Faunal and environmental drivers of carbon and nitrogen cycling along a permeability gradient in shallow North Sea sediments

Toussaint, E.; Borger, Emil De; Braeckman, Ulrike; Backer, Annelies De; Soetaert, Karline; Vanaverbeke, Jan

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.144994

Cited by 23 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 92 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…activity (related to benthic biomass), and nutrient exchange rates were used as input values or as reference material (e.g., Verfaillie et al, 2006;Braeckman et al, 2014;Provoost et al, 2013;Zhang and Wirtz, 2017;Toussaint et al, 2021). The challenge of validating benthic-pelagic coupling models is well known (e.g., Luff and Moll, 2004;Griffiths et al, 2017).…”

Section: Scope Of the Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This carbon deposition was estimated under different scenarios of OWF development (and without, see section "Study Area and Scenarios"), by implementing a representation of the filtration and feces production processes associated to monopile fouling 2021) outlined in purple, and future developments (operational ± 2026) in orange, with letters corresponding to concession zone characteristics in Table 3. Black dots correspond to stations sampled for sediment biogeochemistry by Toussaint et al (2021), used as reference material.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Median grain size (MGS, retrieved from the COAWST model, Ivanov et al, 2021) was used to scale the surface biodiffusion coefficient (Db 0 ), consistent with its relation to the calculated bioturbation potential of the species community [BP c , Solan et al (2004)]. The BP c -MGS relation was based on measurements of Braeckman et al (2014) and Toussaint et al (2021). BP c values were highest for median grain size values of 100-175 µm, which represent fine sandy sediments in the BPNS, and were low where sediments consisted mostly of silt (MGS < 63 µm) and were too anoxic to allow for deep living species (Pearson and Rosenberg, 1978), and in coarse sands starting from MGS > 400 µm (see Supplementary Figure 1).…”

Section: Sediment Early Diagenesis Model Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several runs of COAWST and OMEXDIA were done to finetune model parameters. During these calibration experiments, the SCOC and DIC fluxes produced by OMEXDIA forced by the COAWST carbon deposition were compared with field observations collected at six reference stations (Provoost et al, 2013;Toussaint et al, 2021). Parameters that were calibrated were degradation rates for OC in the water column and in the sediment, the sinking rates of OC and fecal pellets, and the base bioturbation value Db 0 .…”

Section: Parametrization and Implementationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Observational evidence of mineralization processes in OWF sediments, let alone of changes thereof, is rare (Toussaint et al, 2021) due to the difficulties of sampling sediments there. However, consequences of organic enrichment on sediment biogeochemistry are well described for example in fish and mussel aquaculture.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Offshore Windfarm Footprint of Sediment Organic Matter Mineralization Processes

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Offshore windfarms (OWFs) offer part of the solution for the energy transition which is urgently needed to mitigate effects of climate change. Marine life has rapidly exploited the new habitat offered by windfarm structures, resulting in increased opportunities for filter- and suspension feeding organisms. In this study, we investigated the effects of organic matter (OM) deposition in the form of fecal pellets expelled by filtering epifauna in OWFs, on mineralization processes in the sediment. OM deposition fluxes produced in a 3D hydrodynamic model of the Southern Bight of the North Sea were used as input in a model of early diagenesis. Two scenarios of OWF development in the Belgian Part of the North Sea (BPNS) and its surrounding waters were calculated and compared to a no-OWF baseline simulation. The first including constructed OWFs as of 2021, the second containing additional planned OWFs by 2026. Our results show increased total mineralization rates within OWFs (27–30%) in correspondence with increased deposition of reactive organic carbon (OC) encapsulated in the OM. This leads to a buildup of OC in the upper sediment layers (increase by ∼10%) and an increase of anoxic mineralization processes. Similarly, denitrification rates within the OWFs increased, depending on the scenario, by 2–3%. Effects were not limited to the OWF itself: clear changes were noticed in sediments outside of the OWFs, which were mostly opposite to the “within-OWF” effects. This contrast generated relatively small changes when averaging values over the full modeling domain, however, certain changes, such as for example the increased storage of OC in sediments, may be of significant value for national / regional carbon management inventories. Our results add to expectations of ecosystem-wide effects of windfarms in the marine environments, which need to be researched further given the rapid rate of expansion of OWFs.

show abstract

Section: Scope Of the Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sediment Early Diagenesis Model Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Parametrization and Implementationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Offshore Windfarm Footprint of Sediment Organic Matter Mineralization Processes

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

A case for addressing the unresolved role of permeable shelf sediments in ocean denitrification

Chua

Huettel

Fennel

et al. 2021

Limnol Oceanogr Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Human activities release vast amounts of reactive nitrogen, profoundly influencing the functioning of marine ecosystems. On the inner shelf, where these effects are most pronounced, sediments have emerged as potential hotspots of reactive nitrogen removal-and they are therefore increasingly thought to play a key role in the ocean nitrogen cycle. Despite their potential importance, shelf sediments are still overlooked in global models of ocean nitrogen and carbon cycles, limiting model accuracy and predictive power. Through analysis of recent work, we identified unresolved questions and controversies, and propose a three-pronged approach to improve our mechanistic understanding and modeling of nitrogen removal on the continental shelf and in the global ocean.

show abstract