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1.
A model, based on the in situ physiological characteristics of methanogens and sulfate reducers, was developed to describe the distribution of methanogenesis and sulfate reduction in freshwater sediments. The model predicted the relative importance of methane production and sulfate reduction in lakes of various trophic status and generated profiles of sulfate, acetate, methanogenesis, and sulfate reduction comparable to the profiles that are expected based on field studies. The model indicated that at sulfate concentrations greater than 30μM a sulfate-reducing zone develops because sulfate reducers maintain acetate concentrations too low for methanogens to grow. At lower sulfate concentrations a methanogenic zone develops because the dual limitations of low sulfate concentrations and acetate consumption by methanogens prevents sulfate reducers from growing. The model and a compilation of previously published field data indicate that, within the reported range of sulfate concentrations, the relative importance of methanogenesis and sulfate reduction in freshwater sediments is primarily dependent upon the rates of organic matter decomposition.  相似文献   

2.
A steady-state reaction-transport model is applied to sediments retrieved by gravity core from two stations (S10 and S13) in the Skagerrak to determine the main kinetic and thermodynamic controls on anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). The model considers an extended biomass-implicit reaction network for organic carbon degradation, which includes extracellular hydrolysis of macromolecular organic matter, fermentation, sulfate reduction, methanogenesis, AOM, acetogenesis and acetotrophy. Catabolic reaction rates are determined using a modified Monod rate expression that explicitly accounts for limitation by the in situ catabolic energy yields. The fraction of total sulfate reduction due to AOM in the sulfate-methane transition zone (SMTZ) at each site is calculated. The model provides an explanation for the methane tailing phenomenon which is observed here and in other marine sediments, whereby methane diffuses up from the SMTZ to the top of the core without being consumed. The tailing is due to bioenergetic limitation of AOM in the sulfate reduction zone, because the methane concentration is too low to engender favorable thermodynamic drive. AOM is also bioenergetically inhibited below the SMTZ at both sites because of high hydrogen concentrations (∼3-6 nM). The model results imply there is no straightforward relationship between pore water concentrations and the minimum catabolic energy needed to support life because of the highly coupled nature of the reaction network. Best model fits are obtained with a minimum energy for AOM of ∼11 kJ mol−1, which is within the range reported in the literature for anaerobic processes.  相似文献   

3.
The organic rich sediments of the Skagerrak contain high quantities of shallow gas of mostly biogenic origin that is transported to the sediment surface by diffusion. The sulfate methane transition zone (SMTZ), where anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) and sulfate reduction occur, functions as a methane barrier for this upward diffusing methane.To investigate the regulation of AOM and sulfate reduction rates (SRR) and the controls on the efficiency of methane consumption, pore water concentrations, and microbial rates of AOM, sulfate reduction and methanogenesis were determined in three gravity cores collected along the slope of the Norwegian Trench in the Skagerrak. SRR occurred in two distinct peaks, at the sediment surface and the SMTZ, the latter often exceeding the peak AOM rates that occurred at the bottom of the SMTZ. Highest rates of both AOM and SRR were observed in a core from a pockmark, where advective methane transport occurred, generating high methane and sulfate fluxes. But even at this site with a shallow SMTZ, the entire flux of methane was oxidized below the sediment surface. AOM, SRR and methanogenesis seem to be closely associated and strongly regulated by sulfate concentrations, which were, in turn, regulated by the methane flux. Rate measurements of SRR, AOM and methanogenesis revealed a tight coupling of these processes. Bicarbonate-based methanogenesis occurred at moderate sulfate concentrations (>5 mM) above the AOM zone but seemed to be inhibited in the depth where AOM occurred. The unbalanced stoichiometry of AOM and SRR in the SMTZ was more pronounced in rate measurements than in methane and sulfate fluxes, and seemed more likely be related to enhanced SRR in this zone than an underestimation of methane fluxes.  相似文献   

