Articles | Volume 10, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-7609-2013
© Author(s) 2013. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-7609-2013
© Author(s) 2013. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
22 Nov 2013
Research article |
| 22 Nov 2013
Benthic fluxes of dissolved organic nitrogen in the lower St. Lawrence estuary and implications for selective organic matter degradation
M. Alkhatib
Geochemistry and Geodynamics Research Center, GEOTOP, CP 8888, succ. Centre–Ville, Montreal, Quebec, H3C 3P8, Canada
Department of Biology, University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), CP 8888, Succ. Centre–Ville, Montreal, Quebec, H3C 3P8, Canada
P. A. del Giorgio
Department of Biology, University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), CP 8888, Succ. Centre–Ville, Montreal, Quebec, H3C 3P8, Canada
Y. Gelinas
GEOTOP and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, Quebec, H4B 1R6, Canada
M. F. Lehmann
Department for Environmental Sciences, Bernoullistrasse 30, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
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Carolina F.M. de Carvalho, Moritz F. Lehmann, and Sarah G. Pati
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1193, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1193, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
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Using O2 stable isotope analysis, we determined the isotopic fractionation of biological O2 consumption by 10 flavin-dependent and 6 metalloenzymes. Metalloenzymes displayed a narrower range and lower values of isotopic fractionation than flavin-dependent enzymes. This work expands our understanding of the variability of oxygen isotopic fractionation at the enzyme level, improving the ability to study O2 dynamics from molecular to ecosystem scales.
Guangyi Su, Julie Tolu, Clemens Glombitza, Jakob Zopfi, Moritz F. Lehmann, Mark A. Lever, and Carsten J. Schubert
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-437, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-437, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
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In Lake Geneva, we studied how different types of organic matter affect methane production. Despite varying sources—like algae and land-based materials, both deep and delta areas are significant methane sources and methane was mainly produced through CO2 reduction. Surprisingly, the origin of organic matter didn’t strongly influence methane production rates or pathways. Our findings highlight the need to better understand microbial processes to predict methane emissions from lakes.
Owen A. Sherwood, Samuel H. Davin, Nadine Lehmann, Carolyn Buchwald, Evan N. Edinger, Moritz F. Lehmann, and Markus Kienast
Biogeosciences, 18, 4491–4510, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4491-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4491-2021, 2021
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Pacific water flowing eastward through the Canadian Arctic plays an important role in redistributing nutrients to the northwest Atlantic Ocean. Using samples collected from northern Baffin Bay to the southern Labrador Shelf, we show that stable isotopic ratios in seawater nitrate reflect the fraction of Pacific to Atlantic water. These results provide a new framework for interpreting patterns of nitrogen isotopic variability recorded in modern and archival organic materials in the region.
Sigrid van Grinsven, Kirsten Oswald, Bernhard Wehrli, Corinne Jegge, Jakob Zopfi, Moritz F. Lehmann, and Carsten J. Schubert
Biogeosciences, 18, 3087–3101, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3087-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3087-2021, 2021
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Lake Lovojärvi is a nutrient-rich lake with high amounts of methane at the bottom, but little near the top. Methane comes from the sediment and rises up through the water but is consumed by microorganisms along the way. They use oxygen if available, but in deeper water layers, no oxygen was present. There, nitrite, iron and humic substances were used, besides a collaboration between photosynthetic organisms and methane consumers, in which the first produced oxygen for the latter.
Yunhua Chang, Yan-Lin Zhang, Sawaeng Kawichai, Qian Wang, Martin Van Damme, Lieven Clarisse, Tippawan Prapamontol, and Moritz F. Lehmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 7187–7198, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7187-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7187-2021, 2021
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In this study, we integrated satellite constraints on atmospheric NH3 levels and fire intensity, discrete NH3 concentration measurement, and N isotopic analysis of NH3 in order to assess the regional-scale contribution of biomass burning to ambient atmospheric NH3 in the heartland of Southeast Asia. The combined approach provides a valuable cross-validation framework for source apportioning of NH3 in the lower atmosphere and will thus help to ameliorate predictions of biomass burning emissions.
François Clayer, Yves Gélinas, André Tessier, and Charles Gobeil
Biogeosciences, 17, 4571–4589, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4571-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4571-2020, 2020
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Here, we quantified the sediment production of methane and carbon dioxide in lake sediments to better characterize the nature of the organic matter at the origin of these two greenhouse gases. We demonstrate that the production of these gases is not adequately represented in models for deep lake sediments. We thus propose to improve the representation of organic matter degradation reactions in current models for improving predictions of greenhouse gas cycling in aquatic sediments.
