N2, N2O and O2Profiles in a Tagus Estuary Salt Marsh

Vertical gas profiles of N₂, N₂O and O₂were obtained in intact sediment cores from a Tagus estuary salt marsh using membrane inlet mass spectrometry. This technique allows direct measurements of dissolved gas concentrations with minimal disturbance. O₂concentrations decreased sharply with depth, becoming undetectable below 14mm. Denitrification products (N₂and N₂O) occurred in the surface layer of the sediment where O₂was present. Diffusion of N₂and N₂O from the anaerobic zone, denitrification in anaerobic microsites and aerobic denitrification are possible explanations for this observation. N₂was the sole product of denitrification in control sediment cores probably because of the great demand for electron acceptors in this sediment. The addition of NO₃ ⁻ and CH₃CO₂ ⁻ increased the concentrations of N₂and N₂O in the sediment. Significantly higher concentrations in treated cores occurred between 1·5 and 2·0cm for N₂and between 0·5 and 1·5cm for N₂O. The peak in N₂concentration occurred in the anaerobic zone of the sediment, close to the aerobic–anaerobic interface while the peak in N₂O concentration occurred above this interface where concentrations of O₂were approximately 10μM. This is indicative that, in this sediment, production of N₂O is less sensitive to the presence of O₂than reduction of N₂O to N₂.