4.
The mobilization of arsenic (As) to the groundwater was studied in a shallow Holocene aquifer on the Red River flood plain near Hanoi, Vietnam. The groundwater chemistry was investigated in a transect of 100 piezometers. Results show an anoxic aquifer featuring organic carbon decomposition with redox zonation dominated by the reduction of Fe-oxides and methanogenesis. Enhanced PCO2 pressure causes carbonate dissolution to take place but mainly in the soil and unsaturated zone. The concentration of As increases over depth to a concentration of up to 550 μg/L. Most As is present as As(III) but some As(V) is always found. Arsenic correlates well with NH4, relating its release to organic matter decomposition and the source of As appears to be the Fe-oxides being reduced. Part of the produced Fe(II) is apparently reprecipitated as siderite containing less As. Results from sediment extraction indicate most As to be related to the Fe-oxide fractions. The measured amount of sorbed As is low. In agreement, speciation calculations for a Fe-oxide surface suggest As(III) to constitute only 3% of the surface sites while the remainder is occupied by carbonate and silica species. The evolution in water chemistry over depth is homogeneous and a reactive transport model was constructed to quantify the geochemical processes along the vertical groundwater flow component. A redox zonation model was constructed using the partial equilibrium approach with organic carbon degradation in the sediment as the only rate controlling parameter. Apart from the upper meter a constant degradation rate of 0.15 C mmol/L/yr could explain the redox zonation throughout the aquifer. Modeling also indicates that the Fe-oxide being reduced is of a stable type like goethite or hematite. Arsenic is contained in the Fe-oxides and is first released during their dissolution. Our model further suggests that part of the released As is adsorbed on the surface of the remaining Fe-oxides and in this way may be retarded.  相似文献   

5.
Sulfate reduction and sulfur-iron geochemistry were studied in 5-6 m deep gravity cores of Holocene mud from Aarhus Bay (Denmark). A goal was to understand whether sulfate is generated by re-oxidation of sulfide throughout the sulfate and methane zones, which might explain the abundance of active sulfate reducers deep below the main sulfate zone. Sulfate penetrated down to 130 cm where methane started to build up and where the concentration of free sulfide peaked at 5.5 mM. Below this sulfate-methane transition, sulfide diffused downwards to a sulfidization front at 520 cm depth, below which dissolved iron, Fe2+, accumulated in the pore water. Sulfate reduction rates measured by 35S-tracer incubations in the sulfate zone were high due to high concentrations of reactive organic matter. Within the sulfate-methane transition, sulfate reduction was distinctly stimulated by the anaerobic oxidation of methane. In the methane zone below, sulfate remained at positive “background” concentrations of <0.5 mM down to the sulfidization front. Sulfate reduction decreased steeply to rates which at 300-500 cm depth were 0.2-1 pmol SO42− cm−3 d−1, i.e., 4-5 orders of magnitude lower than rates measured near the sediment surface. The turn-over time of sulfate increased from 3 years at 12 cm depth to 100-1000 years down in the methane zone. Sulfate reduction in the methane zone accounted for only 0.1% of sulfate reduction in the entire sediment column and was apparently limited by the low pore water concentration of sulfate and the low availability of organic substrates. Amendment of the sediment with both sulfate and organic substrates immediately caused a 10- to 40-fold higher, “potential sulfate reduction” which showed that a physiologically intact community of sulfate reducing bacteria was present. The “background” sulfate concentration appears to be generated from the reaction of downwards diffusing sulfide with deeply buried Fe(III) species, such as poorly-reactive iron oxides or iron bound in reactive silicates. The oxidation of sulfide to sulfate in the sulfidic sediment may involve the formation of elemental sulfur and thiosulfate and their further disproportionation to sulfide and sulfate. The net reaction of sulfide and Fe(III) to form pyrite requires an additional oxidant, irrespective of the formation of sulfate. This could be CO2 which is reduced with H2 to methane. The methane subsequently diffuses upwards to become re-oxidized at the sulfate-methane transition and thereby removes excess reducing power and enables the formation of excess sulfate. We show here how the combination of these well-established sulfur-iron-carbon reactions may lead to the deep formation of sulfate and drive a cryptic sulfur cycle. The iron-rich post-glacial sediments underlying Holocene marine mud stimulate the strong sub-surface sulfide reoxidation observed in Aarhus Bay and are a result of the glacial to interglacial history of the Baltic Sea area. Yet, processes similar to the ones described here probably occur widespread in marine sediments, in particular along the ocean margins.  相似文献   

