Biogeochemical Cycling and Sediment Ecology
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Ser ies E: Applied Sciences - VoI. 59
Biogeochemical Cycling and Sediment Ecology edited by
John S. Gray Biologisk Institutt, Universitetet i Oslo, Blindern, Norway
William Ambrose Jr. Department of Biology, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine, U.SA
and
Anna Szaniawska Institute of Oceanography, Gdansk University, Gdynia, Poland
Springer Science+Business Media, B.V.
Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Biogeochemical Cycling in Marine Sediments Hei, Poland
August 1997
A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-94-010-5962-6 ISBN 978-94-011-4649-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-011-4649-4
Printed on acid-free paper
AII Rights Reserved © 1999 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht Origina11y published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 1999 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1 st edition 1999 No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface ............................................................ vii
List of Contributors ................................................. xi
Geochemistry of organic carbon in the ocean E.A. Romankevich, A.A. Vetrov and G.A. Korneeva
Primary production and decomposition of organic matter in coastal areas of the Northern Aral Sea, with special reference to land-sea interactions
M.l. Orlova .................................................. 29
Biogeochemistry of water and sediment in the Ob and Yenisey estuaries Vyacheslav V. Gordeev ......................................... 49
The continental-ocean boundary as a marginal filter in the world oceans A. P. Lisitzin .................................................. 69
Unjustifiably ignored: reflections on the role of benthos in marine ecosystems WE. Arntz, JM. Gili and K. Reise ............................... lOS
Understanding small-scale processes controlling the bioavailability of organic contaminants to deposit-feeding benthos
Thomas L. Forbes ................................... 125
The role of the marine gastropod Cerithium vulgatum in the biogeochemical cycling of metals
A. NicolaidouandJA. Nott .................................... 137
Changes in macrozoobenthos communities induced by anthropogenic eutrophication of the Gulf of Gdansk
A. Szaniawska, U Janas and M. Normant ......................... 147
Do benthic animals control the particle exchange between bioturbated sediments and benthic turbidity zones?
G. Graf .................................................... 153
Impact of catchment land-use on an estuarine benthic food web D. Raffaelli ............................................ 161
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Natural variability and the effects of fisheries in the North Sea: towards an integrated fisheries and ecosystem management?
Magda 1.N. Bergman and Han 1. Lindeboom ...................... 173
Community composition of tidal flats on Spitsbergen: consequence of disturbance?
1.M. Weslawski and M. Szymelfenig .............................. 185
The problem of scale: uncertainties and implications for soft-bottom marine communities and the assessment of human impacts
Simon F. Thrush. Sarah M. Lawrie. Judi E. Hewitt and Vonda 1. Cummings .................................................. 195
Understanding the sea floor landscape in relation to impact assessment and environmental management in coastal marine sediments
Roman N. Zajac ............................................. 211
Conclusions and recommendations John S. Gray. W Ambrose. Jr. and Anna Szaniawska ................ 229
Index ............................................................. 233
PREFACE
Oceanographic discontinuities (e.g. frontal systems, upwelling areas, ice edges) are often areas of enhanced biological productivity. Considerable research on the physics and biology of the physical boundaries defining these discontinues has been accomplished (see [I D. The interface between water and sediment is the largest physical boundary in the ocean, but has not received a proportionate degree of attention. The purpose of the Nato Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) was to focus on soft-sediment systems by identifying deficiencies in our knowledge of these systems and defining key issues in the management of coastal sedimentary habitats.
Marine sediments play important roles in the marine ecosystem and the biosphere. They provide food and habitat for many marine organisms, some of which are commercially important. More importantly from a global perspective, marine sediments also provide "ecosystem goods and services" [2J. Organic matter from primary production in the water column and contaminants scavenged by particles accumulate in sediments where their fate is determined by sediment processes such as bioturbation and biogeochemical cycling. Nutrients are regenerated and contaminants degraded in sediments. Under some conditions, carbon accumulates in coastal and shelf sediments and may by removed from the carbon cycle for millions of years, having a potentially significant impact on global climate change. Sediments also protect coasts. The economic value of services provided by coastal areas has recently been estimated to be on the order of $12,568 109 y" [3J, far in excess of the global GNP.
