Tuesday, November 6, 2007
224-6
Emission Potentials and Capacities of Sediments along Lower Savannah River for Greenhouse Gases.
Luma Kelson1, Paramasivam Sivapatham1, Jayaraman Kuppuswamy2, Bamidele Afolabi1, Kenneth Sajwan3, and Ashok Alva4. (1) Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Savannah State University, Drew Griffith Hall, P.O. Box 20600, Savannah, GA 31404, (2) Engineering Technology, Savannah State University, Hubert D 120, Savannah, GA 31404, (3) Savannah State University, Dept. of Natural Sci. & Mathematics, Savannah State Univ PO Box 20600, Savannah, GA 31404, (4) USDA-ARS, USDA-ARS Vegetable and Forage Crops Research, 24106 N. Bunn Road, Prosser, WA 99350-9687
Emission of CH4 and other greenhouse gases (CO2, & N2O) is extremely variable across both space and time. Savannah River receives effluents from variety of anthropogenic activities, which could significantly impact the chemical and microbial properties of the sediments as well as the amount of available C which in turn contribute to the amount of methane and other greenhouse gases emissions. Therefore, evaluation of emission potentials and capacities of sediments along Lower Savannah River is essential. Twenty grams each of nine sediment samples (collected along lower Savannah River; Savannah, GA) were amended at the rate of either 200 mg C as glucose, 200 mg N as KNO3 or the combination of both per gram of sediment and incubated at 100% moisture level under anaerobic conditions in static chamber (Qopak bottles) for 60 days. Another companion set of untreated sediment samples were incubated for the same period to monitor the emission of greenhouse gases. Spatial variation of emission potential of various greenhouse gases from the above sediments will be discussed in this paper. The relationships between the gaseous emissions and selected chemical and microbial properties of the sediments will also be discussed.