6.
At the Chapopote Knoll in the Southern Gulf of Mexico, deposits of asphalt provide the substrate for a prolific cold seep ecosystem extensively colonized by chemosynthetic communities. This study investigates microbial life and associated biological processes within the asphalts and surrounding oil-impregnated sediments by analysis of intact polar membrane lipids (IPLs), petroleum hydrocarbons and stable carbon isotopic compositions (δ13C) of hydrocarbon gases. Asphalt samples are lightly to heavily biodegraded suggesting that petroleum-derived hydrocarbons serve as substrates for the chemosynthetic communities. Accordingly, detection of bacterial diester and diether phospholipids in asphalt samples containing finely dispersed gas hydrate suggests the presence of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria. Biological methanogenesis contributes a substantial fraction to the methane captured as hydrate in the shallow asphalt deposits evidenced by significant depletion in 13C relative to background thermogenic methane. In sediments, petroleum migrating from the subsurface stimulates both methanogenesis and methanotrophy at a sulfate-methane transition zone 6-7 m below the seafloor. In this zone, microbial IPLs are dominated by archaeal phosphohydroxyarchaeols and archaeal diglycosidic diethers and tetraethers. Bacterial IPLs dominate surface sediments that are impregnated by severely biodegraded oil. In the sulfate-reduction zone, diagnostic IPLs indicate that sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) play an important role in petroleum degradation. A diverse mixture of phosphohydroxyarchaeols and mixed phospho- and diglycosidic archaeal tetraethers in shallow oil-impregnated sediments point to the presence of anaerobic methane-oxidizing ANME-2 and ANME-1 archaea, respectively, or methanogens. Archaeal IPLs increase in relative abundance with increasing sediment depth and decreasing sulfate concentrations, accompanied by a shift of archaeol-based to tetraether-based archaeal IPLs. The latter shift is suggested to be indicative of a community shift from ANME-2 and/or methanogenic archaea in shallower sediments to ANME-1/methanogenic archaea and possibly benthic archaea in deeper sediments.  相似文献   

7.
Subterranean estuary occupies the transition zone between hypoxic fresh groundwater and oxic seawater, and between terrestrial and marine sediment deposits. Consequently, we hypothesize, in a subterranean estuary, biogeochemical reactions of Fe respond to submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and sea level rise. Porewater and sediment samples were collected across a 30-m wide freshwater discharge zone of the Indian River Lagoon (Florida, USA) subterranean estuary, and at a site 250 m offshore. Porewater Fe concentrations range from 0.5 μM at the shoreline and 250 m offshore to about 286 μM at the freshwater-saltwater boundary. Sediment sulfur and porewater sulfide maxima occur in near-surface OC-rich black sediments of marine origin, and dissolved Fe maxima occur in underlying OC-poor orange sediments of terrestrial origin. Freshwater SGD flow rates decrease offshore from around 1 to 0.1 cm/day, while bioirrigation exchange deepens with distance from about 10 cm at the shoreline to about 40 cm at the freshwater-saltwater boundary. DOC concentrations increase from around 75 μM at the shoreline to as much as 700 μM at the freshwater-saltwater boundary as a result of labile marine carbon inputs from marine SGD. This labile DOC reduces Fe-oxides, which in conjunction with slow discharge of SGD at the boundary, allows dissolved Fe to accumulate. Upward advection of fresh SGD carries dissolved Fe from the Fe-oxide reduction zone to the sulfate reduction zone, where dissolved Fe precipitates as Fe-sulfides. Saturation models of Fe-sulfides indicate some fractions of these Fe-sulfides get dissolved near the sediment-water interface, where bioirrigation exchanges oxic surface water. The estimated dissolved Fe flux is approximately 0.84 μM Fe/day per meter of shoreline to lagoon surface waters. Accelerated sea level rise predictions are thus likely to increase the Fe flux to surface waters and local primary productivity, particularly along coastlines where groundwater discharges through sediments.  相似文献   

