Nitrogen Cycling at Sediment-Water Interface in Coastal Marine Environments

摘要

Nutrients release from the sediment into the overlying water have been recognized as an important factor in accelerating eutrophication in a shallow coastal environment. Organic detritus precipitated onto the sediment surface is mineralized into inorganic nutrients through metabolic activity of the benthic organisms, and those regenerated nutrients recycle into overlying water. These processes, however, can hardly be understood. Nitrogen cycling at the sediment-water interface was outlined, and case studies were illustrated at two stations in the strongly eutrophicated Tokyo Bay. To understand the process of the nutrient release from the sediment, a model of oxygen uptake by the sediment was briefly explained as an example of solute transport between the sediment and water.