Organic matter degradation characteristics of coastal marine sediments collected from the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

Abstract Organic matter in marine sediment is mainly categorized into three fractions depending on degradability: labile, semi labile and refractory. The degradability of coastal marine sediments depends on the properties of the organic matter contained in the sediments. The purpose of this study was to quantify labile and refractory organic matter in coastal marine sediments with different characteristics collected from the Seto Inland Sea, and to discover the factors controlling the degradability of organic matter. Refractory organic matter content in sediments ranged from 4.7–21.4 mg g−1, a percent composition equivalent to 72–97% of TOC. In contrast, labile and semi-labile content were 0.1–1.4 mg g−1 and 0.1–2.3 mg g−1, respectively, a percent composition equivalent to 0.5–12.9% and 1.8–17.1% of TOC, respectively. Approximately 93% of refractory organic matter was categorized into humin. Organic matter originated from marine phytoplankton settled on the surface of sediments and changed to humin or a refractory organic matter. This study contributes to a better understanding of the organic matter degradation characteristics of coastal marine sediments and provides important parameters for estimating carbon budget and carbon cycling in coastal sea systems.