8.
Bacterial sulfate reduction in marine sediments generally occurs in the presence of high millimolar concentrations of sulfate. Published data indicate that low sulfate concentrations may limit sulfate reduction rates below 0.2-2 mM. Yet, high sulfate reduction rates occur in the 1-100 μM range in freshwater sediments and at the sulfate-methane transition in marine sediments. Through a combination of 35S-tracer experiments, including initial velocity experiments and time course experiments, we searched for different sulfate affinities in the mixed community of sulfate reducers in a marine sediment. We supported the radiotracer experiments with a highly sensitive ion chromatographic technique for sulfate with a detection limit of 0.15 μM SO42− in marine pore water. Our results showed that high and low affinities for sulfate co-occur and that the applied experimental approach may determine the observed apparent half saturation constant, Km. Our experimental and model data both show that sulfate reduction in the studied marine sediment could be explained by two dominating affinities for sulfate: a low affinity with a mean half saturation constant, Km, of 430 μM SO42− and a high affinity with a mean Km of 2.6 μM SO42−. The high-affinity sulfate reduction was thermodynamically un-constrained down to <1 μM SO42−, both in our experiments and under in situ conditions. The reduction of radio-labeled sulfate was partly reversible due to concurrent re-oxidation of sulfide by Fe(III) and possibly due to a reversibility of the enzymatic pathway of sulfate reduction. A literature survey of apparent Km values for sediments and pure cultures is presented and discussed.  相似文献   

9.
A transport-reaction model was designed to identify the combination and importance of biogeochemical processes operating in four sites drilled during ODP Leg 207 (Demerara Rise, Equatorial Atlantic). Almost 100 Ma after their deposition, deeply buried Cretaceous black shales still act as active bioreactors in great sediment depths and control the biogeochemical reaction network of the whole sediment column. According to a model calibrated at the four drill sites through inverse modeling techniques, methanogenesis could be identified as a key process that dominates not only organic matter degradation but also sulfate availability through the anaerobic oxidation of methane above the black shales. A complete depletion of sulfate within the black shale sequences promotes the remobilization of biogenic barium that reprecipitates as authigenic barite at the top of the sulfate depletion zone. Temporal dynamics of degradation processes caused continuous shifts of the barite precipitation zone during burial, thus inhibiting the formation of an authigenic barite front or causing the dissolution of earlier formed fronts. Major deviations of pore water sulfate profiles from a linear gradient coincide with depths of decelerated or accelerated transport caused by local porosity minima or maxima. Model-determined reaction rates are by far lower than those found in shallower sediments due to the low metabolic activities that are characteristic for the Deep Biosphere. But even after almost 100 Ma, changing organic matter quality still influences the degradation within the black shale sequences, as it is indicated by model results.  相似文献   

10.
Solid phase and pore water chemical data collected in a sediment of the Haringvliet Lake are interpreted using a multi-component reactive transport model. This freshwater lake, which was formed as the result of a river impoundment along the southwestern coast of the Netherlands, is currently targeted for restoration of estuarine conditions. The model is used to assess the present-day biogeochemical dynamics in the sediment, and to forecast possible changes in organic carbon mineralization pathways and associated redox reactions upon salinization of the bottom waters. Model results indicate that oxic degradation (55%), denitrification (21%), and sulfate reduction (17%) are currently the main organic carbon degradation pathways in the upper 30 cm of sediment. Unlike in many other freshwater sediments, methanogenesis is a relatively minor carbon mineralization pathway (5%), because of significant supply of soluble electron acceptors from the well-mixed bottom waters. Although ascorbate-reducible Fe(III) mineral phases are present throughout the upper 30 cm of sediment, the contribution of dissimilatory iron reduction to overall sediment metabolism is negligible. Sensitivity analyses show that bioirrigation and bioturbation are important processes controlling the distribution of organic carbon degradation over the different pathways. Model simulations indicate that sulfate reduction would rapidly suppress methanogenesis upon seawater intrusion in the Haringvliet, and could lead to significant changes in the sediment’s solid-state iron speciation. The changes in Fe speciation would take place on time-scales of 20-100 years.  相似文献   

