Oxygen consumption in the water column and sediments of the northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone

Abstract

Hypoxia is a global problem resulting from excessive nutrient inputs to coastal regions, but the biogeochemical mechanisms of hypoxia development are not well understood. The primary location of oxygen consumption (i.e., sediments versus water column) is still debated and may depend on the analytical approach used. In this study, oxygen respiration was measured using incubations combined with membrane inlet mass spectrometry in sediments, water overlying sediments, and the water column in the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone. Water column respiration ranged from 0.09 to 4.42 μmol O2 l−1 h−1 (mean = 0.77 ± 0.07 (standard error)) and was significantly higher shortly after two hurricanes. Overlying water respiration ranged from 0.31 to 2.46 μmol O2 l−1 h−1 (mean = 0.70 ± 0.09) and accounted for 3.7 ± 0.8% of total below-pycnocline respiration. Sediment oxygen consumption, measured using a continuous-flow incubation technique, was lowest after the two hurricanes and ranged from 408 to 1800 μmol O2 m−2 h−1 (mean = 834 ± 83.8 μmol O2 m−2 h−1). Sediments accounted for 25 ± 5.3% of total below-pycnocline respiration, and sediment oxygen consumption was related negatively to ambient bottom-water oxygen concentration. This negative relationship contradicts previous literature and suggests that high sediment oxygen consumption is driven by abundant, fresh organic material and regulates bottom-water oxygen concentration, rather than the common assumption that bottom-water oxygen concentration determines sediment oxygen consumption. The results from this study suggest that storms and mixing events may lead to conditions suitable for hypoxia redevelopment in as little as two days after disturbances, with the water column playing a critical role in system hypoxia development and maintenance.