scholarly journals Ballasted Flocs Capture Pelagic Primary Production and Alter the Local Sediment Characteristics in the Coastal German Bight (North Sea)

Geosciences ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Neumann ◽  
H. Christian Hass ◽  
Jürgen Möbius ◽  
Céline Naderipour

Suspended, organic matter, especially in the form of adhesive extracellular polymers (EPS), tends to form flocs, which may also incorporate suspended lithogenic particles in coastal environments. With an increased settling velocity, these ballasted flocs form in a narrow zone along the coast and potentially represent a major source of pelagic primary production for the benthic community. We sought support for this hypothesis by examining our measurements of the mud content, porosity, permeability, pigment content, and specific respiration rate of sediment from the German Bight (North Sea) for signs that the pelagic zone of ballasted floc formation is affecting the local sediment characteristics. Based on a simple bottom-shear stress model and by employing empirical correlations of sediment characteristics we were able to find strong indications that this is actually the case. Our results demonstrate how ballasted flocs contribute to the benthic pelagic coupling in a high turbulence environment.

1995 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 259-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter Puls ◽  
Herbert Kühl ◽  
Alexander Frohse ◽  
Peter König

2019 ◽  
Vol 625 ◽  
pp. 41-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Martínez-Alarcón ◽  
R Saborowski ◽  
E Melis ◽  
W Hagen

1997 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 375-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Radach ◽  
K. Heyer

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Holler ◽  
Edith Markert ◽  
Alexander Bartholomä ◽  
Ruggero Capperucci ◽  
H. Christian Hass ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 234-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Baumann ◽  
Arne M. Malzahn ◽  
Rudi Voss ◽  
Axel Temming
Keyword(s):  

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