Projects / Programmes
Degradation of sedimentary organic matter in coastal waters (Gulf of Trieste, northern Adriatic) and alpine lake (lake Bled)
Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
1.03.03 |
Natural sciences and mathematics |
Biology |
Ecosystems |
Code |
Science |
Field |
B260 |
Biomedical sciences |
Hydrobiology, marine biology, aquatic ecology, limnology |
organic matter, degradation, sediments, northern Adriatic, alpine lake
Researchers (10)
Organisations (1)
no. |
Code |
Research organisation |
City |
Registration number |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
1. |
0105 |
National Institute of Biology |
Ljubljana |
5055784 |
13,480 |
Abstract
The kinetics of anoxic degradation of sedimentary organic matter in the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatric) and Lake Bled at different temperatures showed that the degradation proceeds mostly in surficial layer, sulphate reduction being the most important pathway in marine and methanogenesis in lacustrine sediments. Fe in marine sediments is prevalently bonded into goethite and, thus, less suitable for microbial reduction, while phoshate is prevalently adsorbed onto surfaces of Fe oxides. Methylation of Hg and demethylation of MeHg in sediments of the Gulf of Trieste proceed most actively in surficial sedimentary layer. The produced MeHg is diffusing to the sea water column entering the food web while mostly oxic demethylation is transforming CH3 to CO2. The paleoenvironmental research in the Holocene in Gulf of Trieste has shown the highest Corg. content in the allochthonous layer 14Corg. dated to 8000-9000 years BP. The heterogenous (TiO2) photocatalytic degradation of macroaggregates is a successful degradation pathway of mucillage in the water column of the northern Adriatic.