scholarly journals Diagenetic control of nitrogen isotope ratios in Holocene sapropels and recent sediments from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 3901-3914 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Möbius ◽  
N. Lahajnar ◽  
K.-C. Emeis
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Surface Sediments ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Deep Waters ◽  
Spatially Distributed ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Recent Sediments

Abstract. The enhanced accumulation of organic matter in Eastern Mediterranean sapropels and their unusually low δ15N values have been attributed to either enhanced nutrient availability which led to elevated primary production and carbon sequestration or to enhanced organic matter preservation under anoxic conditions. In order to evaluate these two hypothesis we have determined Ba/Al ratios, amino acid composition, N and organic C concentrations and δ15N in sinking particles, surface sediments, eight spatially distributed core records of the youngest sapropel S1 (10–6 ka) and older sapropels (S5, S6) from two locations. These data suggest that (i) temporal and spatial variations in δ15N of sedimentary N are driven by different degrees of diagenesis at different sites rather than by changes in N-sources or primary productivity and (ii) present day TOC export production would suffice to create a sapropel like S1 under conditions of deep-water anoxia. This implies that both enhanced TOC accumulation and δ15N depletion in sapropels were due to the absence of oxygen in deep waters. Thus preservation plays a major role for the accumulation of organic-rich sediments casting doubt on the need of enhanced primary production for sapropel formation.

scholarly journals Diagenetic control of nitrogen isotope ratios in Holocene sapropels and recent sediments from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1131-1165 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Möbius ◽  
N. Lahajnar ◽  
K.-C. Emeis
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Surface Sediments ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Deep Waters ◽  
Spatially Distributed ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Recent Sediments

Abstract. The enhanced accumulation of organic matter in Eastern Mediterranean sapropels and their unusually depleted δ15N values have been attributed to either enhanced nutrient availability which led to elevated primary production and carbon sequestration or to enhanced organic matter preservation under anoxic conditions. In order to evaluate these two hypothesis we have determined Ba/Al ratios, amino acid composition, N and organic C concentrations and δ15N on sinking particles, surface sediments, eight spatially distributed core records of the youngest sapropel S1 (10-6 ka) and older sapropels (S5, S6) from two locations. These data suggest that (i) temporal and spatial variations in δ15N of sedimentary N are driven by different degrees of diagenesis at different sites rather than by changes in N-sources or primary productivity and (ii) that present day TOC export production would suffice to create a sapropel like S1 under conditions of deep-water anoxia. This implies that both enhanced TOC accumulation and δ15N depletion in sapropels were due to the absence of oxygen in deep waters. Thus preservation plays a major role for the accumulation of organic-rich sediments casting doubt the need of enhanced primary production for sapropel formation.

scholarly journals Productivity patterns and N-fixation associated with Pliocene-Holocene sapropels: paleoceanographic and paleoecological significance

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 415-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Gallego-Torres ◽  
F. Martinez-Ruiz ◽  
P. A. Meyers ◽  
A. Paytan ◽  
F. J. Jimenez-Espejo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
N Fixation ◽  
Accumulation Rates ◽  
Ecological Changes ◽  
Bottom Waters ◽  
Mass Accumulation Rates ◽  
Mass Accumulation

Abstract. We have studied a suite of 35 sapropel sequences from a transect of four ODP sites across the Eastern Mediterranean to explore for paleoproductivity patterns and provide new insights on ecological changes during their deposition. Paleoproductivity variations were identified using TOC and Babio mass accumulation rates and δ15Ntotal and δ13Corg values. Elevated Ba/Al and TOC mass accumulation rates record periods of basin-wide amplified productivity. Our data further support that sapropels were formed by cyclic increases in primary production of marine organic matter largely sustained by N-fixing bacteria. This productivity increase was triggered by climate factors leading to increased fluvial discharge and amplified nutrient input that also favored the establishment of N-fixing bacteria. Enhanced productivity led to depletion of deepwater dissolved oxygen and consequently improved organic matter preservation. Primary production was more intense during the middle to Late Pleistocene compared to Pliocene equivalents, coinciding with increasing total sedimentation rates. δ15N values are dramatically lower in the sapropels than in TOC-poor background sediments, indicating a major contribution from nitrogen-fixing bacteria to the higher productivity during sapropel deposition. Additionally, different degrees of denitrification occurred as a consequence of water column oxygenation which in turns evolved from stagnant anoxic bottom waters during Pliocene sapropels to oxygen depleted and sluggish circulation in late Quaternary layers. These differences between sapropel layers provide new evidences for the general evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean basin during the last 3 Mys in terms of paleoceanographic conditions and the intensity of climate variability leading to sapropel deposition.