Anna-Neva Visser, Scott D. Wankel, Pascal A. Niklaus, James M. Byrne, Andreas A. Kappler, and Moritz F. Lehmann
Biogeosciences, 17, 4355–4374, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4355-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4355-2020, 2020
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This study focuses on the chemical reaction between Fe(II) and nitrite, which has been reported to produce high levels of the greenhouse gas N2O. We investigated the extent to which dead biomass and Fe(II) minerals might enhance this reaction. Here, nitrite reduction was highest when both additives were present but less pronounced if only Fe(II) minerals were added. Both reaction systems show distinct differences, rather low N2O levels, and indicated the abiotic production of N2.
Adeline N. Y. Cojean, Jakob Zopfi, Alan Gerster, Claudia Frey, Fabio Lepori, and Moritz F. Lehmann
Biogeosciences, 16, 4705–4718, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4705-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4705-2019, 2019
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Our results demonstrate the importance of oxygen in regulating the fate of nitrogen (N) in the sediments of Lake Lugano south basin, Switzerland. Hence, our study suggests that, by changing oxygen concentration in bottom waters, the seasonal water column turnover may significantly regulate the partitioning between N removal and N recycling in surface sediments, and it is likely that a similar pattern can be expected in a wide range of environments.
Yunhua Chang, Yan-Lin Zhang, Jiarong Li, Chongguo Tian, Linlin Song, Xiaoyao Zhai, Wenqi Zhang, Tong Huang, Yu-Chi Lin, Chao Zhu, Yunting Fang, Moritz F. Lehmann, and Jianmin Chen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 12221–12234, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12221-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12221-2019, 2019
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The present work underscores the value of cloud water dissolved inorganic nitrogen isotopes as carriers of quantitative information on regional NOx and NH3 emissions. It sheds light on the origin and production pathways of nitrogenous species in clouds and emphasizes the importance of biomass-burning-derived nitrogenous species as cloud condensation nuclei in China’s troposphere. Moreover, it highlights the rapid evolution of NOx emissions in China.
Haoyi Yao, Wei-Li Hong, Giuliana Panieri, Simone Sauer, Marta E. Torres, Moritz F. Lehmann, Friederike Gründger, and Helge Niemann
Biogeosciences, 16, 2221–2232, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2221-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2221-2019, 2019
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How methane is transported in the sediment is important for the microbial community living on methane. Here we report an observation of a mini-fracture that facilitates the advective gas transport of methane in the sediment, compared to the diffusive fluid transport without a fracture. We found contrasting bio-geochemical signals in these different transport modes. This finding can help to fill the gap in the fracture network system in modulating methane dynamics in surface sediments.
Martin Ley, Moritz F. Lehmann, Pascal A. Niklaus, and Jörg Luster
Biogeosciences, 15, 7043–7057, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7043-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7043-2018, 2018
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Our laboratory study shows how microhabitat formation linked to soil aggregates, litter accumulation and plant soil interactions affects conditions under which
hot momentsof enhanced N2O emissions from floodplain soils during the drying phase after saturation occur. Larger aggregate size led to higher integrated flux rates when soil was unamended or mixed with leaf litter, whereas planting with willow significantly reduced emissions. Also, emission time patterns differed among the treatments.
Yunhua Chang, Yanlin Zhang, Chongguo Tian, Shichun Zhang, Xiaoyan Ma, Fang Cao, Xiaoyan Liu, Wenqi Zhang, Thomas Kuhn, and Moritz F. Lehmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 11647–11661, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-11647-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-11647-2018, 2018
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We demonstrate that it is imperative that future studies, making use of isotope mixing models to gain conclusive constraints on the source partitioning of atmospheric NOx, consider this N isotope fractionation. Future assessments of NOx emissions in China (and elsewhere) should involve simultaneous δ15N and δ18O measurements of atmospheric nitrate and NOx at high spatiotemporal resolution, allowing former N-isotope-based NOx source partitioning estimates to be reevaluated more quantitatively.
Lea Steinle, Johanna Maltby, Tina Treude, Annette Kock, Hermann W. Bange, Nadine Engbersen, Jakob Zopfi, Moritz F. Lehmann, and Helge Niemann
Biogeosciences, 14, 1631–1645, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1631-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1631-2017, 2017
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Large amounts of methane are produced in anoxic, coastal sediments, from which it can seep into the overlying water column. Aerobic oxidation of methane (MOx) mediated by methanotrophic bacteria is an important sink for methane before its evasion to the atmosphere. In a 2-year seasonal study, we investigated the spatio-temporal variability of MOx in a seasonally hypoxic coastal inlet using radiotracer-based methods. In experiments, we assessed the effect of variable oxygen concentrations on MOx.
