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Estuarine systems, being situated at the interface between land and marine environments, are important sites for nitrate (NO3–) retention and processing due to large inputs, long retention time, and high biogeochemical activity. However, it remains uncertain how pelagic and benthic processes control NO3– cycling and how the relative importance of these processes is affected by seasonal changes in estuarine conditions. We measured the suite of processes governing NO3– cycling in the Curonian Lagoon (Southeast Baltic Sea) during two time periods representing spring and summer conditions. We show that in spring, benthic dissimilatory and assimilatory NO3– processes prevailed, while in summer, pelagic assimilatory processes dominated. During spring, warming temperatures and riverine nitrogen (N) inputs were associated with the onset of diatom blooms. N assimilation by diatoms resulted in the delivery of particulate organic N and organic matter to the benthos, resulting in greater denitrification in the sediments and a flux of NO3– from the water column to the sediments. In summer, phytoplankton blooms of buoyant cyanobacteria and high rates of assimilatory uptake dominated, resulting in greater particulate organic N export from the lagoon into the sea. Given the low dissolved inorganic N concentrations in summer, high uptake indicates that the pelagic community possessed a nutritional strategy to efficiently utilize multiple N forms at high rates. Overall, our findings show that diatom-dominated communities foster strong benthic-pelagic coupling, whereas cyanobacteria dominance is associated with pelagic-based N cycling. While this study sheds new light on mechanisms of NO3– retention in the Curonian Lagoon, further spatiotemporal resolution is recommended to better represent the variability in rates and to include other Baltic lagoons for a comprehensive understanding of N cycling in shallow estuarine systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estuarine systems, being situated at the interface between land and marine environments, are important sites for nitrate (NO3–) retention and processing due to large inputs, long retention time, and high biogeochemical activity. However, it remains uncertain how pelagic and benthic processes control NO3– cycling and how the relative importance of these processes is affected by seasonal changes in estuarine conditions. We measured the suite of processes governing NO3– cycling in the Curonian Lagoon (Southeast Baltic Sea) during two time periods representing spring and summer conditions. We show that in spring, benthic dissimilatory and assimilatory NO3– processes prevailed, while in summer, pelagic assimilatory processes dominated. During spring, warming temperatures and riverine nitrogen (N) inputs were associated with the onset of diatom blooms. N assimilation by diatoms resulted in the delivery of particulate organic N and organic matter to the benthos, resulting in greater denitrification in the sediments and a flux of NO3– from the water column to the sediments. In summer, phytoplankton blooms of buoyant cyanobacteria and high rates of assimilatory uptake dominated, resulting in greater particulate organic N export from the lagoon into the sea. Given the low dissolved inorganic N concentrations in summer, high uptake indicates that the pelagic community possessed a nutritional strategy to efficiently utilize multiple N forms at high rates. Overall, our findings show that diatom-dominated communities foster strong benthic-pelagic coupling, whereas cyanobacteria dominance is associated with pelagic-based N cycling. While this study sheds new light on mechanisms of NO3– retention in the Curonian Lagoon, further spatiotemporal resolution is recommended to better represent the variability in rates and to include other Baltic lagoons for a comprehensive understanding of N cycling in shallow estuarine systems.

The coastal zone of the Baltic Sea is diverse with strong regional differences in the physico-chemical setting. This diversity is also reflected in the importance of different biogeochemical processes altering nutrient and organic matter fluxes on the passage from land to sea. This review investigates the most important processes for removal of nutrients and organic matter, and the factors that regulate the efficiency of the coastal filter. Nitrogen removal through denitrification is high in lagoons receiving large inputs of nitrate and organic matter. Phosphorus burial is high in archipelagos with substantial sedimentation, but the stability of different burial forms varies across the Baltic Sea. Organic matter processes are tightly linked to the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. Moreover, these processes are strongly modulated depending on composition of vegetation and fauna. Managing coastal ecosystems to improve the effectiveness of the coastal filter can reduce eutrophication in the open Baltic Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of synoptic scale and mesoscale variability on the Lagrangian residence time (LRT) of the surface water in the Bay of Gdańsk was investigated using the results from an eddy-resolving model. The computed LRT of 53–60 days was up to four times longer than the estimated flushing time reported by Witek et al. (2003). The highest residence times were those of Puck Bay and near the coast, shallower than 50 m water depth, especially during the winter. These sites also had the highest annual mean in LRT. During the summer, when the level of biological activity is high, the LRT distribution was very heterogeneous and patchy, possibly due to the dynamics of varying eddy field and to variable wind forcing. Long-term run tracking of the inflowing water from the Vistula River (VR) showed a broad spectrum of tracer distribution. The potential impact of a much higher LRT on the near-coastal nitrogen cycle, coastal filter function and genetic differentiation is discussed, and the consequences for coastal zone management are considered. Since residence time is the most important factor regulating nutrient cycling, the incorporation of residence time into the Marine Strategy Framework Directive descriptors would result in an improved, unbiased evaluation of good environmental status.

During three cruises to the Bay of Gdansk, Baltic Sea, the fauna, porewater and bottom water were sampled at stations parallel to the shore and along a transect offshore. Diffusive porewater fluxes were calculated and related to the total net fluxes (TNF) of nutrients. The TNF comprise all nutrients that reach the bottom water from the sediment including diffusive nutrient efflux, discharge from macrozoobenthos and microbial activity. They were determined during in situ incubations using a benthic chamber lander, which is rarely done in coastal research. The lander restricts the physical influence of currents and waves on the sediments and only allows nutrient fluxes due to bioturbation by natural communities. Strong benthic-pelagic coupling in the shallow coastal zone suggested a crucial filter function for the bioturbated coastal sediments, which are separated from muddy deep sediments with little or no fauna at a depth of 50 m; in between is a small intermediate zone. While diffusive fluxes were highest at intermediate and offshore stations, TNF were highest at sandy coastal stations, where reservoirs of dissolved nutrients were small and sediments almost devoid of organic material. The greatest impact of macrofauna on sedimentary fluxes was found at stations whose communities were dominated by deep-burrowing polychaetes. The largest TNF were measured directly at the mouth of the Vistula River, where riverine food and nutrients supplies were highest. Macrofauna communities and sediment variables can thus serve as descriptive indicator to estimate the extent of the coastal filter. Finally, based on the total areal size of the different sediment types, annual efflux for the complete coastal zone of the Gdansk Bay was estimated to be 6.9 kt N, 19 kt Si, and 0.9 kt P. Compared to the muddy offshore area, which is twice as large, these amounts were similar for P and threefold higher for N and Si.