Sediment Nitrogen Fixation: a Call for Re-evaluating Coastal N Budgets

Coastal ocean primary productivity is often limited by nitrogen (N) availability, which is determined by the balance between N sources (e.g., N-fixation, groundwater, river inputs, etc.) and sinks (e.g., denitrification, sediment burial, etc.). Historically, heterotrophic N-fixation in sediments was excluded as a significant source of N in estuarine budgets, based on low, indirectly measured rates (e.g., acetylene reduction assay) and because it was unnecessary to achieve mass balance. Many recent studies using net N₂ flux measurements have shown that sediment N-fixation can equal or exceed N₂ loss. In an effort to quantify N₂ production and consumption simultaneously, we measured N-fixation and denitrification directly in sediment cores from a temperate estuary (Waquoit Bay, MA). N-fixation, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium, and denitrification occurred simultaneously, and the net N₂ flux shifted from uptake (N-fixation) to efflux (denitrification) over the 120-h incubation. Evidence for N-fixation included net ²⁸N₂ and ³⁰N₂ uptake, ¹⁵NH₄ ⁺ production from ³⁰N₂ additions, ¹⁵N_{organic matter} production, and nifH expression. N-fixation from ³⁰N₂ was up to eight times higher than potential denitrification. However, N-fixation calculated from ¹⁵NO₃ ^? was one half of the measured fixation from ³⁰N₂, indicating that ¹⁵NO₃-isotope labeling calculations may underestimate N-fixation. These results highlight the dynamic nature of sediment N cycling and suggest that quantifying individual processes allows a greater understanding of what net N₂ fluxes signify and how that balance varies over time.     

Exchange of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Between a Shallow Lagoon and Coastal Waters

West Falmouth Harbor, a shallow lagoon on Cape Cod, has experienced a threefold increase in nitrogen load since the mid- to late 1990s due to input from a groundwater plume contaminated by a municipal wastewater treatment plant. We measured the exchange of nitrogen and phosphorus between the harbor and the coastal waters of Buzzards Bay over several years when the harbor was experiencing this elevated nitrogen load. During summer months, the harbor not only retained the entire watershed nitrogen load but also had a net import of nitrogen from Buzzards Bay. During the spring and fall, the harbor had a net export of nitrogen to Buzzards Bay. We did not measure the export in winter, but assuming the winter net export was less than 112 % of the load, the harbor exported less than half of the watershed nitrogen load on an annual basis. For phosphorus, the harbor had a net import from coastal waters in the spring and summer months and a net export in the fall. Despite the large increase in nitrogen load to the harbor, the summertime import of phosphorus from Buzzards Bay was sufficient to maintain nitrogen limitation of primary productivity during the summer. Our findings illustrate that shallow systems dominated by benthic producers have the potential to retain large terrestrial nitrogen loads when there is sufficient supply of phosphorus from exchange with coastal waters.     

Effects of Seagrass Rhizospheres on Sediment Redox Conditions in SE Asian Coastal Ecosystems

We examined the rhizosphere structure of 14 seagrass meadows (seven mixed, three Enhalus acoroides, two Zostera japonica, one Thalassia hemprichii, and one Halophila ovalis) in the Philippines and Vietnam and tested their effect on sediment redox potential by comparing the redox potential in vegetated vs unvegetated sediments. The effect of seagrass photosynthesis on sediment redox potential was tested in an E. acoroides meadow during a short-term (2-day) clipping experiment. In all the meadows, the centroidal depth (i.e., depth comprising 50%) of seagrass belowground biomass was within the top 15 cm sediment layer. Redox potentials in vegetated sediments tended to be higher than those in adjacent unvegetated ones; sediment redox potential anomaly ranged from −61 to 133 mV across the meadows. The centroidal depths of positive redox potential anomaly and seagrass root biomass were significantly correlated across the meadows investigated (type II regression analysis, slope = 0.90, lower confidence limit [CL] = 0.42 upper CL = 1.82, R ² = 0.59, p < 0.01). Experimental removal of E. acoroides leaves resulted in a decrease in rhizosphere redox potential by 20 mV, further confirming the positive effect of seagrass roots and rhizomes on sediment redox potential and, thus, the general conditions for microbial processes in the coastal zone.     

