Microbial Activity of Gravel Intertidal Zone for Purification of Polluted Near Shore Water

Abstract

Microbial activity of biofilm formed on the surface of gravels from intertidal zone was estimated using an aerobic respirometer system, and compared with that of suspended marine microorganisms contained in a near shore water. The maximum oxygen uptake rate of the suspended marine microorganisms was 0.15mg O2/L/hr, indicating the potential of purification of polluted near shore water. For the gravels from the intertidal zone, the maximum uptake rate of oxygen was affected by the vertical positions, but their gross value was 0.77mg O2/L/hr, which was around 5.1 times higher than the purification potential of polluted near shore water by the microorganisms contained in the near shore water. The nitrogen removed by the gravels from the intertidal zone and the marine microorganisms was about 1/20-1/39 times of the total consumption of oxygen, which was similar to that of the phosphate. The gravel intertidal zone contained lots of particulate organics, over than that in the near shore water, and this was confirmed from the large difference between total oxygen consumption and the removed soluble COD in the microbial activity test. This indicates that the gravel intertidal zone plays an important role in controlling the non-point source pollutants from land, as well as self-purification of polluted near shore water by trapping and degrading the particulate organics.