Weifeng Wang, Nigel T. Roulet, Youngil Kim, Ian B. Strachan, Paul del Giorgio, Yves T. Prairie, and Alain Tremblay
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-100, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-100, 2016
Revised manuscript not accepted
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Water reservoirs emit greenhouse gases. We developed a 1-dimensional biogeochemical model to predict CO2 emissions from boreal reservoirs. We found that the CO2 emissions are initially high, steeply decline in the first three years, and then steadily decrease with increasing reservoir age, suggesting that flooded terrestrial organic matter has long-term (> 100 years) effects on CO2 emissions. Our model could be used to evaluate the role of boreal reservoirs as sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
S. D. Wankel, C. Buchwald, W. Ziebis, C. B. Wenk, and M. F. Lehmann
Biogeosciences, 12, 7483–7502, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-7483-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-7483-2015, 2015
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In the sediments underlying the global oligotrophic ocean, low levels of microbial activity persist, despite low input of organic matter from surface ocean productivity. Using measured nitrogen and oxygen isotopes of porewater nitrate we estimate the magnitude and extent of microbial nitrogen cycling. We find evidence for the overlap of both denitrification as well as autotrophic pathways such as nitrification and nitrogen fixation, pointing to a relatively large role for subsurface autotrophy.
J.-F. Lapierre and P. A. del Giorgio
Biogeosciences, 11, 5969–5985, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-5969-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-5969-2014, 2014
K. Lalonde, A. V. Vähätalo, and Y. Gélinas
Biogeosciences, 11, 3707–3719, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-3707-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-3707-2014, 2014
C. V. Freymond, C. B. Wenk, C. H. Frame, and M. F. Lehmann
Biogeosciences, 10, 8373–8383, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-8373-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-8373-2013, 2013
H. Wu, C. Peng, M. Lucotte, N. Soumis, Y. Gélinas, É. Duchemin, J.-B. Plouhinec, A. Ouellet, and Z. Guo
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmdd-6-3509-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmdd-6-3509-2013, 2013
Revised manuscript not accepted
R. Zurbrügg, S. Suter, M. F. Lehmann, B. Wehrli, and D. B. Senn
Biogeosciences, 10, 23–38, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-23-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-23-2013, 2013
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Biogeosciences, 20, 4377–4390, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4377-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4377-2023, 2023
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Sinan Xu, Bo Liu, Sandra Arndt, Sabine Kasten, and Zijun Wu
Biogeosciences, 20, 2251–2263, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2251-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2251-2023, 2023
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We use a reactive continuum model based on a lognormal distribution (l-RCM) to inversely determine model parameters μ and σ at 123 sites across the global ocean. Our results show organic matter (OM) reactivity is more than 3 orders of magnitude higher in shelf than in abyssal regions. In addition, OM reactivity is higher than predicted in some specific regions, yet the l-RCM can still capture OM reactivity features in these regions.
Christiane Schmidt, Emmanuelle Geslin, Joan M. Bernhard, Charlotte LeKieffre, Mette Marianne Svenning, Helene Roberge, Magali Schweizer, and Giuliana Panieri
Biogeosciences, 19, 3897–3909, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3897-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3897-2022, 2022
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This study is the first to show non-selective deposit feeding in the foraminifera Nonionella labradorica and the possible uptake of methanotrophic bacteria. We carried out a feeding experiment with a marine methanotroph to examine the ultrastructure of the cell and degradation vacuoles using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results revealed three putative methanotrophs at the outside of the cell/test, which could be taken up via non-targeted grazing in seeps or our experiment.
James P. J. Ward, Katharine R. Hendry, Sandra Arndt, Johan C. Faust, Felipe S. Freitas, Sian F. Henley, Jeffrey W. Krause, Christian März, Allyson C. Tessin, and Ruth L. Airs
Biogeosciences, 19, 3445–3467, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3445-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3445-2022, 2022
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The seafloor plays an important role in the cycling of silicon (Si), a key nutrient that promotes marine primary productivity. In our model study, we disentangle major controls on the seafloor Si cycle to better anticipate the impacts of continued warming and sea ice melt in the Barents Sea. We uncover a coupling of the iron redox and Si cycles, dissolution of lithogenic silicates, and authigenic clay formation, comprising a Si sink that could have implications for the Arctic Ocean Si budget.
Hanni Vigderovich, Werner Eckert, Michal Elul, Maxim Rubin-Blum, Marcus Elvert, and Orit Sivan
Biogeosciences, 19, 2313–2331, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2313-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2313-2022, 2022
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Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) is one of the major processes limiting the release of the greenhouse gas methane from natural environments. Here we show that significant AOM exists in the methane zone of lake sediments in natural conditions and even after long-term (ca. 18 months) anaerobic slurry incubations with two stages. Methanogens were most likely responsible for oxidizing the methane, and humic substances and iron oxides are likely electron acceptors to support this oxidation.
