Abstract
THE diffusive sublayer is the region of fluid next to a solid surface, where turbulence is suppressed and molecular diffusion dominates transport of solutes. Diffusive impedance of solute exchange across the benthic sublayer in the deep sea can limit the rates of some diagenetic reactions in the sediment. We present the first direct in situ measurements of the thickness of the diffusive sublayer for dissolved oxygen in the deep sea. The positions of 17 oxygen microelectrode profiles relative to the visible sediment/water inter-face reveal that the sublayer is 0.5–1.5 mm thick, with measurements ranging to 3.5 mm. The sublayer reduces the diffusive flux of oxygen into the sediments by ∼10% in these environments. Also, the diffusive flux of isotopically light carbon through the sublayer should cause the 13C content at the interface of typical deep-sea sediments to be ∼0.1%> lighter than the bottom-water value, setting a limit on the precision of the record of past bottom-water given by the carbon isotope composition of the shells of benthic foraminifera.
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Archer, D., Emerson, S. & Smith, C. Direct measurement of the diffusive sublayer at the deep sea floor using oxygen microelectrodes. Nature 340, 623–626 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/340623a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/340623a0
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