Description: Denitrification on continental margins and in coastal sediments is a major sink of reactive N in the present nitrogen cycle and a major ecosystem service of eutrophied coastal waters. We analysed the nitrate removal in surface sediments of the Elbe estuary, Wadden Sea, and adjacent German Bight (SE North Sea) during two seasons (spring and summer) along a eutrophication gradient ranging from a high riverine nitrate concentrations at the Elbe Estuary to offshore areas with low nitrate concentrations. The gradient encompassed the full range of sediment types and organic carbon concentrations of the southern North Sea. Based on nitrate penetration depth and concentration gradient in the porewater we estimated benthic nitrate consumption rates assuming either diffusive transport in cohesive sediments or advective transport in permeable sediments. For the latter we derived a mechanistic model of porewater flow. During the peak nitrate discharge of the river Elbe in March, the highest rates of diffusive nitrate uptake were observed in muddy sediments (up to 2.8 mmol/m**2/d). The highest advective uptake rate in that period was observed in permeable sediment and was tenfold higher (up to 32 mmol/m**2/d). The intensity of both diffusive and advective nitrate consumption dropped with the nitrate availability and thus decreased from the Elbe estuary towards offshore stations, and were further decreased during late summer (minimum nitrate discharge) compared to late winter (maximum nitrate discharge). In summary, our rate measurements indicate that the permeable sediment accounts for up to 90 % of the total benthic reactive nitrogen consumption in the study area due to the high efficiency of advective nitrate transport into permeable sediment. Extrapolating the averaged nitrate consumption of different sediment classes to the areas of Elbe Estuary, Wadden Sea and eastern German Bight amounts to an N-loss of 3.1 * 10**6 mol N/d from impermeable, diffusion-controlled sediment, and 5.2 * 10**7 mol N/d from permeable sediment with porewater advection.

Description: Within the BMBF funded project GENUS (Geochemistry and Ecology of the Namibian Upwelling System) the mole fraction of CO2 (xCO2) was measured in surface waters by using an underway pCO2 system (SUNDANS) duirng seven cruises. SUNDANS was developed by "marine analytics and data" (MARIANDA, Germany, www.marianda.com) according to the recommendations of the 2002 underway pCO2 system workshop in Miami. It was equipped with a shower type equilibrator, an open pre-equilibrator and a non-dispersive dual cell infrared gas analyzer (LI-7000). The LI-7000 was calibrated by using nitrogen gas (zero CO2) and a two additional standard gas for CO2. The standard gases were obtained from the company Deuste Steininger GmbH, Germany and revealed CO2 concentrations of 350 to 480 ppm (Std1) and around 800 ppm (Std2). The CO2 standard gases were calibrated against the standard gases provided by NOAA at the Institute for Baltic Sea Research in Warnemünde, Germany (Ref. No. CA07600 and CC311968) and the Centre for Tropical Marine Research in Bremen, Germany (Ref. No. CB08923 and CA06265). The xCO2 data were recorded each 6 seconds and subsequently averaged minute by minute. Minute by minute data on atmospheric pressure, wind speed, seawater temperature and salinity were measured by underway systems mounted on board the research vessels. xCO2 was converted into pCO2 by using the CO2 sys program. The difference between the equilibrator and the sea water temperature was taken into account as suggested by Dickson et al. (2007, SOP5, page 8). During the RV Metoer cruise M67/2 between May 15 and June 05 2008 the pCO was measured by using PSI CO2-ProTM underwater carbon dioxide sensor designs by Pro-Oceanus Systems In., USA.

Description: A series of multibeam bathymetry surveys revealed the emergence of a large pockmark field in the southeastern North Sea. Covering an area of around 915 km2, up to 1,200 pockmarks per square kilometer have been identified. The time of emergence can be confined to 3 months in autumn 2015, suggesting a very dynamic genesis. The gas source and the trigger for the simultaneous outbreak remain speculative. Subseafloor structures and high methane concentrations of up to 30 mmol/l in sediment pore water samples suggest a source of shallow biogenic methane from the decomposition of post-glacial deposits in a paleo river valley. Storm waves are suggested as the final trigger for the eruption of the gas. Due to the shallow water depths and energetic conditions at the presumed time of eruption, a large fraction of the released gas must have been emitted to the atmosphere. Conservative estimates amount to 5 kt of methane, equivalent to 67% of the annual release from the entire North Sea. These observations most probably describe a reoccurring phenomenon in shallow shelf seas, which may have been overlooked before because of the transient nature of shallow water bedforms and technology limitations of high resolution bathymetric mapping.

Description: Denitrification on continental margins and in coastal sediments is a major sink of reactive N in the present nitrogen cycle and a major ecosystem service of eutrophied coastal waters. We analyzed the nitrate removal in surface sediments of the Elbe estuary, Wadden Sea, and adjacent German Bight (SE North Sea) during two seasons (spring and summer) along a eutrophication gradient ranging from a high riverine nitrate oncentrations at the Elbe Estuary to offshore areas with low nitrate concentrations. The gradient encompassed the full range of sediment types and organic carbon concentrations of the southern North Sea. Based on nitrate penetration depth and concentration gradient in the porewater we estimated benthic nitrate consumption rates assuming either diffusive transport in cohesive sediments or advective transport in permeable sediments. For the latter we derived a mechanistic model of porewater flow. During the peak nitrate discharge of the river Elbe in March, the highest rates of diffusive nitrate uptake were observed in muddy sediments (up to 2.8 mmol m−2 d−1). The highest advective uptake rate in that period was observed in permeable sediment and was tenfold higher (up to 32 mmol m−2 d−1). The intensity of both diffusive and advective nitrate consumption dropped with the nitrate availability and thus decreased from the Elbe estuary towards offshore stations, and were further decreased during late summer (minimum nitrate discharge) compared to late winter (maximum nitrate discharge). In summary, our rate measurements indicate that the permeable sediment accounts for up to 90% of the total benthic reactive nitrogen consumption in the study area due to the high efficiency of advective nitrate transport into permeable sediment. Extrapolating the averaged nitrate consumption of different sediment classes to the areas of Elbe Estuary, Wadden Sea and eastern German Bight amounts to an N-loss of 3.1 ∗ 106 mol N d−1 from impermeable, diffusion-controlled sediment, and 5.2 ∗ 107 mol N d−1 from permeable sediment with porewater advection.