11.
Microbial methane in sedimentary basins comprises approximately 20% of global natural gas resources, yet little is known about the environmental requirements and metabolic rates of these subsurface microbial communities. The Illinois Basin, located in the midcontinent of the United States, is an ideal location to investigate hydrogeochemical factors controlling methanogenesis as microbial methane accumulations occur: (1) in three organic-rich reservoirs of different geologic ages and organic matter types - Upper Devonian New Albany Shale (up to 900 m depth), Pennsylvanian coals (up to 600 m depth), and Quaternary glacial sediments (shallow aquifers); (2) across steep salinity gradients; and (3) with variable concentrations of . For all three organic-rich reservoirs aqueous geochemical conditions are favorable for microbial methanogenesis, with near neutral pH, concentrations <2 mM, and Cl concentrations <3 M. Also, carbon isotopic fractionation of CH4, CO2, and DIC is consistent with microbial methanogenesis, and increased carbon isotopic fractionation with average reservoir depth corresponds to a decrease of groundwater flushing rates with average depth of reservoir. Plots of stable isotopes of water and Cl show mixing between a brine endmember and freshwater, suggesting that meteoric groundwater recharge has affected all microbial methanogenic systems. Additionally, similar methanogenic communities are present in all three reservoirs with comparable cell counts (8.69E3-2.58E6 cells/mL). TRFLP results show low numbers of archaea species with only two dominant groups of base pairs in coals, shale, and limestone aquifers. These results compare favorably with other methanogen-containing deep subsurface environments. Individual hydrogeochemical parameters that have a Spearman correlation coefficient greater than 0.3 to variations in methanogenic species include stable isotopes of water (δ18O and δD), type of substrate (i.e. coals versus shale), pH, and Cl concentration. The matching of variations between methanogenic TRFLP data and conservative tracers suggests that deep circulation of meteoric waters influenced archaeal communities in the Illinois Basin. In addition, coalification and burial estimates suggest that in the study area, coals and shale reservoirs were previously sterilized (>80 °C in nutrient poor environments), necessitating the re-introduction of microbes into the subsurface via groundwater transport.  相似文献   

12.
The availability of dissolved O2 can limit biodegradation of organic compounds in aquifers. Where O2 is depleted, biodegradation proceeds via anaerobic processes, including NO3-, Mn(IV)-, Fe(III)- and SO4-reduction and fermentation/methanogenesis. The environmental controls on these anaerobic processes must be understood to support implementation of management strategies such as monitored natural attenuation (MNA). In this study stable isotope analysis is used to show that the relative significance of two key anaerobic biodegradation processes (bacterial SO4 reduction (BSR) and methanogenesis) in a phenol-contaminated sandstone aquifer is sensitive to spatial and temporal changes in total dissolved phenols concentration (TPC) (= phenol + cresols + dimethylphenols) over a 5-a period. In general, 34SO4-enrichment (characteristic of bacterial SO4 reduction) is restricted spatially to locations where TPC < 2000 mg L−1. In contrast, 13C-depleted CH4 and 13C-enriched CO2 isotope compositions (characteristic of methanogenesis) were measured at TPC up to 8000 mg L−1. This is consistent with previous studies that demonstrate suppression of BSR at TPC of >500 mg L−1, and suggests that methanogenic microorganisms may have a higher tolerance for TPC in this contaminant plume. It is concluded that isotopic enrichment trends can be used to identify conditions under which in situ biodegradation may be limited by the properties of the biodegradation substrate (in this case TPC). Such data may be used to deduce the performance of MNA for contaminated groundwater in similar settings.  相似文献   

