Geochemistry of sterols in sediments from Black Sea and the southwest African shelf and slope |
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| Authors: | Cindy Lee Robert B Gagosian John W Farrington |
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| Institution: | Department of Chemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Surface sediment samples from the shelf and continental slope off southwest Africa and sediment cores from the deepest part of the Black Sea were analyzed for sterols. Because the organic matter in these anoxic sediments is relatively well-preserved, the input from source organisms in the water column is important in controlling sterol distribution patterns. The sterol distribution on the Namibian shelf is complex, probably because of the great spatial and temporal variability of biological productivity caused by seasonal upwelling and changes in oxygen concentration. The Black Sea, perhaps because of greater physical stability of the water column, has sterol distributions which can be explained by microbial activity or chemical processes acting on a constant input of organic carbon from surface production. |
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