scholarly journals Routing of terrestrial organic matter from the Congo River to the ultimate sink in the abyss: a mass balance approach (André Dumont medallist lecture 2017)

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1-2) ◽  
pp. xx-xx
Author(s):  
FRANÇOIS BAUDIN ◽  
CHRISTOPHE RABOUILLE ◽  
BERNARD DENNIELOU
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Submarine Canyon ◽  
Terrestrial Organic Matter ◽  
Sediment Dispersal ◽  
Congo River ◽  
Source To Sink ◽  
Depositional System ◽  
Turbidite System

We address the role of the Congo River sediment dispersal in exporting and trapping organic carbon into deep offshore sediments. Of particular interest is the Congo submarine canyon, which constitutes a permanent link between the terrestrial sediment sources and the marine sink. The Congo River delivers an annual sediment load of ~40 Tg (including 2 Tg of C) that feed a mud-rich turbidite system. Previous estimates of carbon storage capacity in the Congo turbidite system suggest that the terminal lobe complex accounts for ~12% of the surface area of the active turbidite system and accumulates ~18% of the annual input of terrestrial particulate organic carbon exiting the Congo River. In this paper, we extend the approach to the whole active turbidite depositional system by calculating an average burial of terrestrial organic matter in the different environments: canyon, channel, and levees. We estimate that between 33 and 69% of terrestrial carbon exported by the Congo River is ultimately trapped in the different parts of turbidite system and we evaluate their relative efficiency using a source to sink approach. Our carbon budget approach, which consider annual river discharge versus offshore centennial accumulation rates, indicates that about half of the total particulate organic matter delivered yearly by the Congo River watershed escapes the study area or is not correctly estimated by our deep offshore dataset and calculations.

scholarly journals The Role of Organic Matter on Uranium Precipitation in Zoovch Ovoo, Mongolia

Minerals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Rallakis ◽  
Raymond Michels ◽  
Marc Brouand ◽  
Olivier Parize ◽  
Michel Cathelineau
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Uranium Deposit ◽  
Vitrinite Reflectance ◽  
Driven Systems ◽  
Sem Observation ◽  
Organic Matter Type ◽  
Clay Layers

The Zoovch Ovoo uranium deposit is located in East Gobi Basin in Mongolia. It is hosted in the Sainshand Formation, a Late Cretaceous siliciclastic reservoir, in the lower part of the post-rift infilling of the Mesozoic East Gobi Basin. The Sainshand Formation corresponds to poorly consolidated medium-grained sandy intervals and clay layers deposited in fluvial-lacustrine settings. The uranium deposit is confined within a 60- to 80-m-thick siliciclastic reservoir inside aquifer driven systems, assimilated to roll-fronts. As assessed by vitrinite reflectance (%Rr < 0.4) and molecular geochemistry, the formation has never experienced significant thermal maturation. Detrital organic matter (type III and IV kerogens) is abundant in the Zoovch Ovoo depocenter. In this framework, uranium occurs as: (i) U-rich macerals without any distinguishable U-phase under SEM observation, containing up to 40 wt % U; (ii) U expressed as UO2 at the rims of large (several millimeters) macerals and (iii) U oxides partially to entirely replacing macerals, while preserving the inherited plant texture. Thus, uranium is accumulated gradually in the macerals through an organic carbon–uranium epigenization process, in respect to the maceral’s chemistry and permeability. Most macerals are rich in S and, to a lesser extent, in Fe. Frequently, Fe and S contents do not fit the stoichiometry of pyrite, although pyrite also occurs as small inclusions within the macerals. The organic matter appears thus as a major redox trap for uranium in this kind of geological setting.

scholarly journals Sources and accumulation of organic carbon in the Pearl River Estuary surface sediment as indicated by elemental, stable carbon isotopic, and carbohydrate compositions

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 2889-2926 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. He ◽  
M. Dai ◽  
W. Huang ◽  
Q. Liu ◽  
H. Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Surface Sediments ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Pearl River Estuary ◽  
Outer Shelf ◽  
Pearl River ◽  
Terrestrial Organic Matter ◽  
The Pearl River Estuary ◽  
The Pearl River

