The decomposition rate of the organic carbon content of suspended particulate matter in the tropical seagrass meadows

In terms of downward transport, suspended particulate matter(SPM) from marine or terrigenous sources is an essential contributor to the carbon cycle. Within mesoscale environments such as seagrass ecosystems, SPM flux is an essential part of the total carbon budget that is transported within the ecosystem. By assessing the total SPM transport from water column to sediment, potential carbon burial can be estimated. However, SPM may decompose or reforming aggregate during transport, so estimating the vertical flux without knowing the decomposition rate will lead to over-or underestimation of the total carbon budget. Here this paper presents the potential decomposition rate of the SPM in seagrass ecosystems in an attempt to elucidate the carbon dynamics of SPM. SPM was collected from the seagrass ecosystems located at Sikka and Sorong in Indonesia. In situ experiments using SPM traps were conducted to assess the vertical downward flux and decomposition rate of SPM. The isotopic profile of SPM was measured together with organic carbon and total nitrogen content. The results show that SPM was transported to the bottom of the seagrass ecosystem at a rate of up to(129.45±53.79)mg/(m~2·h)(according to carbon). Considering the whole period of inundation of seagrass meadows, SPM downward flux reached a maximum of 3 096 mg/(m~2·d)(according to carbon). The decomposition rate was estimated at from 5.9 μg/(mg·d)(according to carbon) to 26.6 μg/(mg·d)(according to carbon). Considering the total downward flux of SPM in the study site, the maximum decomposed SPM was estimated 39.9 mg/(m~2·d)(according to carbon) and 82.6 mg/(m~2·d)(according to carbon) for study site at Sorong and Sikka, respectively.The decomposed SPM can be 0.6%–2.7% of the total SPM flux, indicating that it is a small proportion of the total flux. The seagrass ecosystems of Sorong and Sikka SPM show an autochthonous tendency with the primary composition of marine-end materials.     

海底甲烷缺氧氧化与冷泉碳酸盐岩沉淀动力学研究进展

海底缺氧带甲烷氧化作用是一个重要的甲烷生物地球化学过程,已被许多地球化学现象所证实。甲烷缺氧氧化有效地减少了渗漏到海水和大气中的甲烷通量,但目前仅有的数据还不能很好地限定甲烷缺氧氧化在全球甲烷循环和全球碳循环中的作用。甲烷缺氧氧化的机理还存在争议,很可能是一个“反甲烷生成”过程。在许多天然气渗漏发育区域,由于甲烷缺氧氧化作用引起环境碱度的增加而沉淀冷泉碳酸盐岩,在海底表层沉积物中形成块状碳酸盐岩结壳。但冷泉碳酸盐岩生成所需的物理化学和生物地球化学条件在很大程度上还不清楚。数值计算表明,孔隙水中溶解足够量的甲烷、冷泉渗漏强度适中、较小的生物扰动作用有利于冷泉碳酸盐岩的生成,而过高的沉积速率则抑制冷泉碳酸盐岩结壳的生成。因此,海底发育冷泉碳酸盐岩可以指示天然气渗漏系统的演化特征。     

Pb and Po, manganese and iron cycling across the O2/H2S interface of a permanently anoxic fjord: Framvaren, Norway

Vertical profiles of dissolved and particulate ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb were measured across the redox transition zone at Station F1 in Framvaren Fjord, Norway. In this fjord, a sharp decrease in pH above the O₂/H₂S interface facilitates the aerobic dissolution of MnO₂. In contrast, Fe(II) concentrations begin to increase only at the O₂/H₂S interface depth. Activity profiles reveal that dissolved ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb are sequestered efficiently by particulates in surface waters. As polonium-210 and lead-210 activities descend down into the aerobic manganese reduction (AMR) zone, they are remobilized during the reductive dissolution of the carrier phase oxyhydroxides. Both ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb are highly enriched at the O₂/H₂S interface where an active community of microbes, such as anoxygenic phototrophs (e.g., Chromatium, Chlorobium sp.), thrives. The coincident peaks in ²¹⁰Po, ²¹⁰Pb and microbial biomass suggest a strong biological influence on the behavior of these radionuclides. There is a strong covariance between the vertical distribution of Mn and Pb, indicating that their redox cycling is closely coupled and is likely microbially mediated.     