scholarly journals Linkage between the temporal and spatial variability of dissolved organic matter and whole-stream metabolism

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 5555-5569 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Halbedel ◽  
O. Büttner ◽  
M. Weitere
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Dissolved Organic Matter ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Gross Primary Production ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
Low Molecular Weight ◽  
Stream Metabolism ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Dom Composition

Abstract. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is an important resource for microbes, thus affecting whole-stream metabolism. However, the factors influencing its chemical composition and thereby also its bio-availability are complex and not thoroughly understood. It was hypothesized that whole-stream metabolism is linked to DOM composition and that the coupling of both is influenced by seasonality and different land-use types. We tested this hypothesis in a comparative study on two pristine forestry streams and two non-forestry streams. The investigated streams were located in the Harz Mountains (central Europe, Germany). The metabolic rate was measured with a classical two-station oxygen change technique and the variability of DOM with fluorescence spectroscopy. All streams were clearly net heterotrophic, whereby non-forestry streams showed a higher primary production, which was correlated to irradiance and phosphorus concentration. We detected three CDOM components (C1, C2, C3) using parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis. We compared the excitation and emission maxima of these components with the literature and correlated the PARAFAC components with each other and with fluorescence indices. The correlations suggest that two PARAFAC components are derived from allochthonous sources (C1, C3) and one is derived autochthonously (C2). The chromophoric DOM matrix was dominated by signals of humic-like substances with a highly complex structure, followed by humic-like, fulfic acids, low-molecular-weight substances, and with minor amounts of amino acids and proteins. The ratios of these PARAFAC components (C1 : C2, C1 : C3, C3 : C2) differed with respect to stream types (forestry versus non-forestry). We demonstrated a significant correlation between gross primary production (GPP) and signals of autochthonously derived, low-molecular-weight humic-like substances. A positive correlation between P / R (i.e. GPP/daily community respiration) and the fluorescence index FI suggests that the amount of autochthonously produced DOM increased overall with increasing GPP. In accordance with the coupling between DOM and the metabolism, our data also indicate that the composition of DOM is subject to seasonal fluctuations. We concluded that temporal and spatial differences in DOM composition are driven by whole-stream metabolism, in addition to pronounced effects coming from allochthonous sources.

scholarly journals Organic matter dynamics and stable isotope signature as tracers of the sources of suspended sediment

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1985-1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Schindler Wildhaber ◽  
R. Liechti ◽  
C. Alewell
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Brown Trout ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Atomic Ratio ◽  
High Flow ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Sediment Loads ◽  
Temporal And Spatial

Abstract. Suspended sediment (SS) and organic matter in rivers can harm brown trout Salmo trutta by affecting the health and fitness of free swimming fish and by causing siltation of the riverbed. The temporal and spatial dynamics of sediment, carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) during the brown trout spawning season in a small river of the Swiss Plateau were assessed and C isotopes as well as the C/N atomic ratio were used to distinguish autochthonous and allochthonous sources of organic matter in SS loads. The visual basic program IsoSource with 13Ctot and 15N as input isotopes was used to quantify the temporal and spatial sources of SS. Organic matter concentrations in the infiltrated and suspended sediment were highest during low flow periods with small sediment loads and lowest during high flow periods with high sediment loads. Peak values in nitrate and dissolved organic C were measured during high flow and high rainfall, probably due to leaching from pasture and arable land. The organic matter was of allochthonous sources as indicated by the C/N atomic ratio and δ13Corg. Organic matter in SS increased from up- to downstream due to an increase of pasture and arable land downstream of the river. The mean fraction of SS originating from upper watershed riverbed sediment decreased from up to downstream and increased during high flow at all measuring sites along the course of the river. During base flow conditions, the major sources of SS are pasture, forest and arable land. The latter increased during rainy and warmer winter periods, most likely because both triggered snow melt and thus erosion. The measured increase in DOC and nitrate concentrations during high flow support these modeling results. Enhanced soil erosion processes on pasture and arable land are expected with increasing heavy rain events and less snow during winter seasons due to climate change. Consequently, SS and organic matter in the river will increase, which will possibly affect brown trout negatively.

scholarly journals Productivity patterns and N-fixation associated with Pliocene-Holocene sapropels: paleoceanographic and paleoecological significance