The ability of coastal sediments to continue to support important ecosystem and global services has been compromised by common anthropogenic disturbances to the coastal zone. Demersal fishing practices, alteration of watercourses and habitat, dredging, and organic loading resulting in anoxia and hypoxia all may effect benthic fauna and biogeochemical cycling. The ARW concluded that: "Disturbance events affecting the benthic boundary layer probably have led to changes in species compositions, species loses and consequences for biogeochemical cycling and effects on large-scale carbon, nutrient, and contaminant fluxes ". Participants also agreed that the frequency and magnitude of disturbance events in the oceans have increased in recent years.
In order to evaluate the influences of man-made disturbances on marine sediments and sedimentary processes, it is necessary to identify deficiencies in our knowledge of the structure and function of these systems and in our ability to manage coastal systems. Several contributors to the ARW review our knowledge of benthic marine ecosystems and conclude that our understanding of fundamental processes is inadequate to completely address central issues such as benthic-pelagic coupling, biodiversity, and sustainable harvest of benthic resources. Furthermore, it is noted that most of the research on coastal sediments has been concentrated in a few geographic areas, leaving us with little knowledge of basic processes for many coastal zones. Information on the Arctic Ocean, portions of the eastern Pacific and the Indian Ocean is particularly lacking in the western literature. Russian scientists have had a rather different tradition in oceanic research and have made comprehensive surveys oif large areas of the ocean. Much of this work still remains unknown to western scientists and a particularly important part of this ARW is to bring these major overviews into focus. Thes ereviews cover organic matter cycling (Romankevitch), the importance of marginal filters for fluxes of organic matter and elements in the coastal ocean (Lisitizin), the key processes in benthic-pelagic coupling in the Arctic (Gordeev) and sureveys of production processes in the Aral Sea (Orlova) and the Baltic Sea (Emelyanov). As editors we are aware that these reviews contain few references to relevant literature. Rather than requiring extensive rewrites we have accepted these papers after editing since they bring the
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attention of western readers to a vast source of relevant Russian literature. Several contributors make it clear that to successfully manage coastal systems
we need to appreciate their temporal and spatial variation and how reliably we can extrapolate from one system to others. Much of the variability in benthic dynamics and biogeochemical cycling among coastal systems may be a consequence of differences in the relative abundances of groups of organisms which affect the physical structure of the sediment-water interface and the rate of flux between the two systems. The use of functional groups as a means of categorizing often diverse benthic fauna has been a common practice among benthic ecologists for many years, and the ARW stresses the utility of this approach. The ARW emphasizes that some disturbances such as trawling may result in the virtual removal of some functional groups and consequently the loss of their contribution to bioturbation and nutrient and contaminant fluxes. Functional diversity may be more important than biodiversity in order for a system to provide critical seIVices. In low diversity systems, such as the Baltic Sea, maintaining functional diversity may be particularly important if the system is to operate normally.
The benthic boundary layer is a key component of the sediment-water interface. Several contributors to the ARW emphasize that understanding processes at this boundary requires a multi-disciplinary approach on different scales. Models of the benthic boundary layer are most realistic when biological processes are combined with physical models of flux across the boundary. Small-scale laboratory experiments may be helpful in assessing the importance of including organisms in models. Particle and solute fluxes across the boundary can be spatially and temporally very variable, however. To be most useful, flux models need to combine fluxes on the scale of individual organisms and the larger scale of the community.
Most of the studies in marine sediments have been conducted at small scales, and scaling up the results of these studies to more meaningful scales typical of environmental disturbances is a continual challenge to benthic ecologists [4]. Our ability to assess and manage disturbances to coastal sediments may be increased by integrating processes over different spatial and temporal scales. Several contributors to the ARW promote the need for scale-related hypotheses and a landscape view of the benthos.