Seasonal Growth and Senescence of a Zostera marina Seagrass Meadow Alters Wave-Dominated Flow and Sediment Suspension Within a Coastal Bay

Tidally driven flows, waves, and suspended sediment concentrations were monitored seasonally within a Zostera marina seagrass (eelgrass) meadow located in a shallow (1–2 m depth) coastal bay. Eelgrass meadows were found to reduce velocities approximately 60 % in the summer and 40 % in the winter compared to an adjacent unvegetated site. Additionally, the seagrass meadow served to dampen wave heights for all seasons except during winter when seagrass meadow development was at a minimum. Although wave heights were attenuated across the meadow, orbital motions caused by waves were able to effectively penetrate through the canopy, inducing wave-enhanced bottom shear stress (τ _b ). Within the seagrass meadow, τ _b was greater than the critical stress threshold (=0.04 Pa) necessary to induce sediment suspension 80–85 % of the sampling period in the winter and spring, but only 55 % of the time in the summer. At the unvegetated site, τ _b was above the critical threshold greater than 90 % of the time across all seasons. During low seagrass coverage in the winter, near-bed turbulence levels were enhanced, likely caused by stem–wake interaction with the sparse canopy. Reduction in τ _b within the seagrass meadow during the summer correlated to a 60 % reduction in suspended sediment concentrations but in winter, suspended sediment was enhanced compared to the unvegetated site. With minimal seagrass coverage, τ _b and wave statistics were similar to unvegetated regions; however, during high seagrass coverage, sediment stabilization increased light availability for photosynthesis and created a positive feedback for seagrass growth.     

浅论地下水中的氮污染

近几十年随着工农业生产的发展,农村、城市的地下水都存在着不同程度的氮污染问题,地下水逐渐成为氮元素的"储存库".而含水层对氮的自净能力极为有限,且氮对地下水的污染具有后遗效应[1],使得氮污染对地下水水环境的危害重大.论述地下水中氮的来源,氮污染的危害、途径,影响其迁移的因素及其循环转化机理,并提出防治对策.     

The Effects of Salinity on Nitrogen Losses from an Oligohaline Estuarine Sediment

Benthic respiration, sediment–water nutrient fluxes, denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) were measured in the upper section of the Parker River Estuary from 1993 to 2006. This site experiences large changes in salinity over both short and long time scales. Sediment respiration ranged from 6 to 52 mmol m⁻² day⁻¹ and was largely controlled by temperature. Nutrient fluxes were dominated by ammonium fluxes, which ranged from a small uptake of −0.3 to an efflux of over 8.2 mmol N m⁻² day⁻¹. Ammonium fluxes were most highly correlated with salinity and laboratory experiments demonstrated that ammonium fluxes increased when salinity increased. The seasonal pattern of DNRA closely followed salinity. DNRA rates were extremely low in March, less than 0.1 mmol m⁻² day⁻¹, but increased to 2.0 mmol m⁻² day⁻¹ in August. In contrast, denitrification rates were inversely related to salinity, ranging from 1 mmol m⁻² day⁻¹ during the spring and fall to less than 0.2 mmol m⁻² day⁻¹ in late summer. Salinity appears to exert a major control on the nitrogen cycle at this site, and partially decouples sediment ammonium fluxes from organic matter decomposition.     

胶州湾滨海湿地的景观格局变化及环境效应

在湿地景观类型分类基础上,利用RS及GIS技术提取了1986、1995和2010年胶州湾滨海湿地的Landsat卫星假彩色合成影像的空间属性数据,利用斑块动态度、斑块密度指数、景观多样性指数、斑块破碎化指数研究了胶州湾滨海湿地的景观格局变化及累积环境效应。结果表明,1986～2010年胶州湾滨海湿地总面积减少,河流与河口湿地面积稍有增大,潮间带滩涂和潮上带湿地面积和斑块数减小;养殖池面积增大、斑块数增多,盐田面积减小、斑块数基本未变,增加了湿地公园这种新的人工湿地景观类型。期间,湿地的景观斑块密度指数、多样性指数和景观斑块破碎化指数增大了。上述湿地面积和景观格局变化是由围垦、城市化、港口和道路建设、河流径流量和输沙量减少、海岸侵蚀、海水入侵、全球变暖、海面上升等因素引起的,并导致湿地生物多样化水平下降、有害植物入侵、环境净化功能降低、污染和赤潮灾害加重、植被退化演替、渔业资源衰退和湿地生态系统服务价值降低等累积环境效应。为减轻这些不利的累积环境效应,应采取建设湿地自然保护区、控制养殖池和盐田规模、发展工业循环经济和生态农业等措施保护胶州湾滨海湿地。     

Sediment Denitrification in Two Contrasting Tropical Shallow Lagoons

Sediment denitrification was monthly evaluated in two tropical coastal lagoons with different trophic states using the ¹⁵N isotope pairing technique. Denitrification rates were very low in both environments, always <5.0 μmol N₂ m^?2 h^?1 and were not significantly different between them. Oxygen consumption varied from 426 to 4248 μmol O₂ m^?2 h^?1 and was generally three times higher in the meso-eutrophic than the oligotrophic lagoon. The low denitrification activity was ascribed to both low water NO₃ ^? concentrations (<2.0 μM) and little nitrate supply from nitrification. There was no correlation of denitrification with nitrate or ammonium fluxes. Sediments in temperate environments with similar oxygen consumption rates usually presented a higher proportion of nitrification–denitrification rates. Sediment oxygen consumption was a good predictor of sediment denitrification in both studied lagoons.     

