Denitrification Fluxes and Efficiencies in Port Phillip Bay Sediments

Direct measurements of biogenic N2 fluxes show denitrification rates of approximately 1.3 mmol N2 m-2 day-1 in Port Phillip Bay sediments. The study found high denitrifying efficiencies of 75-85% at organic carbon loadings of 15-25 mmol m-2 day-1, returning nitrogen as biologically unavailable N2. This data was collected by the Australian Ocean Data Network and published in 2026.

Use Cases

• Model nitrogen cycling by correlating organic carbon loadings with denitrification rates and efficiencies.
• Assess water quality impacts by analyzing the stoichiometric relationship between organic C and N in sediments.
• Study microbial process coupling by examining fluxes of ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite alongside biogenic N2.
• Investigate sediment response to nutrient loading by comparing sites with high (>100 mmol m-2 day-1) versus moderate organic carbon inputs.

Strengths

• Direct, high-precision measurements of biogenic N2 fluxes.
• Covers multiple sedimentary facies across approximately 70% of the bay's seafloor.
• Includes experimental data from chambers spiked with 15NO3 to trace nitrate sources.

Limitations

• Unknown sample size and number of measurement sites.
• No column-level metadata or raw data structure provided.
• Primary data may be embedded within an HTML publication, complicating extraction.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

High-precision measurements from benthic chamber waters.

Freshness

Last updated in April 2026.

Geography

Port Phillip Bay, Australia.