Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS08 Processes at the Benthic Interface (Environmental Connections)

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2001, Time: 3:00:00 PM

Location: Ruidoso/Pecos

Jahnke, R, A, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Savannah, USA, rick@skio.peachnet.edu

Richards, M, , Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Savannah, USA,

Jahnke, D, , Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Savannah, USA,

Peccerella, T, , Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Savannah, USA,

REMINERALIZATION RATES IN PERMEABLE CONTINENTAL SHELF SEDIMENTS DOMINATED BY ADVECTIVE PORE WATER TRANSPORT AND BENTHIC PRIMARY PRODUCTION

High sediment permeability, rates of benthic photosynthesis and bottom water velocities prevent the use of traditional methods to estimate rates of remineralization on the South Atlantic Bight seafloor. An indirect, incubation approach has been developed in which pore waters are sampled periodically at cm vertical intervals during a 9-12 day incubation. Using the observed rate of solute increase at each depth interval, the rate of pore water exchange required to achieve the initial pore water distributions was calculated employing models of non-local transport and enhanced diffusion. Calculations suggest minimum remineralization rates of approximately 2 mol/m2 y, much larger than expected for these low organic carbon, non-accumulating relict shelf sands.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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