三沙湾亚硝酸氮、氨氮、磷酸盐的异常、机制及影响

闽东三沙湾是最典型的多河流汇入的封闭型海湾,是世界上最大的大黄鱼网箱养殖基地和全国最主要的渔业养殖基地之一,多次调查却发现该湾藻类生产量远低于其他海湾,呈现"营养多藻类少"独特的生态特征,但都没有深入讨论其机制.本研究2018-2020年采用定点和大面走航方式,调查了5项营养盐(活性硅酸盐(SiO₃-Si)、硝酸氮(NO₃-N)、亚硝酸氮(NO₂-N)、氨氮(NH₄-N)、活性磷酸盐(PO₄-P))的潮汐运动及空间分布,结果发现:(1)流域输入导致SiO₃-Si、NO₃-N落憩浓度大于涨憩浓度,并从岸向湾内随盐度增加而线性减少.(2)湾内养殖和自然生态系统输出导致NO₂-N、NH₄-N、PO₄-P涨憩浓度大于落憩浓度,洪季浓度大于枯季浓度,从岸向湾NO₂-N随盐度增加而非线性增加,NH₄-N、PO₄-P随盐度增加而平均分布等异常现象,但沿岸排污口附近NH₄-N、PO₄-P呈落憩浓度大于涨憩浓度.(3)湾内养殖和沿岸排污输入的高浓度NH₄-N、PO₄-P,是三沙湾水质严重污染和富营养化的主要原因,湾内养殖引起的高浓度NO₂-N是引起三沙湾"营养多藻类少灾害多"这一独特的生态特征的主要因素.      

考虑淤泥层弹性储水的滨海承压含水层中海潮引起的地下水头波动

综合考虑了海底淤泥层的弹性储水系数、海潮荷载效应和渗透性,对海底露头处具有淤泥层的滨海承压含水层系统中海潮引起的水头波动进行分析,给出了相应的数学模型,并推导出其解析解,讨论了淤泥层弹性储水对于水头波动的影响.分析表明,当淤泥层的厚度或弹性储水系数较小时,或者其渗透性较好时,可以忽略其弹性储水效应,从而把整个淤泥层简化为第三类边界条件来处理.文章还考虑了承压含水层和淤泥层中可能存在的垂向流动,对垂向剖面二维地下水流动方程进行了数值模拟,将二维数值解与忽略垂向流动的一维解析解进行了比较,结果表明该含水层系统的垂向流动是可以被忽略的.     

黄茅海海域内泥沙淤积范围的确定

根据黄茅海海域底沙样本的中子活化分析示踪泥沙的原始数据,采用模糊数学方法,计算了各样本点间的相关关系,并进行聚类分析,得出了泥沙输移的主要路线,同时通过对沙源泥沙特性的探讨且结合实际情况,选取了作为沙源的泥沙样本.在此基础上,采用均方差最小的方法,计算各沙源对海域内各样本点的贡献,由此可以确认各沙源的淤积范围,从而对本海域内的泥沙来源有了较为全面的认识.     

Experimental Effects of the Grass Shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, on Hard-Substrate Communities in Chesapeake Bay and an Adjacent Coastal Bay, USA

With increased shoreline hardening and development, it is important to understand the ecological processes occurring in these and adjacent coastal habitats. A common species found associated with these hard-substrate habitats in Chesapeake Bay is the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio. Caging experiments were conducted from June to August 2010 to examine the effects of shrimp on the recruitment and development of hard-substrate communities. Experiments were conducted at two low-salinity sites within Chesapeake Bay and one high-salinity site in an adjacent coastal bay in Virginia. The addition of grass shrimp reduced recruitment of polychaetes and scyphistomae of the sea nettle, Chrysaora quinquecirrha, and increased recruitment of encrusting bryozoans and the oyster, Crassostrea virginica. After 12?weeks, sea nettles at one low-salinity site, dominated predator-exclusion treatments. At the high-salinity site, oysters dominated when shrimp were present. Although it is unclear whether the results of short-term caging studies can be applied across larger temporal and spatial scales, the significant effects of grass shrimp on two important Chesapeake Bay species suggests that increases in hard-substrate habitat could have broader impacts within this and other systems.     