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 4463-4503
Author(s):  
D. Gallego-Torres ◽  
F. Martínez-Ruiz ◽  
P. A. Meyers ◽  
A. Paytan ◽  
F. J. Jimenez-Espejo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Oxygen Depletion ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
N Fixation ◽  
Sedimentation Rates ◽  
Accumulation Rates ◽  
Mass Accumulation Rates ◽  
Mass Accumulation

Abstract. Sapropels are organic matter enriched sediments cyclically deposited in the Eastern Mediterranean. We have studied a suite of 35 sapropel sequences from a transect of four ODP sites across the basin to explore for paleoproductivity patterns and their relationship to ecological changes in the region during their deposition. We assessed paleoproductivity variations using TOC and Babio mass accumulation rates and δ15Ntotal and δ13Corg values. Elevated Ba/Al and TOC mass accumulation rates record periods of basin-wide amplified productivity. δ15N values are dramatically lower in the sapropels than in TOC-poor background sediments indicating a major contribution from nitrogen-fixing bacteria to the higher productivity during sapropel deposition. Different degrees of denitrification occurred as a function of water column oxygen depletion. The evolution of sapropel deposition over the past 3 My is characterized by increased productivity together with enhanced preservation of organic matter during the late Pliocene, peaks in primary and export production and sedimentation rates during the middle Pleistocene, and a relatively weak increase in productivity during formation of the Holocene sapropel accompanied by high sedimentation rates. We conclude that sapropels were formed by cyclic increases in primary production of marine organic matter largely sustained by N-fixing bacteria that led to depletion of deepwater dissolved oxygen and consequently improved organic matter preservation. The increase in primary production was helped by nutrient input from continental sources climatically induced.

Carbon in catchments: connecting terrestrial carbon losses with aquatic metabolism

2001 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan J. Cole ◽  
Jonathan J. Cole ◽  
Nina F. Caraco ◽  
Nina F. Caraco
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Gross Primary Production ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Labile Organic Matter ◽  
Terrestrial Environment ◽  
Gas Flux ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Aquatic Respiration ◽  
Net Heterotrophy

For a majority of aquatic ecosystems, respiration (R) exceeds autochthonous gross primary production (GPP). These systems have negative net ecosystem production ([NEP]=[GPP]–R) and ratios of [GPP]/R of <1. This net heterotrophy can be sustained only if aquatic respiration is subsidized by organic inputs from the catchment. Such subsidies imply that organic materials that escaped decomposition in the terrestrial environment must become susceptible to decomposition in the linked aquatic environment. Using a moderate-sized catchment in North America, the Hudson River (catchment area 33500 km2), evidence is presented for the magnitude of net heterotrophy. All approaches (CO2 gas flux; O2 gas flux; budget and gradient of dissolved organic C; and the summed components of primary production and respiration within the ecosystem) indicate that system respiration exceeds gross primary production by ~200 g C m-2 year-1. Highly 14C-depleted C of ancient terrestrial origin (1000–5000 years old) may be an important source of labile organic matter to this riverine system and support this excess respiration. The mechanisms by which organic matter is preserved for centuries to millennia in terrestrial soils and decomposed in a matter of weeks in a river connect modern riverine metabolism to historical terrestrial conditions.

scholarly journals Composition and sources of sedimentary organic matter in the deep eastern Mediterranean Sea

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 7379-7402 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Pedrosa-Pàmies ◽  
C. Parinos ◽  
A. Sanchez-Vidal ◽  
A. Gogou ◽  
A. Calafat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Surface Sediments ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Sedimentary Organic Matter ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Deep Sea Sediment ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Circulation Patterns ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Surface sediments collected from deep slopes and basins (1018–4087 m depth) of the oligotrophic eastern Mediterranean Sea have been analysed for bulk elemental and isotopic composition of organic carbon, total nitrogen and selected lipid biomarkers, jointly with grain size distribution and other geochemical proxies. The distribution and sources of sedimentary organic matter (OM) have been subsequently assessed and general environmental variables, such as water column depth and physical circulation patterns, have been examined as causative factors of deep-sea sediment characteristics. Lithogenic and biogenic carbonates are the dominant sedimentary fractions, accounting for up to 85.4 and 66.5 % of the total weight respectively. The low OC and TN contents in the surface sediments of the study area, which ranged from 0.15 to 1.15 % and 0.06 to 0.11 % respectively, reflect the oligotrophic character of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Both bulk and molecular organic tracers reflect a mixed contribution from autochthonous and allochthonous sources for the sedimentary OM, as indicated by relatively degraded marine OM, terrestrial plant waxes and anthropogenic OM (e.g. degraded petroleum by-products) respectively. Wide regional variations have been observed amongst the studied proxies, which reflect the multiple factors controlling sedimentation in the deep eastern Mediterranean Sea. Our findings highlight the role of deep eastern Mediterranean basins as depocentres of organic-rich fine-grained sediments (mean 5.4 ± 2.4 μm), with OM accumulation and burial being attributed to aggregation mechanisms and hydrodynamic sorting. A multi-proxy approach is applied aiming to investigate the biogeochemical composition of sediment samples, which sheds new light on the sources and transport mechanisms along with the impact of preservation vs. diagenetic processes on the composition of sedimentary OM in the deep basins of the oligotrophic eastern Mediterranean Sea.