Bjorn Sundby, Pierre Anschutz, Pascal Lecroart, and Alfonso Mucci
Biogeosciences, 19, 1421–1434, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1421-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1421-2022, 2022
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A glacial–interglacial methane-fuelled redistribution of reactive phosphorus between the oceanic and sedimentary phosphorus reservoirs can occur in the ocean when falling sea level lowers the pressure on the seafloor, destabilizes methane hydrates, and triggers the dissolution of P-bearing iron oxides. The mass of phosphate potentially mobilizable from the sediment is similar to the size of the current oceanic reservoir. Hence, this process may play a major role in the marine phosphorus cycle.
Florian Lauryssen, Philippe Crombé, Tom Maris, Elliot Van Maldegem, Marijn Van de Broek, Stijn Temmerman, and Erik Smolders
Biogeosciences, 19, 763–776, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-763-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-763-2022, 2022
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Surface waters in lowland regions have a poor surface water quality, mainly due to excess nutrients like phosphate. Therefore, we wanted to know the phosphate levels without humans, also called the pre-industrial background. Phosphate binds strongly to sediment particles, suspended in the river water. In this research we used sediments deposited by a river as an archive for surface water phosphate back to 1800 CE. Pre-industrial phosphate levels were estimated at one-third of the modern levels.
Gerard J. M. Versteegh, Andrea Koschinsky, Thomas Kuhn, Inken Preuss, and Sabine Kasten
Biogeosciences, 18, 4965–4984, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4965-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4965-2021, 2021
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Oxygen penetrates sediments not only from the ocean bottom waters but also from the basement. The impact of the latter is poorly understood. We show that this basement oxygen has a clear impact on the nitrogen cycle, the redox state, and the distribution of manganese, nickel cobalt and organic matter in the sediments. This is important for (1) global biogeochemical cycles, (2) understanding sedimentary life and (3) the interpretation of the sediment record to reconstruct the past.
Annika Fiskal, Eva Anthamatten, Longhui Deng, Xingguo Han, Lorenzo Lagostina, Anja Michel, Rong Zhu, Nathalie Dubois, Carsten J. Schubert, Stefano M. Bernasconi, and Mark A. Lever
Biogeosciences, 18, 4369–4388, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4369-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4369-2021, 2021
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Microbially produced methane can serve as a carbon source for freshwater macrofauna most likely through grazing on methane-oxidizing bacteria. This study investigates the contributions of different carbon sources to macrofaunal biomass. Our data suggest that the average contribution of methane-derived carbon is similar between different fauna but overall remains low. This is further supported by the low abundance of methane-cycling microorganisms.
Astrid Hylén, Sebastiaan J. van de Velde, Mikhail Kononets, Mingyue Luo, Elin Almroth-Rosell, and Per O. J. Hall
Biogeosciences, 18, 2981–3004, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2981-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2981-2021, 2021
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Sediments in oxygen-depleted ocean areas release high amounts of phosphorus, feeding algae that consume oxygen upon degradation, leading to further phosphorus release. Oxygenation is thought to trap phosphorus in the sediment and break this feedback. We studied the sediment phosphorus cycle in a previously anoxic area after an inflow of oxic water. Surprisingly, the sediment phosphorus release increased, showing that feedbacks between phosphorus release and oxygen depletion can be hard to break.
Sebastiaan J. van de Velde, Rebecca K. James, Ine Callebaut, Silvia Hidalgo-Martinez, and Filip J. R. Meysman
Biogeosciences, 18, 1451–1461, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1451-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1451-2021, 2021
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Some 540 Myr ago, animal life evolved in the ocean. Previous research suggested that when these early animals started inhabiting the seafloor, they retained phosphorus in the seafloor, thereby limiting photosynthesis in the ocean. We studied salt marsh sediments with and without animals and found that their impact on phosphorus retention is limited, which implies that their impact on the global environment might have been less drastic than previously assumed.
Martijn Hermans, Nils Risgaard-Petersen, Filip J. R. Meysman, and Caroline P. Slomp
Biogeosciences, 17, 5919–5938, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5919-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5919-2020, 2020
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This paper demonstrates that the recently discovered cable bacteria are capable of using a mineral, known as siderite, as a source for the formation of iron oxides. This work also demonstrates that the activity of cable bacteria can lead to a distinct subsurface layer in the sediment that can be used as a marker for their activity.