Chesapeake Bay Plume Morphology and the Effects on Nutrient Dynamics and Primary Productivity in the Coastal Zone

To determine the effects of the Chesapeake Bay outflow plume on the coastal ocean, nutrient concentrations and climatology were evaluated in conjunction with nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) uptake rates during a 3-year field study. Sixteen cruises included all seasons and captured high- and low-flow freshwater input scenarios. Event-scale disturbances in freshwater flow and wind speed and direction strongly influenced the location and type of plume present and thus the biological uptake of N and C. As expected, volumetric primary productivity rates did not always correlate with chlorophyll a concentrations, suggesting that high freshwater flow does not translate into high productivity in the coastal zone; rather, high productivity was observed during periods where recycling processes may have dominated. Results suggest that timing of meteorological events, with respect to upwelling or downwelling favorable conditions, plays a crucial role in determining the impact of the estuarine plume on the coastal ocean.     

海底沉积物孔隙水钡循环对天然气渗漏的指示

冷泉流体的渗漏活动强烈地影响着海底沉积物孔隙水钡循环。冷泉流体中的Ba2+ 向上扩散与孔隙水硫酸盐反应,在硫酸盐—碳氢化合物转化带（SHT）之上沉淀重晶石。随着沉积物的埋藏,先前沉淀的重晶石被埋藏于SHT之下的硫酸盐亏损带,将发生溶解,溶解的钡向上扩散,在SHT之上再次沉淀重晶石。当体系中向上扩散的Ba2+超过埋藏的重晶石中的钡时,在剖面上形成“钡锋”。向上渗漏的碳氢化合物（甲烷为主）通量控制了SHT的深度,二者之间存在很好的地球化学耦合关系,从而,可以用“钡锋”来评价天然气渗漏活动的特征。在总结和分析国际海底冷泉渗漏活动区沉积物孔隙水的甲烷和钡循环的研究进展基础上,综述了海底沉积物孔隙水钡循环对现在和过去天然气渗漏的指示,总结了渗漏成因重晶石的地质和地球化学特征。     

Experimental Study on the Effect of Sediment Composition Ratio on Shallow Water Delta

<正>1 Introduction Shallow water delta in the middle-newborn Stratum Widely developed with huge oil and gas in China(Hu Shengwu et al.,2013).The control factors on the deltadevelopment like Climate,sea level,tectonic subsidence,sediment supply(flow,type),the geometric characteristics of the upstream river,the energy(wave,     

Effects of Local Watershed Land Use on Water Quality in Mid-Atlantic Coastal Bays and Subestuaries of the Chesapeake Bay

Nutrient inputs have degraded estuaries worldwide. We investigated the sources and effects of nutrient inputs by comparing water quality at shallow (< 2m deep) nearshore (within 200 m) locations in a total of 49 Chesapeake subestuaries and Mid-Atlantic coastal bays with differing local watershed land use. During July–October, concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), dissolved ammonium, dissolved inorganic N (DIN), and chlorophyll a were positively correlated with the percentages of cropland and developed land in the local watersheds. TN, DIN, and nitrate were positively correlated with the ratio of watershed area to subestuary area. Total phosphorus (TP) and dissolved phosphate increased with cropland but were not affected by developed land. The relationships among N, P, chlorophyll a, and land use suggest N limitation of chlorophyll a production from July–October. We compared our measurements inside the subestuaries to measurements by the Chesapeake Bay Program in adjacent estuarine waters outside the subestuaries. TP and dissolved inorganic P concentrations inside the subestuaries correlated with concentrations outside the subestuaries. However, water quality inside the subestuaries generally differed from that in adjacent estuarine waters. The concentration of nitrate was lower inside the subestuaries, while the concentrations of other forms of N, TP, and chlorophyll a were higher. This suggests that shallow nearshore waters inside the subestuaries import nitrate while exporting other forms of N as well as TP and chlorophyll a. The importance of local land use and the distinct biogeochemistry of shallow waters should be considered in managing coastal systems.     