Abstract. Organic matter in surface sediments from the upper reach of the Pearl River Estuary and Lingdingyang Bay, as well as the adjacent northern South China Sea shelf was characterized by a variety of techniques, including elemental (C and N), stable carbon isotopic (δ 13C) composition, as well as molecular-level analyses. Total organic carbon (TOC) content was 1.61±1.20% in the upper reach down to 1.00±0.22% in Lingdingyang Bay and to 0.80±0.10% on the inner shelf and 0.58±0.06% on the outer shelf. δ13C values ranged from −25.11‰ to −21.28‰ across the studied area, with a trend of enrichment seaward. The spatial trend in C/N ratios mirrored that of δ13C, with a substantial decrease in C/N ratio from 10.9±1.3 in the Lingdingyang Bay surface sediments to 6.5±0.09 in the outer shelf surface sediments. Total carbohydrate yields ranged from 22.1 to 26.7 mg (100 mg OC)−1, and typically followed TOC concentrations in the estuarine and shelf sediments, suggesting that the relative abundance of total carbohydrate was fairly constant in TOC. Total neutral sugars as detected by the nine major monosaccharides (lyxose, rhamnose, ribose, arabinose, fucose, xylose, galactose, mannose, and glucose) yielded between 4.0 and 18.6 mg (100 mg OC)−1 in the same sediments, suggesting that a significant amount of carbohydrates were not neutral aldoses. The bulk organic matter properties, isotopic composition and C/N ratios, combined with molecular-level carbohydrate compositions were used to assess the sources and accumulation of terrestrial organic matter in the Pearl River Estuary and the adjacent northern South China Sea shelf. Results showed a mixture of terrestrial riverine organic carbon with in situ phytoplankton organic carbon in the areas studied. Using a two end-member mixing model based on δ13C values and C/N ratios, we estimated that the terrestrial organic carbon contribution to the surface sediment TOC was ca. 57±13% for Lingdingyang Bay, 19±2% for the inner shelf, which decreased further to 4.3±0.5% on the outer shelf. The molecular composition of the carbohydrate in surface sediments also suggested that the inner estuary was rich in terrestrial-derived carbohydrates but that the contribution of terrestrial-derived carbohydrates decreased offshore. Terrestrial organic carbon accumulation flux was estimated as 1.37±0.92×1011 g yr−1 in Lingdingyang Bay, which accounted for 37±25% of the terrestrial organic carbon transported to the Bay. The burial efficiency of terrestrial organic matter was markedly lower than that of suspended particulate substance (~71%) suggesting that the riverine POC undergoes significant degradation and replacement during transportation through the estuary.

USE OF DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER BY MICROORGANISMS: FORMATION OF WATER QUALITY IN A POND OF A HIGH TROPHIC LEVEL

Fisheries ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (5) ◽  
pp. 25-29
Author(s):  
Anatoliy Sadchikov ◽  
Sergey Ostroumov
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Matter ◽  
Trophic Level ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystem ◽  
High Trophic Level ◽  
Bacterioplankton Community ◽  
Algae And Bacteria

The role of algae and bacteria in the consumption and mineralization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in a highly trophic aquatic ecosystem was studied. The phytoplankton and bacterioplankton community consumed 60% of added DOM in August and 56% of DOM in September. Of the uptaken DOM, a significant amount of organic carbon was mineralized. In August 42.7% and in September 29% of organic carbon (of the consumed organic matter) were used for respiration.

scholarly journals Revisiting the disappearance of terrestrial dissolved organic matter in the ocean: a <i>δ</i><sup>13</sup>C study

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 3707-3719 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Lalonde ◽  
A. V. Vähätalo ◽  
Y. Gélinas
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
World Ocean ◽  
Photochemical Reactions ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Terrestrial Organic Matter ◽  
The World ◽  
Radiation Induced ◽  
Simulated Solar Radiation

Abstract. Organic carbon (OC) depleted in 13C is a widely used tracer for terrestrial organic matter (OM) in aquatic systems. Photochemical reactions can, however, change δ13C of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) when chromophoric, aromatic-rich terrestrial OC is selectively mineralized. We assessed the robustness of the δ13C signature of DOC (δ13CDOC) as a tracer for terrestrial OM by estimating its change during the photobleaching of chromophoric DOM (CDOM) from 10 large rivers. These rivers cumulatively account for approximately one-third of the world's freshwater discharge to the global ocean. Photobleaching of CDOM by simulated solar radiation was associated with the photochemical mineralization of 16 to 43% of the DOC and, by preferentially removing compounds depleted in 13C, caused a 1 to 2.9‰ enrichment in δ13C in the residual DOC. Such solar-radiation-induced photochemical isotopic shift could bias the calculations of terrestrial OM discharge in coastal oceans towards the marine end-member. Shifts in terrestrial δ13CDOC should be taken into account when constraining the terrestrial end-member in global calculation of terrestrially derived DOM in the world ocean.

