Product catalogue
Sediment-water interaction in Australian coastal environments: implications for water and sediment quality
Limited Australian data on sedimentary processes- C, N, P, Fe and Si diagenesis at the sediment/water interface- have been reviewed. These and the results of more recent work with benthic chambers indicate that the fractionation and transfer of N, P and Si from sedimentary particulates to pore waters control the speciation and concentrations of N, P and Si at the sediment- water interface and, ultimately, nutrients available for phototrophic growth. Oxygen and sulphate are quantitatively the most important oxidants recycling organic carbon. Secondary oxidants, such as nitrate (sourced from sedimentary nitrification or the overlying waters), are important for denitrification and the N balance. Iron is an intermediary in the nitrification and denitrification processes and also controls (in part) P fluxes across the sediment- water interface. The Port Phillip Bay environmental study demonstrated the contribution benthic chambers have made, so far, to studies of sediment- water exchange in Australian environments. These include the following: 1) defining the stoichiometry between the oxidation of organic carbon via oxygen, nitrate and sulphate reductions and the remineralisation of N, P and Si from sediments to overlying waters; 2) calculating net benthic respiration and nutrient (N, P and Si) fluxes (and speciation of N) to the water column; 3) identifying transport processes either advection (e.g. bioirrigation) or diffusion controlling metabolite transfers between the sediments and overlying waters; 4) investigating interactions between benthic flora and sediments; and 5) evaluating the controls and effects of benthic processes on water quality. The interpretations are more robust when combined with specific biomarker analyses of the most abundant organic matter source in the sediments, including its nature- fresh versus old and refractory. A limited survey of TOC content in Australian sediments found it to vary between < 1 % wt in unimpacted estuarine and shelf sediments to near 10% wt in a coastal lake in Western Australia impacted by activities in the catchment. Highest TOC was, however, found in mangrove sediments (2-15% wt ) in tropical Queensland. TOC:TN and TOC :TP ratios in sediments are not unique indicators of organic matter sources. The ratios probably reflect (i) mixed planktonic (predominantly diatomaceous) and other plant inputs of various aged and reworked organic matter; (ii) early diagenesis-specifically, denitrification, which results in the significant loss of N to the atmosphere as N, gas; and (iii) solute/particle interactions, specifically P and Fe cycling. P is trapped in oxic to suboxic sediments, but is liberated to the overlying waters when interfacial sediments become anoxic.
Simple
Identification info
- Date (Publication)
- 2000-01-01T00:00:00
- Date (Revision)
- 2019-04-08T05:50:24
- Citation identifier
- Geoscience Australia Persistent Identifier/https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/81560
- Cited responsible party
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Publisher Australian Geological Survey Organisation
Canberra Author Heggie, D.T.
1 Author Skyring, G.W.
2 Author Berelson, W.M.
3 Author Longmore, A.R.
4 Author Nicholson, G.J.
5
- Name
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AGSO Journal of Australian Geology and Geophysics
- Issue identification
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17:5-6:159-173
- Point of contact
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Custodian Corp
Owner Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Custodian Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Voice
- Topic category
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- Geoscientific information
- Maintenance and update frequency
- Unknown
Resource format
- Title
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Product data repository: Various Formats
- Website
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Data Store directory containing the digital product files
Data Store directory containing one or more files, possibly in a variety of formats, accessible to Geoscience Australia staff only for internal purposes
- Keywords
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GA Publication
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Journal
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- Theme
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marine
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- Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
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Earth Sciences
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- Keywords
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Published_External
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Resource constraints
- Title
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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence
- Alternate title
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CC-BY
- Edition
-
4.0
- Access constraints
- License
- Use constraints
- License
Resource constraints
- Title
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Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem
- Edition date
- 2018-11-01T00:00:00
- Classification
- Unclassified
- Language
- English
- Character encoding
- UTF8
Distribution Information
- Distributor contact
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Distributor Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Voice
- OnLine resource
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Journal article (pdf)
Journal article (pdf)
- Distribution format
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pdf
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Resource lineage
- Statement
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Unknown
- Hierarchy level
- Non geographic dataset
- Other
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GA Publication
- Description
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Source data not available.
Metadata constraints
- Title
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Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem
- Edition date
- 2018-11-01T00:00:00
- Classification
- Unclassified
Metadata
- Metadata identifier
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urn:uuid/fae9173a-71f5-71e4-e044-00144fdd4fa6
- Title
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GeoNetwork UUID
- Language
- English
- Character encoding
- UTF8
- Contact
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Point of contact Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Voice
Type of resource
- Resource scope
- Document
- Name
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AGSO BMR Journal
Alternative metadata reference
- Title
-
Geoscience Australia - short identifier for metadata record with
uuid
- Citation identifier
- eCatId/81560
- Date info (Revision)
- 2018-04-20T06:06:47
- Date info (Creation)
- 2014-06-03T00:00:00
Metadata standard
- Title
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AU/NZS ISO 19115-1:2014
Metadata standard
- Title
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ISO 19115-1:2014
Metadata standard
- Title
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ISO 19115-3
- Title
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Geoscience Australia Community Metadata Profile of ISO 19115-1:2014
- Edition
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Version 2.0, September 2018
- Citation identifier
- https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/122551