Aerobic and anaerobic mineralisation of sediment organic matter in the tidal River Elbe

The share of microbially degradable sediment organic matter (SOM) and the degradation rate depend, among others, on the intrinsic properties of SOM as well as on the type and concentration of terminal electron acceptors (TEA). Next to its role as TEA, molecular oxygen enhances SOM decay by oxygenase-mediated breakdown of complex organic molecules. This research investigated long-term SOM decay (> 250 days) under aerobic and anaerobic conditions to (1) provide a basis for sediment carbon flux estimates from the River Elbe estuary and (2) assess the potential for carbon burial in relation to redox conditions and dredging interventions. Long-term aerobic and anaerobic SOM decay in fluid mud, pre-consolidated and consolidated sediment layers was investigated over three years along a transect of ca. 20 km through the Port of Hamburg, starting at the first hydrodynamically determined hotspot of sedimentation after the weir in Geesthacht. Absolute differences between aerobic and anaerobic cumulative carbon mineralization were calculated, as well as their ratio. Findings were correlated to a suite of solids and pore water properties. SOM decay followed first order multi-phase exponential decay kinetics. The ratio between C release under aerobic and anaerobic conditions ranged around 4 in the short-term, converging to a value of 2 in the long term. Strong gradients in absolute C release along the upstream–downstream transect did not reflect in a corresponding gradient of the aerobic-anaerobic ratio. C release was most strongly correlated to the water-soluble organic matter, in particular humic acids. Contact of anaerobically stabilized sediment with the oxygenated water phase induced significant release of carbon. SOM degradability in the study area exhibited strong spatial gradients in relation to the organic matter source gradient but was mainly limited by the high extent of organic matter stabilization. Under these conditions, molecular oxygen as TEA provides little thermodynamic advantage. Carbon-sensitive sediment management, considering SOM reactivity patterns in stratified depositional areas, is a powerful strategy to reduce environmental impacts of dredging measures.