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Sediment Biogeochemistry of Mesophotic Meadows of Calcifying Macroalgae

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Abstract

Mesophotic (low light) sands were studied in Hawaiian coastal waters (39–204 m water depth) from O‘ahu to Kaho‘olawe by sampling inside and outside of extensive macroalgal meadows of chlorophytes Halimeda kanaloana and Udotea sp. during September 2004, December 2004, and November 2006. Porewater nutrient concentrations in these permeable sediments were comparable to those in nearshore sands and were highly elevated at sediment depths available to holdfasts of some algae (5–10 cm); maximum levels were 3.0 µM reactive phosphorus, 33 µM nitrate, 0.70 µM nitrite, 38 µM ammonium, and 130 µM silicic acid. Benthic material is calculated to be the major source of organic matter driving diagenesis in these sediments. Vegetated sediments appeared more oxidizing than unvegetated sediments, and the presence of macroalgae, particularly Halimeda, was generally associated with higher sediment dissolved inorganic carbon levels. Halimeda-vegetated sediments generally had low dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) levels compared to the Udotea-vegetated and non-vegetated sediments, consistent with the net N loss indicated by sediment stoichiometric relationships. In contrast, Udotea-vegetated sediments showed minimal apparent algal DIN uptake.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Ocean Exploration Program (NA04OAR4300143 to C.M.S.), the NOAA Undersea Research Program, Hawai’i Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL) (to C.M.S.), the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (NA04OAR4600100 to C.M.S.), and the U.S. National Science Foundation (OCE-0327332, OCE-0536607, and OCE-1031947 to F.J.S.). We especially thank Terry Kerby and Max Cremer (HURL) for skillful submersible piloting and for cheerful tolerance of the very uncomfortably warm conditions of these dives, the rest of the HURL submersible and ROV crew, and the crew of the R/V Ka`imikai-o-Kanaloa. We also thank an anonymous reviewer, S.V. Smith, and K.E. Fogaren for suggestions that improved this manuscript; Iuri Herzfeld, Chris Colgrove, and Didier Dumas for laboratory analyses; and Matthew Ross for assistance with graphics. School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology Contrib. No. 9988. Due to an untimely delay in the review process, this paper did not make the publication date for the special issue in tribute to Rick and Debbie Jankhe (Shaw et al. 2016).

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  1. Department of Oceanography, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, 1000 Pope Road, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Francis J. Sansone

  2. Department of Botany, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Heather L. Spalding & Celia M. Smith

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  1. Francis J. Sansone
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Correspondence to Francis J. Sansone.

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Sansone, F.J., Spalding, H.L. & Smith, C.M. Sediment Biogeochemistry of Mesophotic Meadows of Calcifying Macroalgae. Aquat Geochem 23, 141–164 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-017-9315-9

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