Torben Windirsch, Guido Grosse, Mathias Ulrich, Lutz Schirrmeister, Alexander N. Fedorov, Pavel Y. Konstantinov, Matthias Fuchs, Loeka L. Jongejans, Juliane Wolter, Thomas Opel, and Jens Strauss
Biogeosciences, 17, 3797–3814, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3797-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3797-2020, 2020
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To extend the knowledge on circumpolar deep permafrost carbon storage, we examined two deep permafrost deposit types (Yedoma and alas) in central Yakutia. We found little but partially undecomposed organic carbon as a result of largely changing sedimentation processes. The carbon stock of the examined Yedoma deposits is about 50 % lower than the general Yedoma domain mean, implying a very hetererogeneous Yedoma composition, while the alas is approximately 80 % below the thermokarst deposit mean.
Anna Plass, Christian Schlosser, Stefan Sommer, Andrew W. Dale, Eric P. Achterberg, and Florian Scholz
Biogeosciences, 17, 3685–3704, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3685-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3685-2020, 2020
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We compare the cycling of Fe and Cd in sulfidic sediments of the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone. Due to the contrasting solubility of their sulfide minerals, the sedimentary Fe release and Cd burial fluxes covary with spatial and temporal distributions of H2S. Depending on the solubility of their sulfide minerals, sedimentary trace metal fluxes will respond differently to ocean deoxygenation/expansion of H2S concentrations, which may change trace metal stoichiometry of upwelling water masses.
Biqing Zhu, Manuel Kübler, Melanie Ridoli, Daniel Breitenstein, and Martin H. Schroth
Biogeosciences, 17, 3613–3630, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3613-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3613-2020, 2020
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We provide evidence that the greenhouse gas methane (CH4) is enclosed in calcareous glacier-forefield sediments across Switzerland. Geochemical analyses confirmed that this ancient CH4 has its origin in the calcareous parent bedrock. Our estimate of the total quantity of CH4 enclosed in sediments across Switzerland indicates a large CH4 mass (~105 t CH4). We produced evidence that CH4 is stable in its enclosed state, but additional experiments are needed to elucidate its long-term fate.
Matteo Puglini, Victor Brovkin, Pierre Regnier, and Sandra Arndt
Biogeosciences, 17, 3247–3275, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3247-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3247-2020, 2020
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A reaction-transport model to assess the potential non-turbulent methane flux from the East Siberian Arctic sediments to water columns is applied here. We show that anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) is an efficient filter except for high values of sedimentation rate and advective flow, which enable considerable non-turbulent steady-state methane fluxes. Significant transient methane fluxes can also occur during the building-up phase of the AOM-performing biomass microbial community.
Kyle Delwiche, Junyao Gu, Harold Hemond, and Sarah P. Preheim
Biogeosciences, 17, 3135–3147, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3135-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3135-2020, 2020
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In this study, we investigate whether bubbles transport sediments containing arsenic and cyanobacteria from the bottom to the top of a polluted lake. We measured arsenic and cyanobacteria from bubble traps in the lake and from an experimental bubble column in the laboratory. We found that bubble transport was not an important source of arsenic in the surface waters but that bubbles could transport enough cyanobacteria to the surface to exacerbate harmful algal blooms.
Nathaniel Kemnitz, William M. Berelson, Douglas E. Hammond, Laura Morine, Maria Figueroa, Timothy W. Lyons, Simon Scharf, Nick Rollins, Elizabeth Petsios, Sydnie Lemieux, and Tina Treude
Biogeosciences, 17, 2381–2396, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2381-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2381-2020, 2020
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Our paper shows how sedimentation in a very low oxygen setting provides a unique record of environmental change. We look at the past 250 years through the filter of sediment accumulation via radioisotope dating and other physical and chemical analyses of these sediments. We conclude, remarkably, that there has been very little change in net sediment mass accumulation through the past 100–150 years, yet just prior to 1900 CE, sediments were accumulating at 50 %–70 % of today's rate.
Dario Fussmann, Avril Jean Elisabeth von Hoyningen-Huene, Andreas Reimer, Dominik Schneider, Hana Babková, Robert Peticzka, Andreas Maier, Gernot Arp, Rolf Daniel, and Patrick Meister
Biogeosciences, 17, 2085–2106, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2085-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2085-2020, 2020
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Dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) is supersaturated in many aquatic settings (e.g., seawater) on modern Earth but does not precipitate directly from the fluid, a fact known as the dolomite problem. The widely acknowledged concept of dolomite precipitation involves microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) and anoxic conditions as important drivers. In contrast, results from Lake Neusiedl support an alternative concept of Ca–Mg carbonate precipitation under aerobic and alkaline conditions.
