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Increase of microbial biomass in the benthic turbidity zone of Kiel Bight after resuspension by a storm event
Author(s) -
Ritzrau Will,
Graf Gerhard
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1992.37.5.1081
Subject(s) - seston , benthic zone , hydrography , environmental science , turbidity , oceanography , storm , seabed , particulates , biomass (ecology) , water column , macrobenthos , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , phytoplankton , ecology , nutrient , biology , geotechnical engineering
Near‐bottom water samples were collected at 7, 12, 20, 40, and 300 cm above the seabed in situ at two stations in Kiel Bight during calm hydrographic conditions and during a storm‐induced subsequent resuspension event in fall 1989. Measurements of seston, particulate organic C, particulate organic N, and microbial biomass revealed storm‐related differences in the composition of the particulate matter in the benthic turbidity zone restricted to a height of ∼40 cm above the seabed at both sites. At the offshore site seston levels during the storm were about twice as high as during calm conditions (signed‐rank P ≤ 0.005). Increased bacterial numbers and enlarged median cell sizes during the storm resulted in significant ( α, 0.069–0.01) increases in bacterial biomass to a height of ∼20 cm above the seabed. Therefore, stimulation of microbial growth by resuspension can provide an additional energy source to the benthic community.