Role of sulfate reduction in long term accumulation of organic and inorganic sulfur in lake sediments

Journal Article · Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1986 · Limnol. Oceanogr.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1986.31.6.1281· OSTI ID:6480335

Rudd, J W.M.; Kelly, C A; Furutani, A

Sulfate reduction and the accumulation of reduced sulfur in epilimnetic sediments were studied in lakes in southern Norway, the Adirondack Mountains, and at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) of northwestern Ontario. In all of the lakes, sulfate reduction produced substantial quantities of pyrite and organic sulfur compounds. In 9-month in situ experiments at ELA using /sup 35/S, there was a large loss (55%) with time of the S initially reduced and deposited in the sediments and a preferential loss of inorganic S compounds which led to a predominance of organic /sup 35/S accumulation in the sediments. An intensive study of long term accumulation of sulfur in the epilimnetic sediments of four Adirondack lakes also showed that the most important long term end product of sulfate reduction was organic S and that sulfate reduction was the major source of S to the sediments. Because of high concentrations of iron in all of the sediments samples and because of the long term storage of sulfur in sediments, mostly as organic S, iron did not limit iron sulfide accumulation in these sediments. Iron limitation is unlikely to occur except in unusual circumstances. This study indicates that formation of organic S in epilimnetic sediments is primarily responsible for H/sup +/ consumption via sulfate reduction in acidified lakes.

• Research Organization: Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg, Manitoba
• OSTI ID: 6480335
• Journal Information: Limnol. Oceanogr.; (United States), Vol. 31:6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
LAKES
WATER CHEMISTRY
SULFATES
REDUCTION
SULFUR 35
TRACER TECHNIQUES
IRON COMPOUNDS
ONTARIO
SEDIMENTS
SULFUR CYCLE
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CANADA
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOISOTOPES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR ISOTOPES
SURFACE WATERS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
520101* - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- Radiometric Techniques- (-1989)