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Effects of salinity on NH4 + adsorption capacity, nitrification, and denitrification in Danish estuarine sediments

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Abstract

The regulatory effect of salinity on nitrogen dynamics in estuarine sediments was investigated in the Randers Fjord estuary, Denmark, using sediment slurries and intact sediment cores and applying 15N-isotope techniques. Sediment was sampled at three representative stations varying in salinity, and all experiments were run at 0‰, 10‰, 20‰, and 30‰. The sediment NH4 + adsorption capacity decreased markedly at all stations when salinity was increased from 0‰ to 10‰; further increase showed little effect. In situ nitrification and denitrification also decreased with increasing salinities, with the most pronounced reduction of approximately 50% being observed when the salinity was raised from 0‰ to 10‰. The salinity-induced reduction in NH4 + adsorption capacity and stimulation of NH4 + efflux has previously been argued to cause a reduction in nitrification activity since the nitrifying bacteria become limited by NH4 + availability at higher salinities. However, using a potential nitrification assay where NH4 + was added in excess, it was demonstrated that potential nitrification activity also decreased with increasing salinity, indicating that the inhibitory salinity effect may also be a physiological effect on the microorganisms. This hypothesis was supported by the finding that denitrification based on NO3 − from the overlying water (Dw), which is independent of the nitrification process, and hence NH4 + availability, also decreased with increasing salinity. We conclude that changes in salinity have a significant effect on nitrogen dynamics in estuarine sediments, which must be considered when nitrogen transformations are measured and evaluated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Lake and Estuarine Ecology, National Environmental Research Institute, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark

    Søren Rysgaard, Peter Thastum, Tage Dalsgaard, Peter Bondo Christensen & Niels P. Sloth

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  1. Søren Rysgaard
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  2. Peter Thastum
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  3. Tage Dalsgaard
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  4. Peter Bondo Christensen
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  5. Niels P. Sloth
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Correspondence to Søren Rysgaard.

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Rysgaard, S., Thastum, P., Dalsgaard, T. et al. Effects of salinity on NH4 + adsorption capacity, nitrification, and denitrification in Danish estuarine sediments. Estuaries 22, 21–30 (1999). https://doi.org/10.2307/1352923

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1352923

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