13.
Rates of anaerobic respiration are of central importance for the long-term burial of carbon (C) in peatlands, which are a relevant sink in the global C cycle. To identify constraints on anaerobic peat decomposition, we determined detailed concentration depth profiles of decomposition end-products, i.e. methane (CH4) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), along with concentrations of relevant decomposition intermediates at an ombrotrophic Canadian peat bog. The magnitude of in situ net production rates of DIC and CH4 was estimated by inverse pore-water modeling. Vertical transport in the peat was slow and dominated by diffusion leading to the buildup of DIC and CH4 with depth (5500 μmol L−1 DIC, 500 μmol L−1 CH4). Highest DIC and CH4 production rates occurred close to the water table (decomposition constant kd ∼ 10−3-10−4 a−1) or in some distinct zones at depth (kd ∼ 10−4 a−1). Deeper into the peat, decomposition proceeded very slowly at about kd = 10−7 a−1. This pattern could be related to thermodynamic and transport constraints. The accumulation of metabolic end-products diminished in situ energy yields of acetoclastic methanogenesis to the threshold for microbially mediated processes (−20 to −25 kJ mol−1 CH4). The methanogenic precursor acetate also accumulated (150 μmol L−1). In line with these findings, CH4 was formed by hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis at Gibbs free energies of −35 to −40 kJ mol−1 CH4. This was indicated by an isotopic fractionation αCO2-CH4 of 1.069-1.079. Fermentative degradation of acetate, propionate and butyrate attained Gibbs free energies close to 0 kJ mol−1 substrate. Although methanogenesis was apparently limited by some other factor in some peat layers, transport and thermodynamic constraints likely impeded respiratory processes in the deeper peat. Constraints on the removal of DIC and CH4 may thus slow decomposition and contribute to the sustained burial of C in northern peatlands.  相似文献   

14.
The free energy yield of microbial respiration reactions in anaerobic marine sediments must be sufficient to be conserved as biologically usable energy in the form of ATP. Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled to sulfate reduction (SRR) has a very low standard free energy yield of ΔG° = −33 kJ mol−1, but the in situ energy yield strongly depends on the concentrations of substrates and products in the pore water of the sediment. In this work ΔG for the AOM-SRR process was calculated from the pore water concentrations of methane, sulfate, sulfide, and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in sediment cores from different sites of the European continental margin in order to determine the influence of thermodynamic regulation on the activity and distribution of microorganisms mediating AOM-SRR. In the zone of methane and sulfate coexistence, the methane-sulfate transition zone (SMTZ), the energy yield was rarely less than −20 kJ mol−1 and was mostly rather constant throughout this zone. The kinetic drive was highest at the lower part of the SMTZ, matching the occurrence of maximum AOM rates. The results show that the location of maximum AOM rates is determined by a combination of thermodynamic and kinetic drive, whereas the rate activity mainly depends on kinetic regulation.  相似文献   

15.
Complex investigations of recent and Drevnechernomorian (ancient Black Sea) sediments from the outer shelf, continental slope, and deep-water basin of the Russian Black Sea sector have been carried out using samples collected during cruise of the R/V Professor Shtokman organized by the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (March 2009) and expedition of “YUZHMORGEO” (summer 2006). Rates of the main anaerobic processes during diagenesis (sulfate reduction, dark CO2 fixation, methanogenesis, and methane oxidation) were studied for the first time in sediment cores of the studied area. Two peaks in the rate of microbial processes and two sources of these processes were identified: the upper peak near the water-sediment contact is related to the solar energy (OM substrate of the water column) and the lower peak at the base of the Drevnechernomorian sediments with high(>1000 μM) methane concentration related to the energy of anaerobic methane oxidation. The neogenic labile OM formed during this process is utilized by other groups of microorganisms. According to experimental data, the daily rate of anaerobic methane oxidation is many times higher than that of methanogenesis, which unambiguously indicates the migration nature of the main part of methane.  相似文献   

