Abstract
We have tested the hypothesis that the amounts and types of organic matter preserved in marine sediments represent a dynamic balance between protective sorption to mineral grains and slow oxic degradation during deposition (see Hedges and Keil, 1995; Hartnett et al., 1998). We tested for oxygensensitive organic matter by measuring organic carbon/mineral surface area (OC/SA) ratios, and the isotopic, biochemical and pollen compositions, of sediments accumulating along a transect off the Washington State coast (e.g. Prahl et al., 1994; Keil et al., 1994). The time periods over which depositing particles were exposed to 02 in surface pore waters were estimated at five sites by dividing the depth of 02 penetration by the average sedimentation rate determined from 14C profiles.
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