Aurèle Vuillemin, André Friese, Richard Wirth, Jan A. Schuessler, Anja M. Schleicher, Helga Kemnitz, Andreas Lücke, Kohen W. Bauer, Sulung Nomosatryo, Friedhelm von Blanckenburg, Rachel Simister, Luis G. Ordoñez, Daniel Ariztegui, Cynthia Henny, James M. Russell, Satria Bijaksana, Hendrik Vogel, Sean A. Crowe, Jens Kallmeyer, and the Towuti Drilling Project
Science team
Biogeosciences, 17, 1955–1973, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1955-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1955-2020, 2020
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Ferruginous lakes experience restricted primary production due to phosphorus trapping by ferric iron oxides under oxic conditions. We report the presence of large crystals of vivianite, a ferrous iron phosphate, in sediments from Lake Towuti, Indonesia. We address processes of P retention linked to diagenesis of iron phases. Vivianite crystals had light Fe2+ isotope signatures and contained mineral inclusions consistent with antecedent processes of microbial sulfate and iron reduction.
Sonja Geilert, Patricia Grasse, Kristin Doering, Klaus Wallmann, Claudia Ehlert, Florian Scholz, Martin Frank, Mark Schmidt, and Christian Hensen
Biogeosciences, 17, 1745–1763, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1745-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1745-2020, 2020
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Marine silicate weathering is a key process of the marine silica cycle; however, its controlling processes are not well understood. In the Guaymas Basin, silicate weathering has been studied under markedly differing ambient conditions. Environmental settings like redox conditions or terrigenous input of reactive silicates appear to be major factors controlling marine silicate weathering. These factors need to be taken into account in future oceanic mass balances of Si and in modeling studies.
Jessica B. Volz, Laura Haffert, Matthias Haeckel, Andrea Koschinsky, and Sabine Kasten
Biogeosciences, 17, 1113–1131, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1113-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1113-2020, 2020
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Potential future deep-sea mining of polymetallic nodules at the seafloor is expected to severely harm the marine environment. However, the consequences on deep-sea ecosystems are still poorly understood. This study on surface sediments from man-made disturbance tracks in the Pacific Ocean shows that due to the removal of the uppermost sediment layer and thereby the loss of organic matter, the geochemical system in the sediments is disturbed for millennia before reaching a new equilibrium.
Ralf Conrad, Melanie Klose, and Alex Enrich-Prast
Biogeosciences, 17, 1063–1069, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1063-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1063-2020, 2020
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Lake sediments release the greenhouse gas CH4. Acetate is an important precursor. Although Amazonian lake sediments all contained acetate-consuming methanogens, measurement of the turnover of labeled acetate showed that some sediments converted acetate not to CH4 plus CO2, as expected, but only to CO2. Our results indicate the operation of acetate-oxidizing microorganisms couples the oxidation process to syntrophic methanogenic partners and/or to the reduction of organic compounds.
Jens Rassmann, Eryn M. Eitel, Bruno Lansard, Cécile Cathalot, Christophe Brandily, Martial Taillefert, and Christophe Rabouille
Biogeosciences, 17, 13–33, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-13-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-13-2020, 2020
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In this paper, we use a large set of measurements made using in situ and lab techniques to elucidate the cause of dissolved inorganic carbon fluxes in sediments from the Rhône delta and its companion compound alkalinity, which carries the absorption capacity of coastal waters with respect to atmospheric CO2. We show that sediment processes (sulfate reduction, FeS precipitation and accumulation) are crucial in generating the alkalinity fluxes observed in this study by in situ incubation chambers.
Sophie A. L. Paul, Matthias Haeckel, Michael Bau, Rajina Bajracharya, and Andrea Koschinsky
Biogeosciences, 16, 4829–4849, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4829-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4829-2019, 2019
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We studied the upper 10 m of deep-sea sediments, including pore water, in the Peru Basin to understand small-scale variability of trace metals. Our results show high spatial variability related to topographical variations, which in turn impact organic matter contents, degradation processes, and trace metal cycling. Another interesting finding was the influence of dissolving buried nodules on the surrounding sediment and trace metal cycling.
Sarah Paradis, Antonio Pusceddu, Pere Masqué, Pere Puig, Davide Moccia, Tommaso Russo, and Claudio Lo Iacono
Biogeosciences, 16, 4307–4320, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4307-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4307-2019, 2019
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Chronic deep bottom trawling in the Gulf of Castellammare (SW Mediterranean) erodes large volumes of sediment, exposing over-century-old sediment depleted in organic matter. Nevertheless, the arrival of fresh and nutritious sediment recovers superficial organic matter in trawling grounds and leads to high turnover rates, partially and temporarily mitigating the impacts of bottom trawling. However, this deposition is ephemeral and it will be swiftly eroded by the passage of the next trawler.
