Publication
Title
Anthropogenic disturbance keeps the coastal seafloor biogeochemistry in a transient state
Author
Abstract
Coastal sediments and continental shelves play a crucial role in global biogeochemistry, as they form the prime site of organic carbon burial. Bottom trawling and dredging are known to increasingly impact the coastal seafloor through relocation and homogenisation of sediments, yet little is known about the effects of such anthropogenic sediment reworking on the overall cycling of carbon and other elements within the coastal seafloor. Here, we document the transient recovery of the seafloor biogeochemistry after an in situ disturbance. Evidence from pore-water data and model simulations reveal a short-term increase in the overall carbon mineralisation rate, as well as a longer-term shift in the redox pathways of organic matter mineralisation, favouring organoclastic sulphate reduction over methane formation. This data suggests that anthropogenic sediment reworking could have a sizeable impact on the carbon cycle in cohesive sediments on continental shelves. This imprint will increase in the near future, along with the growing economic exploitation of the coastal ocean.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Scientific reports. - London, 2011, currens
Publication
London : Nature Publishing Group , 2018
ISSN
2045-2322
DOI
10.1038/S41598-018-23925-Y
Volume/pages
8 (2018) , 10 p.
Article Reference
5582
ISI
000429000200046
Pubmed ID
29615805
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 04.05.2018
Last edited 09.10.2023
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