Abstract:
Effect of oxygen and salinity on inorganic nitrogen flux from sediment to overlying water at salinity 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 was performed in the laboratory. The results indicated that salinity did not have an effect on the inorganic nitrogen flux, while dissolved oxygen did. In most cases of oxic or anoxic conditions, the fluxes of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate were in the direction from sediment to overlying wate. Bacterial decomposition of organic matter in sediment increased ammonia concentration, which nitrification process substantially changed ammonia to nitrite and nitrate. This process decreased ammonia concentration in the overlaying water. However, high amount of organic matter in Ang-sila sediment resulting in highly supply of ammonia from organic decomposition. As such, the fluxes direction from sediment to overlying water was observed not only for nitrite and nitrate, but also for ammonia. In hypoxic case, nitrate was reduced to ammonia that increased ammonia concentration and decreased nitrate concentration both in overlying water and in sediment. In this case, the fluxes of ammonia was a sum of existing ammonia in water and diffusive ammonia from sediment. However, the ammonia concentration in sediment was higher than in the overlying water resulting in the ammonia fluxes from sediment to overlying water, similarly to nitrite fluxes. The direction from overlying water to sediment of nitrate fluxes was observed. Benthic fluxes of inorganic nitrogen at the sediment-water interface in light and dark benthic chambers was investigated in the laboratory using seawater and sediment from Ang-sila. The results from both chamber were similar. Shortly after installation, dissolved oxygen level in both of chambers decreased to hypoxic and anoxic conditions. Appearance of inorganic nitrogen fluxes in the both chambers was the same as in the anoxic case. However, oxygen from photosynthesis in the light chamber during day time retarded the reaction in anoxic condition that affected the fluxes of inorganic nitrogen. As a result, slower approaching to the same condition as appearing in the dark chamber has been observed.