Development and N2-Fixing Activity of the Benthic Microbial Community in Transplanted Spartina alterniflora Marshes in North Carolina

Growth and maturation of transplanted salt marshes is often limited by the availability of nitrogen (N). We examined the role of N₂-fixing benthic microbial assemblages (microalgae and associated bacteria) in two restored marshes (1-year-old and 6-year-old marsh) and a natural salt marsh in the Newport River Estuary, North Carolina. Benthic N₂ fixation (nitrogenase activity, NA), chlorophyll a (Chl a ) concentration, Spartina alterniflora (smooth cordgrass) stem counts, and sediment organic matter content were determined in the three marshes. Significant differences were observed between sites for both Chl a and NA. The 1-year-old marsh always exhibited the highest levels of NA and Chl a . Sediment organic matter content was lowest in the 1-year-old marsh (∼2%), intermediate in the 6-year-old marsh (∼5%), and highest in the natural marsh (∼10%). Carbon and nitrogen analyses were also performed on the 1-year-old marsh sediments, which were depleted in N. A positive correlation was observed between surface sediment N and Chl a . Remineralized, microbially derived N may provide growth-limiting inorganic N to Spartina transplants. N₂-fixing microbial assemblages in the 1-year-old marsh may also be an important food source for marsh infauna. Benthic N₂-fixing microbial assemblages play a key role in the N economy of restored salt marshes.     

滨海盐沼湿地有机碳的沉积与埋藏研究进展

滨海盐沼湿地有着较高的碳沉积速率和固碳能力,在缓解全球变暖方面发挥着重要作用,而盐渍土壤是滨海盐沼湿地碳收支研究中最大的有机碳库,研究其碳沉积与埋藏对于理解滨海湿地碳收支有着重要的意义.本文从滨海盐沼湿地土壤有机碳的来源、土壤有机碳库与沉积速率、盐沼湿地有机碳的埋藏机制、全球变化与滨海盐沼湿地碳封存等几方面对滨海盐沼湿地有机碳沉积与埋藏的相关研究进行综述.今后研究应侧重:1)加强对控制滨海盐沼湿地碳储存变异的基本因素的进一步研究;2)对测量滨海盐沼湿地沉积物碳储量和沉积碳埋藏速率的方法进行标准化;3)对潮汐影响下滨海盐沼湿地碳与邻近生态系统之间的横向交换通量进行量化;4)探明全球变暖的影响和生产力的提高是否可以抵消因呼吸增强而造成的有机碳降解速率的升高.确定固碳速率变化驱动因子,理解气候变化和人类活动对碳埋藏的影响机制,有助于提升我国滨海盐沼湿地的固碳能力.     

Evidence of spatial and temporal changes in sources of organic matter in estuarine sediments: stable isotope and fatty acid analyses

We investigated spatial and temporal changes in sources of organic matter in sediments within an estuarine environment in South Africa using fatty acids (FA) and stable isotopes (SI). Samples of sediments and sources of organic matter [i.e., particulate organic matter, microphytobenthos (MPB), macrophytes, salt marsh plants, and terrestrial leaves] were collected during spring and summer 2012, and autumn and winter 2013 from the upper, middle, and lower reaches. A Stable Isotope Analysis in R (SIAR) mixing model was used to identify the organic matter sources contributing to sediments in each estuarine reach and season. We found that diatom-associated fatty acids (20:5ω3; 16:1ω7) increased toward the upper reaches, while long-chained terrigenous fatty acids (24:0) tended to be more prevalent in lower reach sediments. In support of the FA results, the SI mixing model showed a substantial contribution from the marsh grass Spartina maritima in sediments of the lower estuary during periods of low-freshwater discharge (autumn and winter), while MPB was the main component in sediments from the upper and middle reaches during all seasons. Our results have implications for evaluating estuarine food webs since the spatial and seasonal variability in the organic matter deposited can influence estuarine community structure.     

Microbial community analysis of a coastal salt marsh affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Coastal salt marshes are highly sensitive wetland ecosystems that can sustain long-term impacts from anthropogenic events such as oil spills. In this study, we examined the microbial communities of a Gulf of Mexico coastal salt marsh during and after the influx of petroleum hydrocarbons following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Total hydrocarbon concentrations in salt marsh sediments were highest in June and July 2010 and decreased in September 2010. Coupled PhyloChip and GeoChip microarray analyses demonstrated that the microbial community structure and function of the extant salt marsh hydrocarbon-degrading microbial populations changed significantly during the study. The relative richness and abundance of phyla containing previously described hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria (Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria) increased in hydrocarbon-contaminated sediments and then decreased once hydrocarbons were below detection. Firmicutes, however, continued to increase in relative richness and abundance after hydrocarbon concentrations were below detection. Functional genes involved in hydrocarbon degradation were enriched in hydrocarbon-contaminated sediments then declined significantly (p<0.05) once hydrocarbon concentrations decreased. A greater decrease in hydrocarbon concentrations among marsh grass sediments compared to inlet sediments (lacking marsh grass) suggests that the marsh rhizosphere microbial communities could also be contributing to hydrocarbon degradation. The results of this study provide a comprehensive view of microbial community structural and functional dynamics within perturbed salt marsh ecosystems.     