With this summary of the state of our knowledge of important sedimentary process as a beginning, the ARW then addressed what conferees considered to be the major anthropogenic disturbances to coastal sedimentary systems and approaches to addressing the impact of these disturbances on sedimentary processes and management of coastal sediments. These disturbances and the foci for key research questions are: I) demersal fishing, 2) hypoxic and anoxic events and 3) dredging and disposal of dredged material.
The group recognized that the fishing industry imposes many different types of disturbance on marine sediments, but felt that trawling is perhaps the most severe and widespread. Three types of areas were identified for experimental studies: I) non-fished areas, 2) set-aside areas where fishing could be manipulated and 3) gradients (or mosaics) of fishing intensity. Manipulative experiments and quantitative obseIVational data are needed examining benthic spatial structure and benthic-pelagic coupling in relation to varying rates and scales of fishing disturbance. Rather than traditional species lists, size and age structure of benthic populations and benthic productivity should be evaluated as measures of restoration. Modeling is an integral part of addressing the impacts of fishing disturbance on benthic systems, and metapopulation analysis may be a promising approach. Experiments need to be done in areas varying in species richness so that comparisons of biogeochemical cycling processes and rates and restoration capabilities can be made among areas.
Hypoxia and anoxia may be permanent or intermittent and result from organic enrichment or other physico-chemical processes. The ARW acknowledged that the
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impacts of these disturbances on benthic systems are well documented. Less understood are the physical, chemical, and biological conditions necessary for restoration of the system and the temporal patterns of recovery. It was recognized that microorganisms dominate the initial recovery phase and that key biogeochemical processes driven by them need to be measured. Once macrofauna are established recovery often proceeds rapidly because macrofauna are known to enhance rates of organic matter degradation and biogeochemical cycling. Knowledge of how these processes vary over a range of spatial and temporal scales is necessary to understand patterns of recovery. A combined approach of field and mesocosm studies emphasizing the manipulation of key benthic groups was recommended to examine these questions. As with the impact of demersal fishing, studies from areas with different suites of bioturbating species are necessary to appreciate the range of recovery patterns and rates of biogeochemical cycling following an anoxic or hypoxic event. Modeling is also viewed as a valuable approach and population and diagenic modeling should be conducted in parallel with experiments.
Dredging and disposal of dredged material is a global problem. Many harbours are extremely contaminated, yet the spatial scale of contamination is limited allowing experimentation at manageable scales (from laboratory to field). Other disturbances (e.g. storms) may have large impacts on these sediments and it is therefore an urgent problem to determine how various disturbances interact and the environmental implications posed by the disturbance of contaminated sediments. The restoration process is likely to be very site specific and it is unlikely that generalizations will result from studies in one location. By relating important processes such as rate of carbon burial and benthic-pelagic coupling, and patterns such as chernoclines to temporal and spatial patterns of recovery, it may be possible to develop general models of the effects of dredging and disturbance of contaminated sediments on benthic systems.
The ARW felt that the best way to address the impact of these disturbances on sedimentary processes was to develop a research program on restoration of disturbed marine habitats. The ARW agreed that an ideal area to begin such a study was the Gulf of Gdansk. The gulf is a shallow sedimentary environment with documented problems of seasonal anoxia in the Bay of Puck and with contaminated sediments at the mouth of the Vistual River. The area was the site of a demersal fishery, but has not been trawled recently due to low catches. Consequently, it offers the opportunity for studies manipulating trawling. The biota has been studied for many years and the effects of anoxia and hypoxia and their temporal and spatial patterns are well documented. Furthermore, the benthos is comprised of few species making it a perfect place for initial manipulative experiments.
The ARW participants covered a wide range of expertise and provided interchange among groups of scientists that do not usually have scientific discussions. The interchange of ideas and approaches was one of the clear achievements of the workshop.
Acknowledgements The organizers gratefully acknowledge financial support by NATO that enabled us to hold this Advanced Research Workshop and the help of graduate students and staff at the University of Gdansk. Eric Bonsdorff and Roman Zajac prepared a summary of the workshop was helpful in assembling the introduction to this volume. We also thank all those who reviewed manuscripts for this volume.
