Denitrification, nutrient regeneration and carbon mineralization in sediments of Galveston Bay, Texas, USA

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dc.acquisition-srcDownloaded from-Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstractsen_US
dc.call-noen_US
dc.contract-noen_US
dc.contributor.authorZimmerman ARen_US
dc.contributor.authorBenner Ren_US
dc.contributor.otherMarine ecology progress seriesen_US
dc.date.accessioned2010-02-15T17:13:58Z
dc.date.available2010-02-15T17:13:58Z
dc.date.issued1994en_US
dc.degreeen_US
dc.description275-288en_US
dc.description-otheren_US
dc.description.abstractRates of benthic denitrification, oxygen consumption and nutrient regeneration were measured during winter, spring and summer in Galveston Bay (Texas, USA) sediments. Denitrification ranged from 0 to 47 mu mol N sub(2)/m super(2)/h with maximal rates generally occurring in the summer and the upper estuary. Oxygen consumption rates ranged from 38 mu mol O sub(2)/m super(2)/h in the winter to 353 mu mol O sub(2)/m super(2)/h in the summer and were correlated with denitrification rates. Variations in bay water temperature accounted for 52 % of the variability associated with denitrification rates whereas only 28 % of the variability could be attributed to organic carbon content and 15 % to salinity, indicating a predominance of temporal over spatial factors in controlling estuarine rates of denitrification. In the spring and summer, denitrification was responsible for the majority (73 and 80 % respectively) of the total benthic inorganic nitrogen efflux while in the winter, nitrogen fluxes were dominated (80 %) by ammonium. At salinities less than 6 ppt, cation exchange interactions may have played an important role in retaining ammonium in the sediment, producing the higher rates of denitrification found in the upper estuary. Dissolved inorganic carbon flux was used as a measure of total organic carbon mineralization. The average molar C:N of the remineralized substrate (5.2) was lower than the average C:N of the sediments (12.6) indicating preferential remineralization of nitrogen relative to carbon. Molar C:O ratios suggested that anaerobic carbon mineralization and the storage of its reduced end-products is more prevalent in the lower estuary and in the winter. Denitrifiers were responsible for 37 and 13 % of the total benthic carbon mineralization in the upper and lower estuary, respectively. Denitrification appears to be a greater contributor to total carbon mineralization than previously considered. Nearly one-third of the total sediment oxygen consumption was attributed to nitrification. Galveston Bay sediment denitrification and oxygen consumption rates and nutrient fluxes were lower but comparable to those of other Gulf of Mexico estuaries. Differences among the estuaries examined are attributed mainly to sediment organic matter contenten_US
dc.description.urihttp://gbic.tamug.edu/request.htmen_US
dc.historyen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1969.3/23011
dc.latitudeen_US
dc.locationen_US
dc.longitudeen_US
dc.notes0171-8630Bibliogr.: 56 refEnglishEnglishJournal ArticleMarineBF9501105en_US
dc.placeen_US
dc.publisheren_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries50540.00en_US
dc.relation.urien_US
dc.scaleen_US
dc.seriesen_US
dc.subjectASW,USA,Texas,Galveston Bayen_US
dc.subjectbiogeochemical cycleen_US
dc.subjectCarbonen_US
dc.subjectcarbon/nitrogen ratioen_US
dc.subjectDenitrificationen_US
dc.subjectDissolveden_US
dc.subjectdissolved oxygenen_US
dc.subjectestuariesen_US
dc.subjectEstuarine chemistryen_US
dc.subjectGalveston Bayen_US
dc.subjectmineralizationen_US
dc.subjectNitrificationen_US
dc.subjectNitrogenen_US
dc.subjectNutrient cyclesen_US
dc.subjectO 1070 Ecology/Community Studiesen_US
dc.subjectorganic carbonen_US
dc.subjectorganic matteren_US
dc.subjectOxygenen_US
dc.subjectOxygen consumptionen_US
dc.subjectQ1 01482 Ecosystems and energeticsen_US
dc.subjectSalinityen_US
dc.subjectSedimenten_US
dc.subjectSediment analysisen_US
dc.subjectsediment chemistryen_US
dc.subjectsediment structureen_US
dc.subjectSedimentsen_US
dc.subjectTemperatureen_US
dc.subjectTemperature effectsen_US
dc.subjectTexasen_US
dc.subjectUSAen_US
dc.subjectVariabilityen_US
dc.subjectwateren_US
dc.subjectwater temperatureen_US
dc.subjectwinteren_US
dc.titleDenitrification, nutrient regeneration and carbon mineralization in sediments of Galveston Bay, Texas, USAen_US
dc.typeJournalen_US
dc.universityen_US
dc.vol-issue114(3)en_US

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Galveston Bay Bibliography
GBIC Abstracts (full text not available through Jack K. Williams Library)