The diagenesis in fine-grained sediments from a
300 to 400-years-old Dunkirk deposit, exposed on
the intertidal flat, was studied at a site in the
Eastern Scheldt. A new in situ pore water sampling
technique that allowed repeated sampling at
exactly the same place was used to monitor the
seasonal fluctuations in interstitial water composition. The pore-water sampler proved to be useful for
monitoring seasonal variations in the pore-water
composition, because spatial variability as a disturbing
factor could be ruled out. The use of this sampler
is advised for unconsolidated sediments in salt marshes,
intertidal flats and other shallow (< 0.5 m) water
bodies.
Subrecent Dunkirk deposits, exposed on intertidal
flats in the Eastern Scheldt, contain predominantly
non-metabolizable organic carbon. Consequently,
rates of organic carbon mineralization and nutrient
regeneration in these sediments are low underneath
the superficial 0 to 2 cm of sediment in which
metabolizable organic matter may temporarily accumulate.
The contribution of these sediments to the
carbon and nutrient dynamics in the Eastern Scheldt
is negligible, because of its restricted surface area
and its refractory organic matter. The organic carbon
from these types of sediments, after erosion, will
behave as inert stuffing in the recent fine-grained
deposits, accumulating elsewhere in the Eastern
Scheldt
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