scholarly journals The trophic biology of the holothurian <i>Molpadia musculus</i>: implications for organic matter cycling and ecosystem functioning in a deep submarine canyon

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 2419-2432 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Amaro ◽  
S. Bianchelli ◽  
D. S. M. Billett ◽  
M. R. Cunha ◽  
A. Pusceddu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Submarine Canyon ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Digestion Rate ◽  
In Situ Experiments ◽  
Total Digestion ◽  
Organic Matter Cycling

Abstract. Megafaunal organisms play a key role in ecosystem functioning in the deep-sea through bioturbation, bioirrigation and organic matter cycling. At 3500 m water depth in the Nazaré Canyon, NE Atlantic, very high abundances of the infaunal holothurian Molpadia musculus were observed. To quantify the role of M. musculus in sediment cycling, sediment samples and holothurians were collected using an ROV and in situ experiments were conducted with incubation chambers. The biochemical composition of the sediment (in terms of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids), the holothurians' gut contents and holothurians' faecal material were analysed. In the sediments, proteins were the dominant organic compound, followed by carbohydrates and lipids. In the holothurian's gut contents, protein concentrations were higher than the other compounds, decreasing significantly as the material passed through the digestive tract. Approximately 33±1% of the proteins were digested by the time sediment reached the mid gut, with a total digestion rate equal to 67±1%. Carbohydrates and lipids were ingested in smaller amounts and digested with lower efficiencies (23±11% and 50±11%, respectively). As a result, the biopolymeric C digestion rate was on average 62±3%. We estimated that the population of M. musculus could remove approximately 0.49±0.13 g biopolymeric C and 0.13±0.03 g N m−2 d−1 from the sediments. These results suggest that M. musculus plays a key role in the benthic tropho-dynamics and biogeochemical processes in the Nazaré Canyon.

scholarly journals Shelf erosion and submarine river canyons: implications for deep-sea oxygenation and ocean productivity during glaciation

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1973-1982 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Tsandev ◽  
C. Rabouille ◽  
C. P. Slomp ◽  
P. Van Cappellen
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Submarine Canyon ◽  
Open Ocean ◽  
Oxygen Levels ◽  
Organic Carbon Burial

Abstract. The areal exposure of continental shelves during glacial sea level lowering enhanced the transfer of erodible reactive organic matter to the open ocean. Sea level fall also activated submarine canyons thereby allowing large rivers to deposit their particulate load, via gravity flows, directly in the deep-sea. Here, we analyze the effects of shelf erosion and particulate matter re-routing to the open ocean during interglacial to glacial transitions, using a coupled model of the marine phosphorus, organic carbon and oxygen cycles. The results indicate that shelf erosion and submarine canyon formation may significantly lower deep-sea oxygen levels, by up to 25%, during sea level low stands, mainly due to the supply of new material from the shelves, and to a lesser extent due to particulate organic matter bypassing the coastal zone. Our simulations imply that deep-sea oxygen levels can drop significantly if eroded shelf material is deposited to the seafloor. Thus the glacial ocean's oxygen content could have been significantly lower than during interglacial stages. Primary production, organic carbon burial and dissolved phosphorus inventories are all affected by the erosion and rerouting mechanisms. However, re-routing of the continental and eroded shelf material to the deep-sea has the effect of decoupling deep-sea oxygen demand from primary productivity in the open ocean. P burial is also not affected showing a disconnection between the biogeochemical cycles in the water column and the P burial record.

Transport of terrestrial organic matter in the Ogooué deep sea turbidite system (Gabon)

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 1061-1072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie Biscara ◽  
Thierry Mulder ◽  
Philippe Martinez ◽  
François Baudin ◽  
Henri Etcheber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Terrestrial Organic Matter ◽  
Turbidite System
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