Definition
The suboxic zone lies between the oxic and anoxic zones, where the concentrations of both dissolved oxygen and sulfide are low. Sediment pore waters are generally driven to suboxic conditions via microbial degradation of organic matter, and these intermediate waters commonly host the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen, manganese, and iron. Suboxic pore waters modify the chemistry and mineralogy of sediments between their deposition and eventual burial and represent an important component of early diagenesis.
History
A classification scheme for suboxic sediments was originally outlined by Froelich et al. (1979), based on chemical profiles of pore waters within marine sediments. These sediments were deposited below oxygenated bottom waters, but contained sufficient organic carbon to consume oxygen (via aerobic respiration) from pore waters. Froelich et al. (1979) defined suboxic sediments as those which support the reduction of nitrate, manganese, and iron before the onset of...
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References and Further Reading
Berner RA (1981) A new geochemical classification of sedimentary environments. J Sediment Res 51:359–365. https://doi.org/10.1306/212F7C7F-2B24-11D7-8648000102C1865D
Calvert SE, Pedersen TF (1996) Sedimentary geochemistry of manganese; implications for the environment of formation of manganiferous black shales. Econ Geol 91:36–47. https://doi.org/10.2113/gsecongeo.91.1.36
Canfield DE (1993) Organic matter oxidation in marine sediments. In: Interactions of C, N, P and S biogeochemical cycles and global change. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp 333–363
Canfield D, Thamdrup B (2009) Towards a consistent classification scheme for geochemical environments, or, why we wish the term ‘suboxic’ would go away. Geobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 7:385–392
Canfield DE, Raiswell R, Bottrell SH (1992) The reactivity of sedimentary iron minerals toward sulfide. Am J Sci 292:659–683. https://doi.org/10.2475/ajs.292.9.659
Christensen PB, Nielsen LP, Revsbech NP, Sørensen J (1989) Microzonation of denitrification activity in stream sediments as studied with a combined oxygen and nitrous oxide microsensor. Appl Environ Microbiol 55:1234–1241
Froelich PN, Klinkhammer GP, Bender ML, Luedtke NA, Heath GR, Cullen D, Dauphin P, Hammond D, Hartman B, Maynard V (1979) Early oxidation of organic matter in pelagic sediments of the eastern equatorial Atlantic: suboxic diagenesis. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 43:1075–1090. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(79)90095-4
Konhauser K (2007) Microbial zonation, Chapter 6. In: Introduction to geobiology. Blackwell Publishing, Malden/Oxford, UK/Carlton
Oakley BB, Francis CA, Roberts KJ, Fuchsman CA, Srinivasan S, Staley JT (2007) Analysis of nitrite reductase (nirK and nirS) genes and cultivation reveal depauperate community of denitrifying bacteria in the Black Sea suboxic zone. Environ Microbiol 9:118–130. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2006.01121.x
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Tostevin, R., Poulton, S.W. (2019). Suboxic Sediments. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5419-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5419-1
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