Oxygen profiles in intertidal sediments of Ria Formosa (S. Portugal)

✍ Scribed by Vanda Brotas; Ana Amorim-Ferreira; Carlos Vale; Fernando Catarino

• Book ID: 104619279
• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 639 KB
• Volume: 207
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1573-5141
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00041448

✦ Synopsis

Microelectrode oxygen profiles were measured in intertidal sediments from Ria Formosa (S. Portugal), a very productive shallow coastal lagoon. Four intertidal sampling sites were selected according to different sediment characteristics. Individual profiles revealed a high degree of lateral variability on a centimeter spatial scale. Nevertheless, consistent differences were observed between oxygen profiles measured in atmosphere-exposed and inundated intertidal sediments: in organically poor sand oxygenpenetration depth varied from 3 mm in inundated cores to more than 7 mm in exposed ones, while in organically rich muddy sand and mud it remained between 0.5-2.0 mm. The oxygen input from inundated to exposed conditions was estimated for each sampling site. Semi-diurnal tidal fluctuation, leading to periodical atmospheric exposure of sediments plays a major role in the oxygenation process of intertidal zones of Ria Formosa.