Phosphorus burial efficiencies

Carbon and Phosphorus Burial Efficiencies. The estimate of diatom carbon demand (12-15 g/m2 per year) is consistent with the flux of carbon to the sediment surface. With sediment-trap fluxes corrected for resuspension, we measured a total annual deposition flux of 12.5 g of C/m2. In comparison, Eadie et al. (24) obtained 23 g of C/m2 for a 100-m station, based on three midsummer metalimnion deployments. Of our total, 83% of the carbon was associated with diatoms, and the primary diatom carbon flux was 10.3 g of C/m2. Thus, about 15-30% of the diatom carbon was regenerated in the water column during sedimentation. Approximately 10% of the diatom flux reached the sediment surface encapsulated in copepod fecal pellets the remaining 90% was unpackaged. 

Mobilization of sedimentary phosphorus by microbial activity during diagenesis causes dissolved phosphate buildup in sediment pore waters, promoting benthic efflux of phosphate to bottom waters or incorporation in secondary authigenic minerals. The combined benthic flux from coastal (sFcbf) and abyssal (sFabf) sediments is estimated to exceed the total riverine-P flux (F24(d+p>) to the ocean. Reprecipitation of diagenetically mobilized phosphorus in secondary phases significantly enhances phosphorus burial efficiency, impeding return of phosphate to the water column (see Section 8.13.3.3.2). Both processes impact the... 

Anschutz, P., Zihong, S., Sundby, B., Mucci, A., and Gobeil, C. (1998). Burial efficiency of phosphorus and the geochemistry of iron in continental margin sediments. Limnol. Oceanogr. 43,53-64. 

The iron-based redox cycle depicted in Figure 18.9 provides an effective preconcentrating step for phosphorus by trapping remineralized phosphate in oxic sediments. The conversion of phosphorus from POM to Fe(lll)OOH to CFA is referred to as sink switching. Overall this process acts to convert phosphorus from unstable particulate phases (POM to Fe(lll)OOH) into a stable particulate phase (CFA) that acts to permanently remove bioavailable phosphorus from the ocean. This is pretty important because most of the particulate phosphate delivered to the seafloor is reminer-alized. Without a trapping mechanism, the remineralized phosphate would diffuse back into the bottom waters of the ocean, greatly reducing the burial efficiency of phosphorus. 

Residence Times. Phosphorus residence times with respect to major depositional processes (see Tables II and IV) are summarized in Table VI. In comparison, the total-P residence time based on external loading is about 4.5 years. Residence times were calculated for a mean water-column depth of 85 m, and steady state was assumed. Although transport of P to the sediment surface by the combination of diatoms, calcite, and terrigenous material is relatively rapid, the low burial efficiency results in a relatively long residence time for total P (about 5 years). In comparison, the residence time for Pb is about 0.6 years (20). Thus, the response time for P changes with respect to loading should be on the order of 5-15 years. 

The range of riverine suspended particulate matter that may be solubilized once it enters the marine realm (e.g., the so-called reactive-F ) is derived from three sources. Colman and Holland (2000) estimate that 45% may be reactive, based on RSPM-P compositional data from a number of rivers and estimated burial efficiency of this material in marine sediments. Bemer and Rao (1994) and Ruttenberg and Canfield (1994) estimate that 35% and 31% of RSPM-P is released upon entering the ocean, based on comparison of RSPM-P and adjacent deltaic surface sediment phosphorus in the Amazon and Mississippi systems, respectively. Lower estimates have been published (8% Ramirez and Rose (1992) 18% Froelich (1988) 18% Compton et al. (2000). Higher estimates have also been published (69% Howarth et al. (1995). 

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