Enhanced carbon-sulfur cycling in the sediments of Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone center.

ABSTRACT: Biogeochemistry of oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) sediments, which are characterized by high input of labile organic matter, have crucial bearings on the benthic biota, gas and metal fluxes across the sediment-water interface, and carbon-sulfur cycling. Here we couple pore-fluid chemistry and comprehensive microbial diversity data to reveal the sedimentary carbon-sulfur cycle across a water-depth transect covering the entire thickness of eastern Arabian Sea OMZ, off the west coast of India. Geochemical data show remarkable increase in average total organic carbon content and aerial sulfate reduction rate (J_SO4^2-) in the sediments of the OMZ center coupled with shallowing of sulfate methane transition zone and hydrogen sulfide and ammonium build-up. Total bacterial diversit

SUBMITTER: Fernandes S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5989202 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature