The Influence of Sedimentation Rate on Organic Matter Burial

4 The Influence of Sedimentation Rate on Organic Matter Burial 

Muller and Suess (1979) demonstrated the influence of sedimentation rate on organic carbon accumulation under oxic open-ocean conditions. They found that the organic carbon content of marine sediments increases by a factor of about two for every tenfold increase in sedimentation rate. The underlying mechanism was believed to be the more rapid removal and protection of organic matter from oxic respiration and benthic digestion at the sediment/water interface by increasingly rapid burial (cf Sect. 12.3.3). Also 

Particle type Sinking velocity T rave 1 time 

Large terrigenous organic matter particle 1.6-10 7.1 days 

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