Abstract
Elements involved in biogeochemical cycles undergo rapid turnover at the oxic–anoxic interface of stratified lakes. Here, the presence or absence of oxygen governs abiotic and biotic processes and rates. However, achieving a detailed sampling resolution to precisely locate the oxic–anoxic interface is difficult due to a lack of fast, drift-free sensors in the working range of 10 to a few 1,000 nmol O2 L−1. Here, we demonstrate that conventional amperometric and optical microsensors can be used to resolve submicromolar oxygen concentrations in a continuous profiling mode. The amperometric drift was drastically reduced by anoxic preconditioning. In situ offset correction in the anoxic layer and a high amplification scheme allowed for an excellent detection limit of < 10 nmol L−1. The optical microsensors also showed a similar performance with a detection limit of < 20 nmol L−1. Their drift stability allowed for a laboratory calibration in combination with a minor in situ anoxic offset correction. The two different sensor systems showed virtually identical profiles during parallel use in stratified lakes. Both sensors were able to resolve the fine-scale structure at the oxic–anoxic interface and revealed hitherto unnoticed extended zones of submicromolar oxygen concentrations even below a steep oxycline. The zones extended up to several meters and showed substantial vertical variability. These results underline the need of a precise localization of the oxic–anoxic interface on a submicromolar scale in order to constrain the relevant aerobic and anaerobic redox processes.
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Acknowledgments
For fruitful discussions, we thank Eric Epping, Jan Fischer, Volker Meyer and Hans Røy. We thank Dörte Carstens, Alois Zwyssig and Ruth Stierli for help in the laboratory and in the field. Hans Røy, Alfred Wüest, B. Bohnenbuck, Moritz Holtappels, Jan Fischer, Andreas Brand and Helmut Bürgmann commented on the previous version of the manuscript. The project was funded by Eawag and benefitted from the interaction with team members of the EU-project “HYPOX” (EC Grant # 226213).
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Kirf, M.K., Dinkel, C., Schubert, C.J. et al. Submicromolar Oxygen Profiles at the Oxic–Anoxic Boundary of Temperate Lakes. Aquat Geochem 20, 39–57 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-013-9206-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-013-9206-7