Organic matter in the Elbe estuary

Abstract

In the low salinity region of the Elbe estuary in March–April 1992 the turbidity zone was characterized by high loads of suspended matter, 7% of which was organic material (750 μM C) at the surface. Particulate nitrogen, phosphorus and carbohydrates concentrations reached 55 μM N, 10 μM P and more than 15 μM glc. eq., corresponding to 13% of total C, at the surface and increasing threefold near the bottom. In spite of the peaking of particulate organic material levels in the maximum turbidity zone, there were only consistent qualitative changes in total particulate C, N, P, and carbohydrates along the Elbe estuary. Downstream, both the percentage of particulate organic material and the turbidity: organic material ratio decreased, indicating decomposition in the upper estuary and dilution with inorganic suspended matter from the lower estuary. Diatoms, the dominant phytoplankton group, decreased from the upper reaches towards the turbidity zone by 0.3 (surface) and 1.5 mg C l−1 (bottom). This corresponded to 12 and 60% of the decrease in total particulate carbon. Estimated local input of organic carbon by primary production (21 μg Cl−1d−1) was almost compensated by calculated minimum grazing (14 μg C l−1d−1). Considering net primary production and grazing, the dissimilation by zooplankton (5 μg C l−1d−1) and heterotrophic bacterial decomposition (48 μg C l−1d−1), when summed over the estimated flushing time (12 days) represented a loss of suspended organic matter of 0.6 mg Cl−1. Since this was only 20% of the observed decrease in particulate carbon, significant dilution processes must be assumed. Dissolved organic nitrogen decreased from 35 to 10 μM N and dissolvd organic phosphorus from 0.6 to 0.1 μM P towards the sea, mainly due to dilution. The distribution of phosphate, with highest loads in the turbidity maximum of 2.4 μM, suggested an interaction with the accumulated load of particulate material.