Zhichao Zhou, Bo Liang, Li-Ying Wang, Jin-Feng Liu, Bo-Zhong Mu, Hojae Shim, and Ji-Dong Gu
Biogeosciences, 16, 4229–4241, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4229-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4229-2019, 2019
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This study shows a core bacterial microbiome with a small proportion of shared operational taxonomic units of common sequences among all oil reservoirs. Dominant methanogenesis shifts from the hydrogenotrophic pathway in water phase to the acetoclastic pathway in the oil phase at high temperatures, but the opposite is true at low temperatures. There are also major functional metabolism differences between the two phases for amino acids, hydrocarbons, and carbohydrates.
Annika Fiskal, Longhui Deng, Anja Michel, Philip Eickenbusch, Xingguo Han, Lorenzo Lagostina, Rong Zhu, Michael Sander, Martin H. Schroth, Stefano M. Bernasconi, Nathalie Dubois, and Mark A. Lever
Biogeosciences, 16, 3725–3746, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3725-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3725-2019, 2019
Hanni Vigderovich, Lewen Liang, Barak Herut, Fengping Wang, Eyal Wurgaft, Maxim Rubin-Blum, and Orit Sivan
Biogeosciences, 16, 3165–3181, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3165-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3165-2019, 2019
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Microbial iron reduction participates in important biogeochemical cycles. In the last decade iron reduction has been observed in many aquatic sediments below its classical zone, in the methane production zone, suggesting a link between the two cycles. Here we present evidence for microbial iron reduction in the methanogenic depth of the oligotrophic SE Mediterranean continental shelf using mainly geochemical and microbial sedimentary profiles and suggest possible mechanisms for this process.
Haoyi Yao, Wei-Li Hong, Giuliana Panieri, Simone Sauer, Marta E. Torres, Moritz F. Lehmann, Friederike Gründger, and Helge Niemann
Biogeosciences, 16, 2221–2232, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2221-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2221-2019, 2019
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How methane is transported in the sediment is important for the microbial community living on methane. Here we report an observation of a mini-fracture that facilitates the advective gas transport of methane in the sediment, compared to the diffusive fluid transport without a fracture. We found contrasting bio-geochemical signals in these different transport modes. This finding can help to fill the gap in the fracture network system in modulating methane dynamics in surface sediments.
Laura A. Casella, Sixin He, Erika Griesshaber, Lourdes Fernández-Díaz, Martina Greiner, Elizabeth M. Harper, Daniel J. Jackson, Andreas Ziegler, Vasileios Mavromatis, Martin Dietzel, Anton Eisenhauer, Sabino Veintemillas-Verdaguer, Uwe Brand, and Wolfgang W. Schmahl
Biogeosciences, 15, 7451–7484, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7451-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7451-2018, 2018
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Biogenic carbonates record past environmental conditions. Fossil shell chemistry and microstructure change as metastable biogenic carbonates are replaced by inorganic calcite. Simulated diagenetic alteration at 175 °C of different shell microstructures showed that (nacreous) shell aragonite and calcite were partially replaced by coarse inorganic calcite crystals due to dissolution–reprecipitation reactions. EBSD maps allowed for qualitative assessment of the degree of diagenetic overprint.
Wytze K. Lenstra, Matthias Egger, Niels A. G. M. van Helmond, Emma Kritzberg, Daniel J. Conley, and Caroline P. Slomp
Biogeosciences, 15, 6979–6996, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6979-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6979-2018, 2018
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We show that burial rates of phosphorus (P) in an estuary in the northern Baltic Sea are very high. We demonstrate that at high sedimentation rates, P retention in the sediment is related to the formation of vivianite. With a reactive transport model, we assess the sensitivity of sedimentary vivianite formation. We suggest that enrichments of iron and P in the sediment are linked to periods of enhanced riverine input of Fe, which subsequently strongly enhances P burial in coastal sediments.
Jiarui Liu, Gareth Izon, Jiasheng Wang, Gilad Antler, Zhou Wang, Jie Zhao, and Matthias Egger
Biogeosciences, 15, 6329–6348, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6329-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6329-2018, 2018
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Our work provides new insights into the biogeochemical cycling of iron, methane and phosphorus. We found that vivianite, an iron-phosphate mineral, is pervasive in methane-rich sediments, suggesting that iron reduction at depth is coupled to phosphorus and methane cycling on a much greater spatial scale than previously assumed. Acting as an important burial mechanism for iron and phosphorus, vivianite authigenesis may be an under-considered process in both modern and ancient settings alike.
