Benthic sulfate reduction along the Chesapeake Bay central channel. I. Spatial trends and controls

Abstract

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 168:213-228 (1998) - doi:10.3354/meps168213 Benthic sulfate reduction along the Chesapeake Bay central channel. I. Spatial trends and controls M. C. Marvin-DiPasquale*, D. G. Capone University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, PO Box 38, Solomons, Maryland 20688, USA *Present address: U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, MS 480, 345 Middlefield Rd, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA. E-mail: mmarvin@usgs.gov ABSTRACT: Factors controlling the spatial distribution of benthic sulfate reduction (SR) were investigated at 3 stations [upper (UB), mid (MB) and lower bay (LB)] along the Chesapeake Bay (eastern USA) central channel from early spring through late fall, 1989 to 1994. Annual rates of 0 to 12 cm depthintegrated SR were 0.96, 9.62 and 6.33 mol S m-2 yr-1 for UB, MB and LB, respectively, as calculated from 35SO42- incubations. SR was carbon limited at UB, LB, and at the sediment surface at MB, and SO42- limited at depth at MB. Temperature explained 33 to 68% of the variability in annual rates, with an apparent influence on SR which increased in the seaward direction in surface sediments. We speculate that the enhanced response of SR to temperature in LB surface sediments was linked to seasonal variations in macrofaunal activity associated with temperature. Estimates of reduced-S burial indicated that only 4 to 8% of sulfur reduced annually was buried as Fe-S minerals at MB and LB, with the remainder presumably being reoxidized. In contrast, >50% of the sulfur reduced annually was buried at UB, due to comparatively low SR rates and the high concentration of reactive iron in the oligohaline region. SR mineralized 18 to 32% of the annual primary production. Our results indicate that organic quality may be more important than the absolute quantity of organic loading in dictating the magnitude of benthic SR rates along an estuarine gradient. Spatial trends in SR reflected the combined influence of deposited organic matter quality and quantity, SO42- availability, the presence or absence of benthic macrofauna, overlying water dissolved O2 conditions, reduced-S reoxidation dynamics, and iron-sulfide mineral formation. KEY WORDS: Sulfate reduction · Anaerobic metabolism · Sediment · Estuary · Chesapeake Bay Full text in pdf format PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 168. Publication date: July 09, 1998 Print ISSN:0171-8630; Online ISSN:1616-1599 Copyright © 1998 Inter-Research.