| Abstract: | Sediment trap deployments in estuaries provide a method for estimating the amount of organic material transported to the sediments from the euphotic zone. The amino acid composition of suspended particles, benthic sediment, and sediment-trap material collected at 2.4 m, 5.8 m, and 7.9 m depths in the Potomac Estuary was determined in stratified summer waters, and in well-mixed oxygenated waters (DO) in late fall. The total vertical flow, or flux, of material into the top traps ranged from 3 g m-2 d-1 in August to 4.9 g m-2 d-1 in October. The carbon and nitrogen fluxes increased in the deepest traps relative to the surface traps during both sampling periods, along with that of the total material flux (up to 47.3 g m-2 d-1 in the deepest trap), although the actual weight percent of organic carbon and organic nitrogen decreased with depth. Amino acid concentrations ranged from 129 mg g-1 in surface water particulate material to 22 mg g-1 in particulate material in 9-m-deep waters and in the benthic sediment. Amino acid concentrations from 2.4-mg-depth sediment traps averaged 104??29 mg g-1 in stratified waters and 164??81 mg g-1 in well-mixed waters. The deep trap samples averaed, 77.3??4.8 mg g-1 amino acids in summer waters and 37??16 mg g-1 in oxygenated fall waters. Amino acids comprised 13% to 39% of the organic carbon and 12% to 89% of the orgnaic nitrogen in these samples. Analysis of the flux results suggest that resuspension combined with lateral advection from adjacent slopes can account for up to 27% of the material in the deep traps when the estuary was well-mixed and unstratified. When the estuary was stratified in late summer, the amino acid carbon produced by primary productivity in the euphotic zone decreased by 85% (86% for total organic carbon) at the pycnocline at 6 m depth, leaving up to 15% of the vertical organic flux available for benthic sediment deposition. ?? 1993 Estuarine Research Federation. |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 70017395 |
| Citation Author: | Sigleo, A. C.; Shultz, D. J. |
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| Citation End Page: | 415 |
| Citation Issue: | 3 |
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| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | Estuaries |
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| Citation Number Of Pages: | 11 |
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| Citation Search Results Text: | Amino acid composition of suspended particles, sediment-trap material, and benthic sediment in the Potomac Estuary; 1993; Article; Journal; Estuaries; Sigleo, A. C.; Shultz, D. J. |
| Citation Start Page: | 405 |
| Citation Volume: | 16 |
| Citation Year: | 1993 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | Amino acid composition of suspended particles, sediment-trap material, and benthic sediment in the Potomac Estuary; 1993; Article; Journal; Estuaries; Sigleo, A. C.; Shultz, D. J. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| URL (DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02718288 |
| Date Other: | Fri, 1 Jan 1993 00:00 -0600 |
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