enhances the probability to reveal otherwise hidden information concerning the chemical characteristics of the dissolved organic matter (DOM). The distribution of different water samples as revealed by multivariate results has been used to track the movement of DOM material in the study area, and the interpretation is supported by the results obtained from the numerical simulation model of substance tracing technique, which show that the substance discharged by Haibo River can be distributed in Jiaozhou Bay.     

The fluorescence of dissolved organic matter in seawater

A total of 28 vertical profiles of seawater fluorescence was measured in the Sargasso Sea, the Straits of Florida, the Southern California Borderlands, and the central Pacific Ocean. In all cases, surface seawater fluorescence was low as a result of photochemical bleaching which occurs on the timescale of hours. Fluorescence of deep water was 2–2.5 times higher than that of surface waters, and was constant, implying a long residence time for fluorescent organic matter, possibly of the order of thousands of years. Fluorescence correlates well with nutrients (NO₃⁻, PO₄³⁻) in mid-depth waters (100–1000 m) in the Sargasso Sea and the central North Pacific, consistent with results in the central Pacific and the coastal seas of Japan. This suggests that regeneration or formation of fluorescent materials accompanies the oxidation and remineralization of settling organic particles.The various sources and sinks of fluorescent organic matter in the global oceans are assessed. The major sources are particles and in situ formation; rivers, rain, diffusion from sediments, and release from organisms are minor sources. The major sink is photochemical bleaching.     

The ebb and flood of Silica: Quantifying dissolved and biogenic silica fluxes from a temperate salt marsh

Salt marshes are widely studied due to the broad range of ecosystem services they provide including serving as crucial wildlife habitat and as hotspots for biogeochemical cycling. Nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and carbon (C) are well studied in these systems. However, salt marshes may also be important environments for the cycling of another key nutrient, silica (Si). Found at the land–sea interface, these systems are silica replete with large stocks in plant biomass, sediments, and porewater, and therefore, have the potential to play a substantial role in the transformation and export of silica to coastal waters. In an effort to better understand this role, we measured the fluxes of dissolved (DSi) and biogenic (BSi) silica into and out of two tidal creeks in a temperate, North American (Rowley, Massachusetts, USA) salt marsh. One of the creeks has been fertilized from May to September for six years allowing us to examine the impacts of nutrient addition on silica dynamics within the marsh. High-resolution sampling in July 2010 showed no significant differences in Si concentrations between the fertilized and reference creeks with dissolved silica ranging from 0.5 to 108 μM and biogenic from 2.0 to 56 μM. Net fluxes indicated that the marsh is a point source of dissolved silica to the estuary in the summer with a net flux of approximately 169 mol h⁻¹, demonstrating that this system exports DSi on the same magnitude as some nearby, mid-sized rivers. If these findings hold true for all salt marshes, then these already valuable regions are contributing yet another ecosystem service that has been previously overlooked; by exporting DSi to coastal receiving waters, salt marshes are actively providing this important nutrient for coastal primary productivity.     

Production and degradation of fluorescent dissolved organic matter derived from bacteria

Dynamics of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) in ocean environments has received attention over the past few decades. Although it has appeared that in situ production of oceanic FDOM is mainly due to bacteria, the production and bio- and photodegradation processes of bacterial FDOM have not been elucidated. In this study, a culture experiment with bacteria was carried out to assess the production and biodegradation processes of bacterial FDOM. Photodegradation of bacterial FDOM and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was also examined by exposure to a solar simulator. Bacterial FDOM consists of six components which were determined by parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Fluorescence intensities of protein-like FDOM increased with the bacterial biomass, but the increases of humic-like FDOM lagged behind the protein-like FDOM by 5–10 days. Exposure to simulated sunlight caused significant decreases in fluorescence intensities of all components; 52–94% of the initial intensities were lost during 24 h. While, the DOC concentration exhibited a small decrease through the experiment (1.9–11.1%). These results showed that photodegradability of bacteria derived DOC was much less than the fluorescence, indicating that the lifetime of bacteria-derived DOC is much longer than the length estimated by the fluorescence. The role of photobleached FDOM derived from bacteria may be significant in the biogeochemical cycle at the surface layer.     

Chemical comparison of dissolved organic matter isolated from different oceanic environments

Dissolved organic matter was isolated from coastal and open-ocean surface waters having a wide range of biological productivities, and from seawater of intermediate depths. Approximately 50% of the organic matter was recovered by the use of activated-charcoal chromatography. The organic matter isolated from different types of water masses exhibited varying spectroscopic characteristics, and stable carbon-isotope compositions. The ability of the isolated organic matter to interact with copper ions also varied, but over a relatively narrow range which was not exceeded by more than a factor of two by similarly isolated terrigenous organic matter.     

Thermogenic organic matter dissolved in the abyssal ocean

Formation and decay of thermogenic organic matter are important processes in the geological carbon cycle, but little is known about the fate of combustion-derived and petrogenic compounds in the ocean. We explored the molecular structure of marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) for thermogenic signatures in different water masses of the Southern Ocean. Ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry via the Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance technique (FT-ICR-MS) revealed the presence of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) dissolved in the abyssal ocean. More than 200 different PAHs were discerned, most of them consisting of seven condensed rings with varying numbers of carboxyl, hydroxyl, and aliphatic functional groups. These unambiguously thermogenic compounds were homogenously distributed in the deep sea, but depleted at the sea surface. Based on the structural information alone, petrogenic and pyrogenic compounds cannot be distinguished. Surface depletion of the PAHs and first estimates for their turnover rate (> 1.2 · 10¹² mol C per year) point toward a primarily petrogenic source, possibly deep-sea hydrothermal vents, which is thus far speculative because the fluxes of combustion-derived and petrogenic matter to the ocean are not well constrained. We estimate that > 2.4% of DOM are thermogenic compounds, and their global inventory in the oceans is > 1.4 · 10¹⁵ mol C, significantly impacting global biogeochemical cycles.