Sources and Fates of Sedimentary Organic Matter in the White Oak and Neuse River Estuaries

摘要

As a substrate for microbial growth, organic matter in the sediments of rivers and estuaries represents a potential oxygen demand on, and nutrient source to, the overlying water. The actual impact of sedimentary organic matter on water quality depends upon the rate of microbial degradation, which is strongly influenced by the source of the organic matter. The question of the sources and fates of organic matter in coastal sediments is addressed through the combined use of modern sediment chronology and carbon isotopic analysis of sedimentary organic matter. Sediment cores from one upriver and one downriver location in the small, sparsely populated White Oak River estuary and the larger, more populous Neuse River estuary were studied in detail and described in this report.