Benthic Nutrient Fluxes from Mangrove Sediments of an Anthropogenically Impacted Estuary in Southern China

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

David Kaiser²  Nicole Kowalski¹  Michael E. Böttcher¹  Bing Yan⁴  Daniela Unger²  Joseph M. Smoak³ 

[1] Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Seestr.15, D-18119 Warnemünde, Germany; E-Mails:;Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Fahrenheitstr. 6-8, D-28359 Bremen, Germany; E-Mail:;Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Fahrenheitstr. 6-8, D-28359 Bremen, Germany; E-Mail;Guangxi Mangrove Research Center, Guangxi Marine Environment & Coastal Wetland Research Center, 92 Chang Qing Dong Lu, Beihai 536000, Guangxi, China; E-Mail:

关键词: benthic nutrient fluxes;    early diagenesis;    South China Sea;    filtration capacity;    storm impact;    sediment core incubation;    mangroves;   

DOI  :  10.3390/jmse3020466

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Mangroves serve as either sinks or sources for inorganic and organic nutrients and can mitigate anthropogenic nutrient pollution, control the production in adjacent systems, and prevent eutrophication. To better understand the nutrient dynamics in a subtropical mangrove, we employed a three-way approach in the Nanliu River Estuary, southern China: Pore water profiles and sediment incubations revealed benthic early diagenesis as well as sediment–water exchange of dissolved nutrients and oxygen, while tidal sampling of estuarine and mangrove water identified source and sink functions of the entire mangrove forest. Fluxes of oxygen during incubations were always directed into the sediment, indicating heterotrophy of the system. There was a net uptake of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, mainly caused by nitrate influx, while ammonium and nitrite showed variable flux direction. Despite high pore water concentrations, phosphate and silica showed net uptake. Fluxes of dissolved organic carbon were generally low except for high efflux in the dark following a storm event. Due to the combination of small forest area and strong anthropogenic nutrient input, the net sink function for dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus provides no significant buffer against the eutrophication of coastal waters.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.