Early diagenesis of amino acids in NE Atlantic continental margin sediments

Abstract

This thesis concentrates on early diagenesis of amino acids in sediments across the NE Atlantic continental slope. Early diagenesis comprises the degradation and transformation processes that take place during transport of amino acids through the water column and the early stages of burial in the sediments. Amino acids, constituents of proteins, are generally transported through the water column by large, rapidly sinking aggregates. During this transport, nitrogen-rich compounds like amino acids are degraded faster than nitrogen-poor compounds (e.g. lipids). Therefore, the contribution of amino acids to bulk organic matter decreases with ageing of the organic matter, and hence with increasing depth in the water column. Moreover, shifts occur in amino acid distributions due to differences in nutritional value, adsorption capacity, resistance against degradation, etc.