Document of bibliographic reference 295441

BibliographicReference record

Type

Bibliographic resource

Type of document

Journal article

BibLvlCode

AS

Title

Anthropogenic disturbance keeps the coastal seafloor biogeochemistry in a transient state

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.

WebOfScience code

https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:000429000200046

Bibliographic citation

van de Velde, S.; Van Lancker, V.; Hidalgo-Martinez, S.; Berelson, W.M.; Meysman, F.J.R. (2018). Anthropogenic disturbance keeps the coastal seafloor biogeochemistry in a transient state. NPG Scientific Reports 8: 5582. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23925-y

Topic

Marine

Is peer reviewed

true

Access rights

open access

Is accessible for free

true