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Recycling Efficiencies of Organic Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Reduced Sulfur in Rapidly Depositing Coastal Sediments

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Book cover Interactions of C, N, P and S Biogeochemical Cycles and Global Change

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASII,volume 4))

Abstract

This paper summarizes the results of detailed field studies of C,N,P and S cycling in the anoxic sediments of a small coastal lagoon, Cape Lookout Bight (CLB), located on the Outer Banks barrier island chain of North Carolina (U.S.A.). These results are utilized to illustrate the efficiency of the principal processes controlling the biogeochemical cycling of each element, including factors leading to their differential release to overlying waters and preservation via burial. The Cape Lookout site is particularly well suited for studies of elemental cycling in organic-rich sediments because of the steady-state nature of annual sediment accumulation occurring since the mid-1960’s and the relative lack of physical disturbances via bioturbation or resuspension of the sediment column. Comparison of Cape Lookout results with those from other sedimentary environments leads to important insights concerning how the biogeochemical cycles of C, N, P and S interact.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Sciences CB-3300, 12-5 Venable Hall, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3300, USA

    Christopher S. Martens

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  1. Christopher S. Martens
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d’Océanographie Chimique, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

    Roland Wollast  & Lei Chou  & 

  2. Department of Oceanography, School of Ocean and Earth, Science and Technology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

    Fred T. Mackenzie

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Martens, C.S. (1993). Recycling Efficiencies of Organic Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Reduced Sulfur in Rapidly Depositing Coastal Sediments. In: Wollast, R., Mackenzie, F.T., Chou, L. (eds) Interactions of C, N, P and S Biogeochemical Cycles and Global Change. NATO ASI Series, vol 4. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-76064-8_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-76064-8_16

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