Macrophyte Abundance in Waquoit Bay: Effects of Land-Derived Nitrogen Loads on Seasonal and Multi-Year Biomass Patterns

Anthropogenic inputs of nutrients to coastal waters have rapidly restructured coastal ecosystems. To examine the response of macrophyte communities to land-derived nitrogen loading, we measured macrophyte biomass monthly for 6 years in three estuaries subject to different nitrogen loads owing to different land uses on the watersheds. The set of estuaries sampled had nitrogen loads over the broad range of 12 to 601 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Macrophyte biomass increased as nitrogen loads increased, but the response of individual taxa varied. Specifically, biomass of Cladophora vagabunda and Gracilaria tikvahiae increased significantly as nitrogen loads increased. The biomass of other macroalgal taxa tended to decrease with increasing load, and the relative proportion of these taxa to total macrophyte biomass also decreased. The seagrass, Zostera marina, disappeared from the higher loaded estuaries but remained abundant in the estuary with the lowest load. Seasonal changes in macroalgal standing stock were also affected by nitrogen load, with larger fluctuations in biomass across the year and higher minimum biomass of macroalgae in the higher loaded estuaries. There were no significant changes in macrophyte biomass over the 6 years of this study, but there was a slight trend of increasing macroalgal biomass in the latter years. Macroalgal biomass was not related to irradiance or temperature, but Z. marina biomass was highest during the summer months when light and temperatures peak. Irradiance might, however, be a secondary limiting factor controlling macroalgal biomass in the higher loaded estuaries by restricting the depth of the macroalgal canopy. The relationship between the bloom-forming macroalgal species, C. vagabunda and G. tikvahiae, and nitrogen loads suggested a strong connection between development on watersheds and macroalgal blooms and loss of seagrasses. The influence of watershed land uses largely overwhelmed seasonal and inter-annual differences in standing stock of macrophytes in these temperate estuaries.     

Drivers of Change in Shallow Coastal Photic Systems: An Introduction to a Special Issue

Coastal ecosystems are characterized by relatively deep, plankton-based estuaries and much shallower systems where light reaches the bottom. These latter systems, including lagoons, bar-built estuaries, the fringing regions of deeper systems, and other systems of only a few meters deep, are characterized by a variety of benthic primary producers that augment and, in many cases, dominate the production supplied by phytoplankton. These “shallow coastal photic systems” are subject to a wide variety of both natural and anthropogenic drivers and possess numerous natural “filters” that modulate their response to these drivers; in many cases, the responses are much different from those in deeper estuaries. Natural drivers include meteorological forcing, freshwater inflow, episodic events such as storms, wet/dry periods, and background loading of optically active constituents. Anthropogenic drivers include accelerated inputs of nutrients and sediments, chemical contaminants, physical alteration and hydrodynamic manipulation, climate change, the presence of intensive aquaculture, fishery harvests, and introduction of exotic species. The response of these systems is modulated by a number of factors, notably bathymetry, physical flushing, fetch, sediment type, background light attenuation, and the presence of benthic autotrophs, suspension feeding bivalves, and fringing tidal wetlands. Finally, responses to stressors in these systems, particularly anthropogenic nutrient enrichment, consist of blooms of phytoplankton, macroalgae, and epiphytic algae, including harmful algal blooms, subsequent declines in submerged aquatic vegetation and loss of critical habitat, development of hypoxia/anoxia particularly on short time scales (i.e., “diel-cycling”), fish kills, and loss of secondary production. This special issue of Estuaries and Coasts serves to integrate current understanding of the structure and function of shallow coastal photic systems, illustrate the many drivers that cause change in these systems, and synthesize their varied responses.     

南黄海表层沉积物中氮的分布特征及其在生物地球化学循环中的功能

本文报道了南黄海表层沉积物中不同形态氮的区域分布特征及其在生物地球化学循环中的作用。结果显示 ,在粒径 <31 μm的粒度组分含量 >6 5 %( )、35 %～ 6 5 %( )和 <35 %( )的三个区域中 ,沉积物中不同形态氮的含量比值分别为 :1 .6 5 :1 .2 6 :1 (IEF- N) ,1 .2 3:1 .1 0 :1 (WAEF- N) ,1 .4 1 :1 .0 4 :1 (SAEF- N) ,2 .0 8:1 .4 5 :1 (SOEF- N) ,TN(1 .70 :1 .2 6 :1 ) ,即在细粒度组分 (<31 μm)含量较高的区域 ,不同形态氮的含量也相对较高 ;在三个分区内 ,不同形态氮的埋藏通量非常相近 ,而埋藏效率自 至 区逐渐递增 ,在细粒度组分 (<31 μm)含量最低的 区内 ,埋藏效率最高 ,TN的埋藏效率可达 30 .2 1 %,即南黄海表层沉积物中 70 %以上的氮在适当的条件下可释放进入水体参与其生物地球化学循环 ,能提供海洋新生产力所需氮的 6 .5 4 %,对海洋生产力具有一定的补充和调控作用。