Carbon and nitrogen mineralization in sediments of the Bangrong mangrove area, Phuket, Thailand

Carbon and nitrogen mineralization were determined along a transect from a mangrove forest to a seagrass meadow in the Bangrong area, Phuket Island, Thailand. Vertical sediment profiles of carbon oxidation were measured as sulfate reduction rates (SRR) using the 35 S technique and by monitoring net TCO 2 and DOC production and Fe(III) reduction using anaerobic sediment incubations ('jar' technique). Nitrogen transformations were measured simultaneously as net NH 4 + and DON production. In addition, total benthic metabolism and net nitrogen exchange were determined as fluxes of O 2 , TCO 2 , DOC, and DIN (NO 3 -and NH 4 +