16.
Three sediment stations in Himmerfjärden estuary (Baltic Sea, Sweden) were sampled in May 2009 and June 2010 to test how low salinity (5–7 ‰), high primary productivity partially induced by nutrient input from an upstream waste water treatment plant, and high overall sedimentation rates impact the sedimentary cycling of methane and sulfur. Rates of sediment accumulation determined using 210Pbexcess and 137Cs were very high (0.65–0.95 cm?year?1), as were the corresponding rates of organic matter accumulation (8.9–9.5 mol C?m?2?year?1) at all three sites. Dissolved sulfate penetrated <20 cm below the sediment surface. Although measured rates of bicarbonate methanogenesis integrated over 1 m depth were low (0.96–1.09 mol?m?2?year?1), methane concentrations increased to >2 mmol?L?1 below the sulfate–methane transition. A steep gradient of methane through the entire sulfate zone led to upward (diffusive and bio-irrigative) fluxes of 0.32 to 0.78 mol?m?2?year?1 methane to the sediment–water interface. Areal rates of sulfate reduction (1.46–1.92 mol?m?2?year?1) integrated over the upper 0–14 cm of sediment appeared to be limited by the restricted diffusive supply of sulfate, low bio-irrigation (α?=?2.8–3.1 year?1), and limited residence time of the sedimentary organic carbon in the sulfate zone. A large fraction of reduced sulfur as pyrite and organic-bound sulfur was buried and thus escaped reoxidation in the surface sediment. The presence of ferrous iron in the pore water (with concentrations up to 110 μM) suggests that iron reduction plays an important role in surface sediments, as well as in sediment layers deep below the sulfate–methane transition. We conclude that high rates of sediment accumulation and shallow sulfate penetration are the master variables for biogeochemistry of methane and sulfur cycling; in particular, they may significantly allow for release of methane into the water column in the Himmerfjärden estuary.  相似文献   

17.
The Dvurechenskii mud volcano (DMV) is located in permanently anoxic waters at 2060 m depth (Sorokin Trough, Black Sea). The DMV was studied during the RV Meteor expedition M72/2 as an example of an active mud volcano system, to investigate the significance of submarine mud volcanism for the methane and sulfide budget of the anoxic Black Sea hydrosphere. Our studies included benthic fluxes of methane and sulfide, as well as the factors controlling transport, consumption and production of both compounds within the sediment. The pie-shaped mud volcano showed temperature anomalies as well as solute and gas fluxes indicating high fluid flow at its summit north of the geographical center. The anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled to sulfate reduction (SR) was repressed in this zone due to the upward flow of sulfate-depleted fluids through recently deposited subsurface muds, apparently limiting microbial methanotrophic activity. Consequently, the emission of dissolved methane into the water column was high, with an estimated rate of 0.46 mol m−2 d−1. On the wide plateau and edge of the mud volcano surrounding the summit, fluid flow and total methane flux were lower, allowing higher SR and AOM rates correlated with an increase in sulfate penetration into the sediment. Here, between 50% and 70% of the methane flux (0.07-0.1 mol m−2 d−1) was consumed within the upper 10 cm of the sediment. The overall amount of dissolved methane released from the entire mud volcano structure into the water column was significant with a discharge of 1.3 × 107 mol yr−1. The DMV maintains also high areal rates of methane-fueled sulfide production and emission of on average 0.05 mol m−2 d−1. This is a difference to mud volcanoes in oxic waters, which emit similar amounts of methane, but not sulfide. However, based on a comparison of this and other mud volcanoes of the Black Sea, we conclude that sulfide and methane emission into the hydrosphere from deep-water mud volcanoes does not significantly contribute to the sulfide and methane inventory of the Black Sea.  相似文献   

18.
Rice fields are an important source for the greenhouse gas methane produced by acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Fractionation of 13C/12C can in principle be used to quantify the relative contribution of these pathways, but our knowledge of isotopic fractionation during reduction of CO2 and turnover of acetate in different methanogenic environments is still scarce. We therefore measured δ13C signatures in two types of anoxic Italian rice field soils, one with high and one with low degradable organic matter (OM) content. Both soils were incubated in the presence and absence of methyl fluoride, a specific inhibitor of acetoclastic methanogenesis. Optimization of methyl fluoride concentration resulted in complete inhibition of acetoclastic methanogenesis. CH4 was then exclusively produced by hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis, allowing determination of the isotopic signatures and fractionation factors specific for this methanogenic pathway. Acetate, which was then no longer consumed, accumulated and was used for determination of the isotopic signature of the fermentatively produced acetate (both total acetate and methyl carbon of acetate). Hence, all isotopic signatures, including fractionation factors were determined for the methanogenic soil. These data, were then used for computation of the relative contribution of the two methanogenic pathways. In the high OM soil, the contribution of acetoclastic methanogenesis to total CH4 production increased simultaneously with decreasing acetate concentration. In the low OM soil, methanogenesis from H2/CO2 was clearly greater than theoretically expected. Furthermore, isotope fractionation of hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis indicated that the in situ energy status of methanogens strongly depended on the availability of organic carbon in the rice field soil system. Collectively, our data show that the study of isotopic fractionation in methanogenic environments allows a deeper insight into the ongoing processes, which may be quite different in the same ecosystem with different content of degradable OM.  相似文献   

