Anaerobic mineralization in marine sediments from the Baltic Sea-North Sea transition

Abstract

Mineralization was studied withln the upper 2 m of sediments from the Belt Sea, Kattegat, and Skagerrak at 15 to 200 m water depth. Radiotracer measurements of sulfate reduction rates were related to porewater chemistry (SO,'-, HC03-, P O ~~-, NH4+, H2S, and CH,), to solid-phase chemistry (C, S , N, and Fe), and to bacterial distributions. Sulfate penetrated 0.9 to > 3 . 5 m into the sediment.