Vertical distribution of nitrate concentration in interstitial water of marine sediments with nitrification and denitrification
Vanderborght, J.P.; Billen, G. (1975). Vertical distribution of nitrate concentration in interstitial water of marine sediments with nitrification and denitrification. Limnol. Oceanogr. 20(6): 953-961
Vertical concentration profiles of nitrate in interstitial water of sediment in the Sluice Dock at Ostend (Belgium) commonly show a maximum in nitrate concentration at a few centimeters depth where sediments are sandy and poor in organic matter, while in muddy and organic-rich sediments, nitrate is lower in interstitial water than in the overlying water and decreases rapidly with depth. Direct measurements of the activity of autotrophic nitrifying bacteria in the sediments show nitrification in the upper few centimeters of sandy sediments but not in muddy sediments. A mathematical model is proposed to analyze quantitatively these experimental results, taking into account nitrification, denitrification, diffusion, and sedimentation. Seasonal variations of nitrate concentration in overlying water are slow enough to justify the use of a stationary (steady state) model. When appropriate values are used for the parameters (rate of nitrification, depth of the sedimentary layer in which nitrification occurs, rate of denitrification, diffusion coefficient), some being experimentally determined, the model predicts concentration profiles in good agreement with experimental data.
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