Nutrient cycling at the sediment-water interface and in sediments at Chiricahueto marsh: a subtropical ecosystem associated with agricultural land uses.
A study was conducted to examine the potential role to accumulate and transform nitrogen and phosphorus of a common wetland type marsh; the site is located in a subtropical environment that receives agricultural pollutants. Chiricahueto marsh effectively removes N and P from surface waters. It is clear that the diagenetic processes are mainly controlled by the exponential decomposition of organic matter that takes place at the sediment-water interface and in the sedimentary column, under oxic and suboxic-anoxic conditions, respectively. Mass balances indicated a net sedimentation of 11.3 g Nm(-2)x yr (-1) and 3.9 g Pm(-2) x yr (-1), which results in an annual regeneration of 1.7 g Nm(-2) and 0.8 g Pm(-2) at the sediment-water interface under oxic conditions. A major remineralization rate was estimated in 6.4 g Nm(-2) x yr (-1) and 1.1g Pm(-2) x yr (-1) into the sedimentary column where suboxic to anoxic conditions occur by the utilization of nitrate, Fe and Mn as electron acceptors. The estimated burial fluxes in the deeper sediments (>50 cm) were 1.5 g Nm(-2) x yr (-1) and 0.4 g Pm(-2) x yr (-1).
Soto-Jimenez
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Programa de Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Unidad Academica Mazatlan, UNAM, Sinaloa, Mexico.
Paez-Osuna
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Bojorquez-Leyva
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D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D008800:Mexico; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis; D014329:Tropical Climate; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods
D014867:Water; D010758:Phosphorus; D009584:Nitrogen