Rates of bacterial sulfate reduction and their response to experimental temperature changes in coastal sediments of Qi'ao Island, Zhujiang River Estuary in China

Subtropical sediment cores （QA09-1 and QA12-9） from the coastal zone of Qi’ao Island in the Zhujiang River Estuary were used to determine the rates of sulfate reduction and their response to experimental tempera-ture changes. The depth distribution of the sulfate reduction rates was measured from whole-core incu-bations with radioactive tracer35SO42-, and peaks of 181.19 nmol/（cm3·d） and 107.49 nmol/（cm3·d） were exhibited at stations QA09-1 and QA12-9, respectively. The profiles of the pore water methane and sulfate concentrations demonstrated that anaerobic oxidation of methane occurred in the study area, which result-ed in an increase in the sulfate reduction rate at the base of the sulfate-reducing zone. Meanwhile, the sulfate concentration was not a major limiting factor for controlling the rates of sulfate reduction. In addition, the incubation of the sediment slurries in a block with a temperature gradient showed that the optimum tem-perature for the sulfate reduction reaction was 36°C. The Arrhenius plot was linear from the lowest tempera-ture to the optimum temperature, and the activation energy was at the lower end of the range of previously reported values. The results suggested that the ambient temperature regime of marine environments prob-ably selected for the microbial population with the best-suited physiology for the respective environment.

An experimental study of salt expansion in sodium saline soils under transient conditions

Salt expansion in sulfate saline soils that are widely distributed in northwestern China causes serious infrastructural damages under low-temperature conditions. However, the mechanism of salt expansion under low temperatures is not clear. In this study, we conducted a series of cooling experiments combined with salt crystallization to study this mechanism, and employed an ionic model to calculate the supersaturation ratio of the solution. During the experiments, the strength and the process of salt expansion were examined under different cooling rates and various crystal morphologies. The relationship between temperature and supersaturation ratio under transient conditions was also considered. Results indicate that the initial supersaturation ratio of a sodium sulfate solution is closely related to environmental conditions, and that this ratio decreases with slowing the cooling rates and stabilizing the crystal forms. Higher initial supersaturation ratios lead to an increased non-steady-state zone, resulting in less salt expansion. On the other hand, chloride ion content has a distinct influence on the crystallization supersaturation ratio of the sodium sulfate solution, and higher chloride ion content can inhibit salt expansion in sodium saline soils. These findings help explain salt expansion mechanisms in complex conditions such as seasonally frozen soils, and thus help search for improved methods of preventing salt expansion in sulfate saline soils.