19.
We investigated coupling between sulfate reduction (SR) and anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) by quantifying pore water geochemical profiles, determining rates of microbial processes, and examining microbial community structure at two sites within Mississippi Canyon lease block 118 (MC118) in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Sediments from the northwest seep contained high concentrations of methane while sediments from the southwest seep contained methane, gaseous n-alkanes and liquid hydrocarbons and had abundant surficial accumulations of gas hydrate. Volumetric (21.5 μmol cm−3 day−1) and integrated (1429 mmol m−2 day−1) rates of SR at MC118 in ex situ incubations are the highest reported thus far for seafloor environments. AOM rates were small in comparison, with volumetric rates ranging from 0.1 to 12.6 nmol cm−3 day−1. Diffusion cannot adequately supply the sulfate required to support these high SR rates so additional mechanisms, possibly biological sulfide oxidation and/or downward advection, play important roles in supplying sulfate at these sites. The microbial communities at MC118 included sulfate-reducing bacteria phylogenetically associated with Desulfobacterium anilini, which is capable of complex hydrocarbon degradation. Despite low AOM rates, the majority of archaea identified were phylogenetically related to previously described methane oxidizing archaea. To evaluate whether weak coupling between SR and AOM occurs in habitats lacking the complex hydrocarbon milieu present at MC118, we compiled available SR and AOM rates and found that the global median ratio of SR to AOM was 10.7:1 rather than the expected 1:1. The global median integrated AOM rate was used to refine global estimates for AOM rates at cold seeps; these new estimates are only 5% of the previous estimate.  相似文献   

20.
The extent of historical U mining impacts is well documented for the North Cave Hills region of Harding County, South Dakota, USA. While previous studies reported watershed sediment and surface water As and U concentrations up to 90× established background concentrations, it was unclear whether or how localized changes in sediment redox behavior may influence contaminant remobilization. Five pore-water equilibration samplers (peepers) were spatially and temporally deployed within the study area to evaluate seasonal solid–liquid As and U distributions as a function of sediment depth. Pore-water and solid phase As and U concentrations, Fe speciation, Eh and pH were measured to ascertain specific geochemical conditions responsible for As and U remobilization and transport behavior. At a mine overburden sedimentation pond adjacent to the mine sites, high total aqueous As and U concentrations (4920 and 674 μg/L, respectively) were found within surface water during summer sampling; however pond dredging prior to autumn sampling resulted in significantly lower aqueous As and U concentrations (579 and 108 μg/L, respectively); however, both As and U still exceeded regional background concentrations (20 and 18 μg/L, respectively). At a wetlands-dominated deposition zone approximately 2 km downstream of the sedimentation pond, pore-water geochemical conditions varied seasonally. Summer conditions promoted reducing conditions in pore water, resulting in active release of As(III) to the water column. Autumn conditions promoted oxidizing conditions, decreasing pore-water As (Aspw) 5× and increasing Upw 10×. Peak U pore-water concentrations (781 μg/L) were 3.5× greater than determined for the surface water (226 μg/L), and approximately 40× background concentrations. At the Bowman–Haley reservoir backwaters 45 km downstream from the mine sites, As and U pore-water concentrations increased significantly between the summer and autumn deployments, attributed to increased Fe reduction processes. Geochemical modeling suggests solid-phase Fe reduction promotes the liberation of pore-water As and U via suppressing the formation of thioarsenite. Intermittent hydrological processes facilitate As and U transport and deposition throughout the watershed, while biogeochemical-influenced redox changes cycle As and U between pore and surface water within localized environments.  相似文献   

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