Cobalt, manganese, and iron near the Hawaiian Islands: A potential concentrating mechanism for cobalt within a cyclonic eddy and implications for the hybrid-type trace metals

The vertical distributions of cobalt, iron, and manganese in the water column were studied during the E-Flux Program (E-Flux II and III), which focused on the biogeochemistry of cold-core cyclonic eddies that form in the lee of the Hawaiian Islands. During E-Flux II (January 2005) and E-Flux III (March 2005), 17 stations were sampled for cobalt (n=147), all of which demonstrated nutrient-like depletion in surface waters. During E-Flux III, two depth profiles collected from within a mesoscale cold-core eddy, Cyclone Opal, revealed small distinct maxima in cobalt at 100 m depth and a larger inventory of cobalt within the eddy. We hypothesize that this was due to a cobalt concentrating effect within the eddy, where upwelled cobalt was subsequently associated with sinking particulate organic carbon (POC) via biological activity and was released at a depth coincident with nearly complete POC remineralization [Benitez-Nelson, C., Bidigare, R.R., Dickey, T.D., Landry, M.R., Leonard, C.L., Brown, S.L., Nencioli, F., Rii, Y.M., Maiti, K., Becker, J.W., Bibby, T.S., Black, W., Cai, W.J., Carlson, C.A., Chen, F., Kuwahara, V.S., Mahaffey, C., McAndrew, P.M., Quay, P.D., Rappe, M.S., Selph, K.E., Simmons, M.P., Yang, E.J., 2007. Mesoscale eddies drive increased silica export in the subtropical Pacific Ocean. Science 316, 1017–1020]. There is also evidence for the formation of a correlation between cobalt and soluble reactive phosphorus during E-Flux III relative to the E-Flux II cruise that we suggest is due to increased productivity, implying a minimum threshold of primary production below which cobalt–phosphate coupling does not occur. Dissolved iron was measured in E-Flux II and found in somewhat elevated concentrations (0.5 nM) in surface waters relative to the iron depleted waters of the surrounding Pacific [Fitzwater, S.E., Coale, K.H., Gordon, M.R., Johnson, K.S., Ondrusek, M.E., 1996. Iron deficiency and phytoplankton growth in the equatorial Pacific. Deep-Sea Research II 43 (4–6), 995–1015], possibly due to island effects associated with the iron-rich volcanic soil from the Hawaiian Islands and/or anthropogenic inputs. Distinct depth maxima in total dissolved cobalt were observed at 400–600 m depth, suggestive of the release of metals from the shelf area of comparable depth that surrounds these islands.     

Sediment community oxygen consumption in the deep Gulf of Mexico

Sediment community oxygen consumption (SCOC) has been measured from the continental shelf out to the Sigsbee Abyssal Plain in the NE Gulf of Mexico (GoM). SCOC rates on the continental shelf were an order of magnitude higher than those on the adjacent continental slope (450–2750 m depth) and two orders of magnitude higher than those on the abyssal plain at depths of 3.4–3.65 km. Oxygen penetration depth into the sediment was inversely correlated with SCOC measured within incubation chambers, but rates of SCOC calculated from either the gradient of the [O₂] profiles or the total oxygen penetration depth were generally lower than those derived from chamber incubations. SCOC rates seaward of the continental shelf were lower than at equivalent depths on most continental margins where similar studies have been conducted, and this is presumed to be related to the relatively low rates of pelagic production in the GoM. The SCOC, however, was considerably higher than the input of organic detritus from the surface-water plankton estimated from surface-water pigment concentrations, suggesting that a significant fraction of the organic matter nourishing the deep GoM biota is imported laterally down slope from the continental margin.     

草原凋落物的分解及营养元素的释放和累积

草原凋落物的分解是草原生态系统物质循环的主要环节, 其中植物营养元素的释放和累积对退化草场恢复的进程和质量有着重要意义。本文从凋落物自身的性质、外部环境因素(生物及非生物因子)、混合效应等对凋落物分解速率的影响以及凋落物分解时植物营养元素的释放和累积两个方面论述了国内外对草原凋落物的分解及营养元素的生物地球化学行为的研究现状。一般情况下, 草原凋落物分解速率与凋落物自身的N、P、K等元素含量正相关, 与C/N、C/P、木质素、纤维素等的比值或含量值负相关, 而与周围环境中营养元素的组成及含量的关系不大。混合凋落物中不同种类凋落物的N、P含量及物种丰富度影响着非加性效应作用的效果。在凋落物分解过程中, 总体趋势表现为分解初级阶段对N的积累, 对P 和K的释放, 而对Na、Ca、Mg等营养元素来说, 随物种和根茎叶等部位的不同规律也不一样。凋落物中各元素的含量、凋落物分解阶段、物种类型、非加性效应、土壤环境等都是影响其营养元素释放和累积的因素。据此, 本文展望了草原凋落物未来可能的研究方向, 指出多因子的交互作用对草原凋落物分解的影响、凋落物混合分解机制探究、某些大量及微量营养元素的释放和累积可能是未来需要研究的重点。     

汞的环境生物地球化学研究进展

汞是毒性极高的全球性环境污染物.即使在极低剂量下,汞对人类和野生动植物都有相当大的毒性,并导致生态系统功能退化和人类健康风险,有关汞及其化合物的环境生物地球化学研究是目前国际上的热点之一.基于近三十年来的相关研究报道,作者阐述了生态环境中汞的分布特征及化学行为、汞的来源及循环、当前汞的暴露及人类健康风险等方面的最新研究动态.同时,指出生态环境中及环境界面间汞的活化、迁移、转化机制研究、人类活动与汞释放间的关系研究以及生态环境中汞的甲基化作用、生物放大作用等过程和交互作用研究等是今后汞的环境生物地球化学领域内的研究重点.     