scholarly journals Composition of Sedimentary Organic Matter across the Laptev Sea Shelf: Evidences from Rock-Eval Parameters and Molecular Indicators

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3511
Author(s):  
Elena Gershelis ◽  
Andrey Grinko ◽  
Irina Oberemok ◽  
Elizaveta Klevantseva ◽  
Natalina Poltavskaya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Surface Sediments ◽  
Continental Margins ◽  
Laptev Sea ◽  
Lena River ◽  
Nearshore Sediments ◽  
Rock Eval ◽  
Molecular Indicators ◽  
Sedimentation Regime ◽  
The Laptev Sea

Global warming in high latitudes causes destabilization of vulnerable permafrost deposits followed by massive thaw-release of organic carbon. Permafrost-derived carbon may be buried in the nearshore sediments, transported towards the deeper basins or degraded into the greenhouse gases, potentially initiating a positive feedback to climate change. In the present study, we aim to identify the sources, distribution and degradation state of organic matter (OM) stored in the surface sediments of the Laptev Sea (LS), which receives a large input of terrestrial carbon from both Lena River discharge and intense coastal erosion. We applied a suite of geochemical indicators including the Rock Eval parameters, traditionally used for the matured OM characterization, and terrestrial lipid biomarkers. In addition, we analyzed a comprehensive grain size data in order to assess hydrodynamic sedimentation regime across the LS shelf. Rock-Eval (RE) data characterize LS sedimentary OM with generally low hydrogen index (100–200 mg HC/g TOC) and oxygen index (200 and 300 CO2/g TOC) both increasing off to the continental slope. According to Tpeak values, there is a clear regional distinction between two groups (369–401 °C for the inner and mid shelf; 451–464 °C for the outer shelf). We suggest that permafrost-derived OM is traced across the shallow and mid depths with high Tpeak and slightly elevated HI values if compared to other Arctic continental margins. Molecular-based degradation indicators show a trend to more degraded terrestrial OC with increasing distance from the coast corroborating with RE results. However, we observed much less variation of the degradation markers down to the deeper sampling horizons, which supports the notion that the most active OM degradation in LS land-shelf system takes part during the cross-shelf transport, not while getting buried deeper.

scholarly journals Comparison of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Consortia from Surface and Deep Waters of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: Characterization and Degradation Potential

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2246
Author(s):  
Georgia Charalampous ◽  
Efsevia Fragkou ◽  
Konstantinos A. Kormas ◽  
Alexandre B. De Menezes ◽  
Paraskevi N. Polymenakou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Sole Source ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Deep Waters ◽  
Degradation Rates ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Set Up

The diversity and degradation capacity of hydrocarbon-degrading consortia from surface and deep waters of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea were studied in time-series experiments. Microcosms were set up in ONR7a medium at in situ temperatures of 25 °C and 14 °C for the Surface and Deep consortia, respectively, and crude oil as the sole source of carbon. The Deep consortium was additionally investigated at 25 °C to allow the direct comparison of the degradation rates to the Surface consortium. In total, ~50% of the alkanes and ~15% of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were degraded in all treatments by Day 24. Approximately ~95% of the total biodegradation by the Deep consortium took place within 6 days regardless of temperature, whereas comparable levels of degradation were reached on Day 12 by the Surface consortium. Both consortia were dominated by well-known hydrocarbon-degrading taxa. Temperature played a significant role in shaping the Deep consortia communities with Pseudomonas and Pseudoalteromonas dominating at 25 °C and Alcanivorax at 14 °C. Overall, the Deep consortium showed a higher efficiency for hydrocarbon degradation within the first week following contamination, which is critical in the case of oil spills, and thus merits further investigation for its exploitation in bioremediation technologies tailored to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

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