Marc A. Besseling, Ellen C. Hopmans, R. Christine Boschman, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté, and Laura Villanueva
Biogeosciences, 15, 4047–4064, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4047-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4047-2018, 2018
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Benthic archaea comprise a significant part of the total prokaryotic biomass in marine sediments. Here, we compared the archaeal diversity and intact polar lipid (IPL) composition in both surface and subsurface sediments with different oxygen regimes in the Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone. The oxygenated sediments were dominated by Thaumarchaeota and IPL-GDGT-0. The anoxic sediment contained highly diverse archaeal communities and high relative abundances of IPL-GDGT-1 to -4.
Georgina Robinson, Thomas MacTavish, Candida Savage, Gary S. Caldwell, Clifford L. W. Jones, Trevor Probyn, Bradley D. Eyre, and Selina M. Stead
Biogeosciences, 15, 1863–1878, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1863-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1863-2018, 2018
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This study examined the effect of adding carbon to a sediment-based effluent treatment system to treat nitrogen-rich aquaculture waste. The research was conducted in incubation chambers to measure the exchange of gases and nutrients across the sediment–water interface and examine changes in the sediment microbial community. Adding carbon increased the amount of nitrogen retained in the treatment system, thereby reducing the levels of nitrogen needing to be discharged to the environment.
Daniele Brigolin, Christophe Rabouille, Bruno Bombled, Silvia Colla, Salvatrice Vizzini, Roberto Pastres, and Fabio Pranovi
Biogeosciences, 15, 1347–1366, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1347-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1347-2018, 2018
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We present the result of a study carried out in the north-western Adriatic Sea by combining two different types of models with field sampling. A mussel farm was taken as a local source of perturbation to the natural flux of particulate organic carbon to the sediment. Differences in fluxes were primarily associated with mussel physiological conditions. Although restricted, these changes in particulate organic carbon fluxes induced visible effects on sediment biogeochemistry.
Volker Brüchert, Lisa Bröder, Joanna E. Sawicka, Tommaso Tesi, Samantha P. Joye, Xiaole Sun, Igor P. Semiletov, and Vladimir A. Samarkin
Biogeosciences, 15, 471–490, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-471-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-471-2018, 2018
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We determined the aerobic and anaerobic degradation rates of land- and marine-derived organic material in East Siberian shelf sediment. Marine plankton-derived organic carbon was the main source for the oxic dissolved carbon dioxide production, whereas terrestrial organic material significantly contributed to the production of carbon dioxide under anoxic conditions. Our direct degradation rate measurements provide new constraints for the present-day Arctic marine carbon budget.
Jack J. Middelburg
Biogeosciences, 15, 413–427, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-413-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-413-2018, 2018
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Organic carbon processing at the seafloor is studied by geologists to better understand the sedimentary record, by biogeochemists to quantify burial and respiration, by organic geochemists to elucidate compositional changes, and by ecologists to follow carbon transfers within food webs. These disciplinary approaches have their strengths and weaknesses. This award talk provides a synthesis, highlights the role of animals in sediment carbon processing and presents some new concepts.
Craig Smeaton, William E. N. Austin, Althea L. Davies, Agnes Baltzer, John A. Howe, and John M. Baxter
Biogeosciences, 14, 5663–5674, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5663-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5663-2017, 2017
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Fjord sediments are recognised as hotspots for the burial and long-term storage of carbon. In this study, we use the Scottish fjords as a natural laboratory. Using geophysical and geochemical analysis in combination with upscaling techniques, we have generated the first full national sedimentary C inventory for a fjordic system. The results indicate that the Scottish fjords on a like-for-like basis are more effective as C stores than their terrestrial counterparts, including Scottish peatlands.
Cited articles
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Alkhatib, M., Lehmann, M. F., and del Giorgio, P. A.: The nitrogen isotope effect of benthic remineralization-nitrification-denitrification coupling in an estuarine environment, Biogeosciences, 9, 1633–1646, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-1633-2012, 2012b.
Alperin, M. J., Martens, C. S., Albert, D. B., Suayah, I. B., Benninger, L. K., Blair, N. E., and Jahnke, R. A.: Benthic fluxes and porewater concentration profiles of dissolved organic carbon in sediments from the North Carolina continental slope, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 63, 427–448, 1999.
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Blackburn, T. H., Hall, P. O. J., Hulth, S., and Landén, A.: Organic-N loss by efflux and burial associated with a low efflux of inorganic N and with nitrate assimilation in Arctic sediments (Svalbard, Norway), Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 141, 283–293, 1996.
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