Estuaries and Coasts
Electronic Supplementary Material for: Sulfide inhibition of nitrate removal in coastal sediments by
C.M. Aelion1,2* and U. Warttinger1
University of South Carolina1, Department of Environmental Health Sciences,
921 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
University of Massachusetts2, School of Public Health and Health Sciences
715 No. Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
*Corresponding Author: (413)-545-2526 (phone); (413)-545-0501 (fax);
Environmental Data
In situ water column data were obtained between September 2005 and June 2007 and included temperature (T, ºC), pH, dissolved oxygen (DO, mg/l), salinity (‰), and specific conductivity (SpC, mS/cm), determined approximately one foot below the water surface using an YSI 6820 (Yellow Springs Instrument Co., INC., Yellow Springs, OH, USA) with a microcomputer (610-Display with 6-series sondes, Yellow Springs, OH, USA). SO42- in water samples was determined on site using a DR/890 Colorimeter Hach Company (Loveland, CO, USA) after filtering the water through 0.2 µm Acrodisc® 25 mm syringe filters (Pall Corporation, Ann Arbor, MI, USA) connected to a 60-cc sterile LuerLok® syringe (Becton Dickinson & Co. Rutherford, NJ, USA). Oxidation reduction potential (ORP) of the bottom sediment was determined in situ using a portable reduction-oxidation (redox) meter microcomputer HI 9023 with a single junction gel filled Ag/AgCl electrode (Hanna Instruments, RI, USA). The moisture content (%) of the sediment was determined by drying wet sediment subsamples at 95 ºC for 24 h. Dried sediment was combusted in a preheated furnace (Barnstaed / Thermolyne, Dubuque, IA, USA) at 550 ºC over night to measure C-loss-on-ignition and used as a surrogate for total organic carbon (TOC). Sediment total carbon (TC) and total nitrogen (TN) were determined using a Perkin-Elmer 2400 elemental analyzer (Wellesley, MA, USA). Total iron in the sediments was measured by PACE Analytical Services, Inc., NC, USA using inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectroscopy.
Table 1. Site characteristics of the golf course retention pond (Pond 107) and the wetland Blue Heron Pond (Mean ± SD).
Surface Water
NO3-N (mg/L) / 0.10 (0.05) / 0.06 (0.04)
NH4-N (mg/L) / 0.47 (0.2) / 0.11 (0.14) / *
SO42- (mg/L) / 120 (24) / 1200 (400) / *
Salinity (‰) / 5.0 (5.2) / 27.5 (9) / *
SpC (mS/cm) / 3.0 (0) / 45 (13.2) / *
DO (mg/L) / 5.0 (4.2) / 5.6 (2.9)
pH / 7.9 (1.5) / 7.7 (1.2)
T (oC) / 16.7 (5.6) / 23.2 (7.5)
Sedimentb Pore Water
NO3-N (mg/kg) / 0.3 (0.3) / 0.23 (0.1)
NH4-N (mg/kg) / 2.9 (2.3) / 2.9 (2.2)
SO42- (mg/kg) / 280 (85) / 1860 (1300)
AVS (mg/kg) / 34 (84) / 980 (260) / *
Redox (mV) / -270 (72) / -396 (11) / *
Dried Sediment
C-loss-on-ignition (%) / 0.9 (0.1) / 5.6 (0.7) / *
TN (%) / 0.00 (0.01) / 0.13 (0.02) / *
TC (%) / 0.24 (0.01) / 1.96 (0.39) / *
C/N ratio / N.A. / 15.1 (0.9) / N.A.c
Total Fe (mg/kg) / 2900 / 5300 / N.A.
aSignificant differences between retention vs. wetland ponds (p < 0.05).
bAll sediment data on a dry weight basis (Aelion and Warttinger 2009).
cN.A., not applicable.