Sulfur diagenesis and burial on the Amazon shelf: Major control by physical sedimentation processes

Early diagenetic properties of Amazon shelf muds are dominated by nonsulfidic Fe and Mn cycling, resulting in relatively little S deposition compared to previously studied marine margin environments. Despite abundant potential reactants typical of sulfidic deposits, authigenic sulfides represent only ~ 10% of diagenetically reduced Fe, and DOP (degree of pyritization) is only ~0.02. The average C/S (wt wt^–1) ratio of buried sediment below the zone of SO₄ ^2- reduction is ~ 7.4, ~ 2.6 times more than the commonly assumed modern shelf average of ~ 2.8. The deltaic burial rate forS is ~ 0.65 × 10⁶ tons yr^–1. Relatively lowS deposition is promoted by terrestrial weathering that delivers reactive oxide debris, but apparently depends most strongly on reoxidation and rapid burial by intense physical reworking and fluid-mud formation. Diagenetic models of S distributions demonstrate rapid sediment reworking (~ 10–100 cm yr^–1 as apparent advection), substantialS reoxidation (84–98%), and in one case, massive sediment deposition of up to ~ 5 m of sediment in ~ 1 year. Extremely low DOP coupled with dominance by nonsulfidic reduced-Fe minerals and lack of biogenic sedimentary structures may be an indicator in marine organic-rich muds of intense physical reworking under oxygenated waters.     

The persistence of memory: the fate of ancient sedimentary organic carbon in a modern sedimentary system

The cycle of organic carbon burial and exhumation moderates atmospheric chemistry and global climate over geologic timescales. The burial of organic carbon occurs predominantly at sea in association with clay-sized particles derived from the erosion of uplifted continental rocks. It follows that the history of the fine-grained particles on land may bear on the nature of the organic carbon buried. In this study, the evolution of clay-associated organic matter was followed from bedrock source to the seabed in the Eel River sedimentary system of northern California using natural abundance ¹³C and ¹⁴C tracers. Approximately half of the fine-grained organic carbon delivered to the shelf is derived from ancient sedimentary organic carbon found in the uplifted Mesozoic-Tertiary Franciscan Complex of the watershed. The short residence time of friable soils on steep hill slopes, coupled with rapid sediment accumulation rates on the shelf-slope, act to preserve the ancient organic carbon. A comparable quantity of modern organic carbon is added to particles in the watershed and on the shelf and slope. The bimodal mixture of ancient and modern C in soils and sediments may be characteristic of many short, mountainous rivers. If the Eel River chemistry is typical of such rivers, more than 40 Tg of ancient organic C may be delivered to the world’s oceans each year. A flux of that magnitude would have a significant influence on marine and global C-cycles.     

PAH phototoxicity--an ecologically irrelevant phenomenon?

Photoenhanced toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) is well demonstrated in laboratory and in a few in situ studies. Effects have been observed for multiple taxa and toxicological endpoints, and the mechanism of toxic action has been described. However, this phenomenon is ameliorated by physical, chemical and biotic factors. The ecological relevance of PAH phototoxicity remains uncertain; it should not be used for environmental management decisions unless its ecological relevance is firmly established, and then only as part of a weight of evidence determination.