Early diagenesis in the Congo deep-sea fan sediments dominated by massive terrigenous deposits: Part I – Oxygen consumption and organic carbon mineralization using a micro-electrode approach

Abstract

Organic matter (OM) transfer from the continent to the ocean occurs across margins which constitute a major area of OM recycling and burial. The lobe complex of the Congo deep-sea fan is connected to the river mouth by a canyon and alimented by recurrent turbidity currents, containing a large proportion of labile terrigenous OM and producing high sedimentation rates. These inputs support the development of ecosystems harboring rich assemblages of vesicomyid bivalves and bacterial mats, called Habitats. Here, we present O2 microprofiles and diffusive oxygen uptake rates (DOUs) obtained during the CONGOLOBE project at six sites of this active lobe complex by in situ and on-board methods based on micro-electrode profiling. The dataset is used to determine remineralization rates and study the biogeochemical dynamics of different ecosystems of the lobe area, in order to compare levee and background sediments to the Habitats developed on the flanks of the main turbiditic channel. Levee and background sediments are characterized by significantly higher DOUs than abyssal sediments at 5000m meters depth (2–5mmol O2m−2d−1versus 1.5–2.5mmol O2 m−2 d−1) and the Habitats are hotspots of OM remineralization with DOU values ranging between 8 and 40mmol O2m−2d−1. By comparing sites near the active channel to a site located 50km away, we show that the lobe connection to the main turbiditic channel is vital to the dense benthic communities.