• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2007

The objectives of this study are: (1) to compare the rates and pathways of organic matter minerlaization at stagnant freshwater wetland in Shiwha to highly irrigated coastal wetland in Ganghwa; and (2) to discuss the significance of irrigation into the sediment in controlling the organic carbon oxidation in Shiwha wetland. Concentrations of $CO_2$, $NH_4{^+}$ and $H_2S$ in the pore water of the Shiwha wetland were 3 times, 30 times, and 3 times higher than that in the pore water of the Ganghwa wetland, respectively. The ratio of Fe(III) to total reduced sulfur at the Ganghwa wetland was 12 times higher than at the Shiwha wetland. The results indicated that the Ganghwa wetland with frequent tidal inundation were relatively oxidized than highly stagnant Shiwha wetland. Rates of organic matter oxidation at the Ganghwa wetland ($0.039mM\;C\;h{-1}$) was 390 times higher than that at the Shiwha wetland ($0.0001mM\;C\;h{-1}$). Rates of sulfate reduction at the Shiwha wetland ($314{\sim}580nmol\;cm^{-3}\;d{-1}$) were comparable to the sulfate reduction at Ganghwa wetland ($2{\sim}769nmol\;cm^{-3}\; d{-1}$), whereas Fe(III) reduction rates were 1.7 times higher at the Ganghwa wetland ($0.1368{\mu}mol\;cm^{-3}\;d{-1}$) than at the Shiwha wetland ($0.087{\mu}mol\;cm^{-3}\;d{-1}$). The results implied that the water flow system of the Shiwha wetland was too stagnant to flush out the reduced pore water from the sediment, and thus anaerobic microbial respiration was limited by the availability of electron acceptors.