Nutrient regeneration in maritime Antarctic sediments

• Main Authors: Tanner, A. C., Herbert, R. A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Institut für Meereskunde 1981
• Subjects: Antarctic; Signy Island; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/56164/; https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/56164/1/Tanner_AC_1981.pdf

Primary productivity in Antarctic inshore coastal waters at Signy Island is high (2 g C · m-2 · day-1) compared with oceanic production (0.5 g C · m-2 · day-1). Seasonal changes in phytoplankton, inorganic nutrients, total viable bacterial populations, proteolytic bacteria, denitrifying bacteria and heterotrophic nitrogen fixing bacteria have been followed at 14 day intervals from January 1976 - March 1978. Phytoplankton productivity reached a maximum in early January and this corresponds with a marked decline in N03-N (32 μg at N · I-1 to < 51 μg at N · I-1) and PO4 3- · I-1 (2 μg at PO4 3- · I-1 to 0.65 μg at PO4 3- · I-1). After the collapse of the bloom, NH4 + levels reached a maximum and correlated with high populations (1.4 x 105 bacteria/g dry wt) of proteolytic bacteria in the sediment. A large proportion of the heterotrophs (67 %) posses functional phosphatases which may play a significant role in phosphorus regeneration.