STOICHIOMETRIC MODELING OF CARBON DIAGENESIS WITHIN A CORAL-REEF FRAMEWORK

Water sampled from the interior framework of Checker Reef, Oahu, Hawaii, indicates that the aerobic and anaerobic oxidation of organic matter dominates diagenesis within the reef framework. Reef interstitial water chemistry shows clear deviations from surface seawater: oxygen is depleted while dissolved inorganic carbon, H+, inorganic nutrients, sulfide and methane concentrations are elevated. Dissolved calcium is also elevated in most interstitial waters, indicating net dissolution of calcium carbonates. A mass-balance model used to determine the extent to which major biogeochemical reactions occur reveals that sulfate reduction is the predominant anaerobic process. © 1990.