In-situ registration of oxygen utilization at sediment-water interfaces

A polyacrylic dome was anchored over natural sediments, enclosing a water volume of 0.125 m³ over an area of 0.45 m² of sediment. A vertical convection was produced in the dome, by means of a small pump, to prevent formation of gradients. Oxygen partial pressure and temperature were measured at 20-min intervals by an automatic data system and stored on magnetic tape in digitized form. After some days the system was recovered. The data were read by a microprocessor system, interpreted, listed and plotted against time. Chemical and hydrographic data, from a sample taken at the location of the experiment at the instant it was started, were used as calibration data to calculate oxygen utilization of the sediments in the Kiel Bight.