A budget of nitrogen recycling in North sea sediments off the Belgian coast
In: Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science. Academic Press: London. ISSN 0302-3254; e-ISSN 1878-3023, more
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| Keyword |
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| Author keywords |
nitrogen cycle; microbial activity; sediment-water-interface; interstitial water; nitrification; microbenthos; North Sea; Belgian coast |
| Abstract |
Vertical profiles of ammonium and nitrate concentration have been measured in the interstitial water of the sediments of the North Sea, off the Belgian coast. On the same sediments samples, direct measurements of ammonification, nitrification and denitrification rate have been carried out. A method is described for using these two types of information in a simplified diagenetic model simulating the concentration profile in the interstitial water. This method permits evaluation of the fluxes of ammonium and nitrate across the sediment-water interface. These fluxes are shown to play a qualitatively and quantitatively important role in the whole nitrogen cycle of the ecosystem under consideration. |
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