湿地生物地球化学研究

湿地生物地球化学是湿地生态系统生态过程的核心研究内容。为了系统认识和了解这一核心内容的研究现状和发展趋势,通过对大量的文献和实践研究成果的分析,阐述了湿地生物地球化学的内涵、研究意义、主要研究内容和研究方法;阐明了湿地生物地球化学过程与气温、水文、植被、土壤、生物等环境要素的关系;论述了湿地生态系统对相邻生态系统的作用与影响;分析了湿地系统温室气体排放特征、影响因素及其区域响应。湿地生物地球化学信息的提取与环境变化的关系研究将成为湿地环境研究的热点领域;湿地生物地球化学过程模型的建立,以及模型模拟的时空尺度转换,碳、氮、硫、磷、等营养物质的生物地球化学过程的研究将成为湿地生态过程的研究核心内容。湿地生物地球化学将成为湿地环境功能和服务功能的评价、湿地系统健康与稳定的诊断和退化湿地系统生态修复的重要基础理论。     

Taxonomical and Biogeochemical Investigation of Elements in Holocene Mollusk Shells in the South and Southwestern Marmara Basin, Turkey

Concentrations of some heavy metals and trace elements such as Cr,Ga,Ni,Zn,Mo,Cu, Pb,Yb,Y,Nb,Ti,Sr,Ba,Mn,Sc,Co,V,Zr,Fe,Al,W,Se,Bi,Sb,As,Cd in recent mollusk shells and factors affecting their distribution and deposits collected from various depths in the southern and southwestern parts of the Marmara Sea are investigated.The distribution of the elements in the shells is categorized into four groups.Of these,concentrations of 12 elements(As,Bi,Cd,Co,Ga,Mo,Nb, Sb,Se,Sc,W and Yb)are below zero [(0.053-0.79)×10~(-6)];concentrations of seven elements(Cr,Ni, Pb,V,Y,Zr and Cu)are(1.0-6.0)×10~(-6);concentrations of four elements(Ti,Mn,Ba and Zn)are 10- 20×10~(-6);and concentrations of five elements(Si,Al,Fe,Mg and Sr)are(47.44-268.11)×10~(-6).The taxonomic characteristics of the 29 elements were studied separately in mollusk shells such as Chamalea gallina(Linné),Pitar-rudis(Poll),Nassarius reticulatus(Linné),Venerupis senescens (Coocconi),Mytilus galloprovincialis(Lamarck),Mytilaster lineatus(Gemelin in Linné)and Chlamys glabra.It was found that,in mollusk taxonomy,the elements have unique values.In other words, element concentrations in various mollusk shells depend mainly on the taxonomic characteristics of mollusks.In various bionomic environments different element distributions of the same species are attributed to the different geochemical characters of the each environment.Data obtained in this study indicate that the organisms are the most active and deterministic factors of the environment.     

High-resolution methane profiles across anoxic brine–seawater boundaries in the Atlantis-II, Discovery, and Kebrit Deeps (Red Sea)

A decrease in temperature (ΔT up to 45.5 °C) and chloride concentration (ΔCl up to 4.65 mol/l) characterises the brine–seawater boundary in the Atlantis-II, Discovery, and Kebrit Deeps of the Red Sea, where redox conditions change from anoxic to oxic over a boundary layer several meters thick. High-resolution (100 cm) profiles of the methane concentration, stable carbon isotope ratio of methane, and redox-sensitive tracers (O₂, Mn⁴⁺/Mn²⁺, Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺, and SO₄²⁻) were measured across the brine–seawater boundary layer to investigate methane fluxes and secondary methane oxidation processes.

Substantial amounts of thermogenic hydrocarbons are found in the deep brines (mostly methane, with a maximum concentration up to 4.8×10⁵ nmol/l), and steep methane concentration gradients mainly controlled by diffusive flow characterize the brine–seawater boundary (maximum of 2×10⁵ nmol/l/m in Kebrit Deep). However, locally the actual methane concentration profiles deviate from theoretical diffusion-controlled concentration profiles and extremely positive δ¹³C–CH₄ values can be found (up to +49‰ PDB in the Discovery Deep). Both, the actual CH₄ concentration profiles and the carbon-13 enrichment in the residual CH₄ of the Atlantis-II and Discovery Deeps indicate consumption (oxidation) of ¹²C-rich CH₄ under suboxic conditions (probably utilizing readily available—up to 2000 μmol/l—Mn(IV)-oxihydroxides as electron acceptor). Thus, a combined diffusion–oxidation model was used to calculate methane fluxes of 0.3–393 kg/year across the brine–seawater boundary layer. Assuming steady-state conditions, this slow loss of methane from the brines into the Red Sea bottom water reflects a low thermogenic hydrocarbon input into the deep brines.