Microbial processes in the Kanda Bay, a meromictic water body artifically separated from the White Sea.

ABSTRACT

Sings of meromixis are found by means of microbiological and biogeochemical investigations in the southernn part of the Kanda Bay, an artificial water body separated front the White Sea with a railway dam. The concentration of oxygen in the bottom layer attained 1.9 mmol/L, intensity of the process of microbial sulfate reduction, 3.0 µmol of sulfur/(L day). The concentration of dissolved methane, 3.7 µmol/L. Isotopic composition of carbon in methane (δ13C (CH4) =-79.2‰) indicates to its microbial genesis. At present, Kanda Bay is a sole in Russia man-made marine water body for which there are data on the rate of microbial processes responsible for formation of bottom water layer containing hydrogen sulfide and methane.