When bottom trawls are dragged across the seafloor, they stir up sediments. This not only releases previously stored organic carbon, but also intensifies the oxidation of pyrite, a mineral present in marine
When bottom trawls are dragged across the seafloor, they stir up sediments. This not only releases previously stored organic carbon, but also intensifies the oxidation of pyrite, a mineral present in marine sediments, leading to additional emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2).
These are the findings of a new study conducted by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. Based on sediment samples from Kiel Bight in the Baltic Sea, the researchers investigated the geochemical consequences of sediment resuspension.
Their conclusion: areas with fine-grained sediments, which play a crucial role in CO2 storage in the Baltic Sea, should urgently be placed under protection.
“Fine-grained, muddy sediments are important reservoirs of organic carbon and pyrite,” says lead author Habeeb Thanveer Kalapurakkal, a PhD student in the Benthic Biogeochemistry working group at GEOMAR. “We already knew that sediment resuspension can release significant amounts of CO2 into the water column. But until now, it was believed that this was mainly due to organic carbon oxidation.” The new study now shows that the major part of the CO2 release is caused by pyrite oxidation.
To study the effects of sediment resuspension, the researchers conducted sediment slurry incubations. They collected sediment samples from different sites in
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