A NEW TECHNIQUE FOR MEASURING DENITRIFICATION IN THE OCEANS: ITS IMPORTANCE AND APPLICABILITY TO THE RED SEA Mohamed I. E1 Samra Institute of Oceanograp~ and Fisheries Kayet Bay. Egypt

A NEW TECHNIQUE FOR MEASURING DENITRIFICATION IN THE OCEANS:
ITS IMPORTANCE AND APPLICABILITY TO THE RED SEA

Mohamed I. E1 Samra

Institute of Oceanograp~ and Fisheries

Kayet Bay. Egypt
“This paper covers the occurrence of denitrification in the Red
Sea and its hot bri nes. It di scusses the importance of the process in calculating nitrogen budgets and the contribution of the oceans to
atmospheri c ni trous oxi de (N20). The author presents a descri pti ve
and critical discussion on tfte biochemistry and methods’ of measurement of the process. The new technique is based on selective use of
acetylene to inhibit reduction of nitrous oxide to nitrogen gas. It
was tested in Lake Balaton, the Koros River (Hungary), Eastern Harbor
(Alexandria, Egypt), and the Suez Canal (Egypt). The results, when
compared with those of other areas studied, are in the accepted range
of denitrification rates in aquatic ecosystems.”
Introduction
In recent years, a large 1iterature has accumulated ‘on bacterial denitrification in aquatic ecosystems. The great concern over this process has stimulated research in two major areas: (a) the relative importance of the process in the quantification and model ing of the nitrogen balance in the ocean, and
(b) the contribution of the cycle of oceans to atl1)ospheric nitrous oxide (NZO,
one of the products of denitrification), which catalyzes ozone (03) reductlon
and depletion in the stratosphere (Crutzen, 1970). This paper reviews the
current state of knowledge regarding the significance of denitrification in
modeling the nitrogen cycle in the ocean. A new technique for simple analysis
of frequent sediment samples is discussed and applied to different ecosystems.