Oxygen in the Sea Bottom Measured with a Microelectrode

Abstract

The depth of penetration of oxygen into coastal marine sediments (water depth, 4 to 44 meters; 6° to 10°C) varied from 1 to 5.5 millimeters, as measured with membrane-covered oxygen microelectrodes. Below these upper few millimeters, oxygen was present only in the immediate vicinity of animal burrows. The depth of oxygen penetration is related to the rate at which oxygen is consumed in the sediment.