Transformation of organic matter in a Barents Sea sediment profile: coupled geochemical and microbiological processes
Process-based, mechanistic investigations of organic matter transformation and diagenesis directly beneath the sediment–water interface (SWI) in Arctic continental shelves are vital as these regions are at greatest risk of future change. This is in part due to disruptions in benthic–pelagic coupling...
Published in: | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences |
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crroyalsociety:10.1098/rsta.2020.0223 2024-09-15T17:53:57+00:00 Transformation of organic matter in a Barents Sea sediment profile: coupled geochemical and microbiological processes Stevenson, Mark A. Faust, Johan C. Andrade, Luiza L. Freitas, Felipe S. Gray, Neil D. Tait, Karen Hendry, Katharine R. Hilton, Robert G. Henley, Sian F. Tessin, Allyson Leary, Peter Papadaki, Sonia Ford, Ailbe März, Christian Abbott, Geoffrey D. Natural Environment Research Council 2020 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2020.0223 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsta.2020.0223 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rsta.2020.0223 en eng The Royal Society https://royalsociety.org/-/media/journals/author/Licence-to-Publish-20062019-final.pdf https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences volume 378, issue 2181, page 20200223 ISSN 1364-503X 1471-2962 journal-article 2020 crroyalsociety https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2020.0223 2024-07-22T04:27:30Z Process-based, mechanistic investigations of organic matter transformation and diagenesis directly beneath the sediment–water interface (SWI) in Arctic continental shelves are vital as these regions are at greatest risk of future change. This is in part due to disruptions in benthic–pelagic coupling associated with ocean current change and sea ice retreat. Here, we focus on a high-resolution, multi-disciplinary set of measurements that illustrate how microbial processes involved in the degradation of organic matter are directly coupled with inorganic and organic geochemical sediment properties (measured and modelled) as well as the extent/depth of bioturbation. We find direct links between aerobic processes, reactive organic carbon and highest abundances of bacteria and archaea in the uppermost layer (0–4.5 cm depth) followed by dominance of microbes involved in nitrate/nitrite and iron/manganese reduction across the oxic-anoxic redox boundary (approx. 4.5–10.5 cm depth). Sulfate reducers dominate in the deeper (approx. 10.5–33 cm) anoxic sediments which is consistent with the modelled reactive transport framework. Importantly, organic matter reactivity as tracked by organic geochemical parameters ( n -alkanes, n -alkanoic acids, n -alkanols and sterols) changes most dramatically at and directly below the SWI together with sedimentology and biological activity but remained relatively unchanged across deeper changes in sedimentology. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The changing Arctic Ocean: consequences for biological communities, biogeochemical processes and ecosystem functioning’. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Ocean Barents Sea Sea ice The Royal Society Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 378 2181 20200223 |
institution |
Open Polar |
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The Royal Society |
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crroyalsociety |
language |
English |
description |
Process-based, mechanistic investigations of organic matter transformation and diagenesis directly beneath the sediment–water interface (SWI) in Arctic continental shelves are vital as these regions are at greatest risk of future change. This is in part due to disruptions in benthic–pelagic coupling associated with ocean current change and sea ice retreat. Here, we focus on a high-resolution, multi-disciplinary set of measurements that illustrate how microbial processes involved in the degradation of organic matter are directly coupled with inorganic and organic geochemical sediment properties (measured and modelled) as well as the extent/depth of bioturbation. We find direct links between aerobic processes, reactive organic carbon and highest abundances of bacteria and archaea in the uppermost layer (0–4.5 cm depth) followed by dominance of microbes involved in nitrate/nitrite and iron/manganese reduction across the oxic-anoxic redox boundary (approx. 4.5–10.5 cm depth). Sulfate reducers dominate in the deeper (approx. 10.5–33 cm) anoxic sediments which is consistent with the modelled reactive transport framework. Importantly, organic matter reactivity as tracked by organic geochemical parameters ( n -alkanes, n -alkanoic acids, n -alkanols and sterols) changes most dramatically at and directly below the SWI together with sedimentology and biological activity but remained relatively unchanged across deeper changes in sedimentology. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The changing Arctic Ocean: consequences for biological communities, biogeochemical processes and ecosystem functioning’. |
author2 |
Natural Environment Research Council |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Stevenson, Mark A. Faust, Johan C. Andrade, Luiza L. Freitas, Felipe S. Gray, Neil D. Tait, Karen Hendry, Katharine R. Hilton, Robert G. Henley, Sian F. Tessin, Allyson Leary, Peter Papadaki, Sonia Ford, Ailbe März, Christian Abbott, Geoffrey D. |
spellingShingle |
Stevenson, Mark A. Faust, Johan C. Andrade, Luiza L. Freitas, Felipe S. Gray, Neil D. Tait, Karen Hendry, Katharine R. Hilton, Robert G. Henley, Sian F. Tessin, Allyson Leary, Peter Papadaki, Sonia Ford, Ailbe März, Christian Abbott, Geoffrey D. Transformation of organic matter in a Barents Sea sediment profile: coupled geochemical and microbiological processes |
author_facet |
Stevenson, Mark A. Faust, Johan C. Andrade, Luiza L. Freitas, Felipe S. Gray, Neil D. Tait, Karen Hendry, Katharine R. Hilton, Robert G. Henley, Sian F. Tessin, Allyson Leary, Peter Papadaki, Sonia Ford, Ailbe März, Christian Abbott, Geoffrey D. |
author_sort |
Stevenson, Mark A. |
title |
Transformation of organic matter in a Barents Sea sediment profile: coupled geochemical and microbiological processes |
title_short |
Transformation of organic matter in a Barents Sea sediment profile: coupled geochemical and microbiological processes |
title_full |
Transformation of organic matter in a Barents Sea sediment profile: coupled geochemical and microbiological processes |
title_fullStr |
Transformation of organic matter in a Barents Sea sediment profile: coupled geochemical and microbiological processes |
title_full_unstemmed |
Transformation of organic matter in a Barents Sea sediment profile: coupled geochemical and microbiological processes |
title_sort |
transformation of organic matter in a barents sea sediment profile: coupled geochemical and microbiological processes |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2020.0223 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsta.2020.0223 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rsta.2020.0223 |
genre |
Arctic Ocean Barents Sea Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Arctic Ocean Barents Sea Sea ice |
op_source |
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences volume 378, issue 2181, page 20200223 ISSN 1364-503X 1471-2962 |
op_rights |
https://royalsociety.org/-/media/journals/author/Licence-to-Publish-20062019-final.pdf https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2020.0223 |
container_title |
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences |
container_volume |
378 |
container_issue |
2181 |
container_start_page |
20200223 |
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1810430087593459712 |