Sedimentary processes are expected to play a crucial role in macronutrient cycling of the shallow Arabian Gulf. To investigate this aspect, sediment cores were collected from the shallow intertidal and subtidal expanses of the first Marine Protected Area (MPA) of Kuwait in the Northwestern Arabian Gulf (NAG). Porewater nutrient profiling and whole core incubation experiments were conducted to measure the nutrient fluxes, both with and without the addition of the nitrification inhibitor allylthiourea (ATU). The porewater data confirmed the potential of sediments to host multiple aerobic and anaerobic pathways of nutrient regeneration. The average (±SD) of net nutrient fluxes from several incubation experiments indicated that ammonium (NH) predominantly fluxed out of the sediment (3.81 ± 2.53 mmol m d), followed by SiO (3.07 ± 1.21 mmol m d). In contrast, the average PO flux was minimal, at only 0.06 ± 0.05 mmol m d. Fluxes of NO (ranged from 0.07 ± 0.005 to 1.16 ± 0.35 mmol m d) and NO (0.03 ± 0.003 to 0.71 ± 0.21 mmol m d) were moderate, which either reduced or reversed in the presence of ATU (−0.001 ± 0.0001 to 0.01 ± 0.0001 mmol m d and -0.001 ± 0.0003 to 0.006 ± 0.001 mmol m d for NO and NO respectively). Thus, this study provides preliminary experimental evidence that nitrification can act as a source of NO and NO as well as contribute towards the relatively high concentrations of NO (>1 in the gulf waters.

中文翻译：

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西北阿拉伯湾浅海保护区沉积物-水界面底栖养分交换的初步研究

沉积过程预计将在阿拉伯湾浅海常量营养素循环中发挥至关重要的作用。为了研究这方面的问题，我们从西北阿拉伯湾 (NAG) 科威特第一个海洋保护区 (MPA) 的浅层潮间带和潮下带收集了沉积物岩心。进行了孔隙水养分分析和整个岩心孵化实验，以测量添加和不添加硝化抑制剂烯丙基硫脲 (ATU) 的情况下的养分通量。孔隙水数据证实了沉积物具有多种有氧和厌氧养分再生途径的潜力。几次孵化实验的净养分通量的平均值 (±SD) 表明，铵 (NH) 主要从沉积物中流出 (3.81 ± 2.53 mmol md)，其次是 SiO (3.07 ± 1.21 mmol md)。相比之下，平均 PO 通量最小，仅为 0.06 ± 0.05 mmol m d。 NO 通量（范围为 0.07 ± 0.005 至 1.16 ± 0.35 mmol md）和 NO 通量（范围为 0.03 ± 0.003 至 0.71 ± 0.21 mmol md）是中等的，在 ATU 存在下会减少或逆转（-0.001 ± 0.0001 至 0.01 ± NO 和 NO 分别为 0.0001 mmol md 和 -0.001 ± 0.0003 至 0.006 ± 0.001 mmol md）。因此，这项研究提供了初步的实验证据，表明硝化作用可以作为 NO 和 NO 的来源，并导致相对较高的 NO 浓度（在海湾水域中 >1。