References I. Mann, K.H. and J.R.N. Lazier 1991. Dynamics of marine ecosystems: Biological-physical
interactions in the ocean. Blackwell Scientific Press. 2. Erlich, P. and H. Mooney 1983. Extinction, substitution; and ecosystem services. BioScience
33:248-254.
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3. Costanza, R. et 81. 1997. The value of the world's ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature 387:253-260.
4. Underwood, A.I. 1996. Detection, intClpretation, prediction, and management of environmental disturbances: some roles for experimental marine ecology. Journal of Experimental Marine Ecology and Biology 200: 1-27.
List of Contributors
WILLIAM AMBROSE JR. Dept. of Biology, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine 04240, USA
MAGDA J.N. BERGMAN Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 591790 AB Den Burg, Texe1, The Netherlands
J.M. GILI Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (CSIC), Passeig Joan de Borbo sin 08039 Barcelona, Spain
V. V.GORDEEV P.P.Shirshov Institute of Oceanology Russian Academy of Sciences 36, Nakchimovsky prospect 117851 Moscow, Russia
JOHNS. GRAY Biologisk Institutt, Universitetet i Oslo, Pb 1064 Blindem, 0316 Oslo, Norway
U. JANAS Institute of Oceanography, Gdansk University, AI. Marszalka J. Pilsudskiego 46,81-378 Gdynia, Poland
SARAH M. LAWRIE National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box II 115, Hamilton, New Zealand
A.P. LIS ITZIN P.P.Shirshov Institute of Oceanology Russian Academy of Scieces 36, Nakhimovsky prospect 117851 Moscow, Russia
M.NORMANT Institute of Oceanography, Gdansk University, AI. Marszalka J. Pilsudskiego 46, 81-378 Gdynia, Poland
W.E.ARNTZ Alfred-Wegener-Institut fUr Polar- und Meeresforschung, Columbusstrasse, 27568 Bremerhaven and Sylt, Germany
VONDA 1. CUMMINGS National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box II 115, Hamilton, New Zealand
THOMAS L. FORBES Department of Marine Ecology and Microbiology, National Environmental Research Institute, Pob 358, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark
G.GRAF University of Rostock, Department of Marine Biology, Freiligrathstrasse 7/8, 18055 Rostock, Germany
JUDI E. HEWITT National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box II 115, Hamilton, New Zealand
G.A.KORNEEV A P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences Nakhimovsky Prospect 36, 117851 Moscow, Russia
HAN 1. LINDEBOOM Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59,1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
A. NICOLAIDOU Department of Zoology - Marine Biology, University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, OR 15784, Athens, Hellas
M.1. ORLOVA Zoological Institute, Laboratory of Brackishwater Hydrobiology 199034. Universitetskaya EMB. B. I St.Petersburg, Russia
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I. A.NOTI Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PLi 2PB, U.K.
D. RAFFAELLI Cuiterty Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Newburgh, Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, AB41 6AA, U.K.
E.A.ROMANKEVICH P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences Nakhimovsky Prospect 36,117851 Moscow, Russia
M. SZYMELFENIG
K.REISE Biologische Anstait Helgoland Wattenmeerstation HafenstraBe 43 25992 ListiSylt, Germany
A. SZANIA WSKA, Institute of Oceanography, Gdansk University, AI. Marszalka I. Pilsudskiego 46,81-378 Gdynia, Poland
SIMON F. THRUSH National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box J I lIS, Hamilton, New Zealand
I.M.WESLAWSKI Institute of Oceanography, University of Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy Gdansk, street Pilsudskiego 46, Gdynia of Sciences, street Powstancow 81-370, Poland Warszawy 55, Sopot 81-712, Poland
A.A.VETROV P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences Nakhimovsky Prospect 36, 117851 Moscow, Russia
ROMAN N. ZAIAC Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of New Haven 300 Orange Ave., West Haven, CT 06516, U.S.A.