苏北海岸带盐沼二氯甲烷和1,2-二氯乙烷通量沿高程梯度的变化特征

2004年4月到2005年1月在我国东部海岸带盐沼上沿高程梯度采用静态箱技术原位测定二氯甲烷(DCM, CH2Cl2)和1,2-二氯乙烷(1, 2-DCA, CH2CH2Cl2)气体通量.为确定高等植物对通量的贡献,进行了高等植物地上部分去除实验.也对通量与生态因子间关系进行了分析.研究结果表明:在高程梯度上,生长季(4～10月份)盐沼整体上表现为DCM和1, 2-DCA的净汇,其中,米草带和光滩对DCM和1, 2-DCA的消耗率最高.非生长季(11月到翌年3月份)表层冻结的植被带表现为DCM和1, 2-DCA的弱源,但是受非生长季采样量不足的限制,难以确定盐沼究竟是DCM和1, 2-DCA的净源还是净汇.高等植物去除实验结果表明生长季高等植物地上部分是DCM和1, 2-DCA的重要汇,而非生长季为净源,然而高等植物排放和消耗DCM和1, 2-DCA气体的基本机制还不清楚.盐沼DCM和1, 2-DCA通量正相关于光照强度、土壤可溶性盐含量、土壤有机质和全氮含量,而负相关于土壤温度、硫酸盐含量和大气中DCM和1, 2-DCA浓度.这表明盐沼对DCM和1, 2-DCA的吸收可能与相对较高的DCM和1, 2-DCA大气背景浓度和丰富的土壤有机质含量有关.     

New multi-metric Salt Marsh Sediment Microbial Index (SSMI) application to salt marsh sediments ecological status assessment

Salt marshes are very important areas for biogeochemical cycling, sediment accretion, pollution filtration and retention and erosion and stabilization of the river margins. The high organic matter content in the salt marsh plant sediments along with the radial oxygen diffusion provided by these halophyte root systems gather the ideal conditions for the development of a microbial rhizosphere community. Due to the quick feedback of the microbial communities to an environmental change, these organisms become important monitors for environmental impact assessment. A Salt marsh Sediment Microbial Index (SSMI) that reflected physical–chemical and microbial parameters was applied to plant rhizosphere sediments of five salt marshes from three important water bodies from Portugal. The SSMI revealed to be plant-independent evaluating efficiently the different marshes according to their maturity degree and disturbance influence. Mature salt marshes SSMI classification grouped all the systems at this development stage, while the younger salt marshes are classified in different groups according to their evolution degree. Also the impact degree is reflected at this level discriminating also the more adversely impacted salt marshes. Being a multi-metric index, the SSMI sub-metrics are also susceptible of ecological interpretation, giving important backstage information about the underlying biogeochemical cycling processes.     

Recent evolution of sedimentary heavy metals in a coastal lagoon contaminated by industrial wastewaters (Pialassa Baiona,Ravenna, Italy)

From 2000 to 2002, sediment contamination by Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn was analysed in the Pialassa Baiona salt marsh, which receives petrochemical wastewaters from the industrial district of Ravenna (Italy). The recent contamination levels were compared with data of previous studies carried out in 1982, in order to assess whether environmental policies and remedial measures reduced sediment pollution. Sedimentary profiles of Cu and Pb were homogeneous along the uppermost 0–10 cm horizon, which corresponded to the sedimentation in the last 30 years. Concentrations of Zn attained a peak (up to 800 mg kg⁻¹ dry weight) in the 0–4 cm sediment horizon, which was assumed to correspond to the last 10–15 years. A wide-spread contamination by Hg was detected in the salt marsh as well as in the main channel with peaks up to 20–40 mg kg⁻¹ dry weight. Nonetheless, recent sediments resulted less contaminated, since Hg discharge from industrial plants ceased about 20 years ago. Contamination levels by Hg values were two orders of magnitude higher than the international sediment quality standards. Cadmium, which was analysed for the first time in 2000–2002, attained a peak in the surface layers (1–2.5 mg kg⁻¹ d.w.), with a progressive decline along the sediment column. Through comparison with pre-industrial values detected in the deeper sediment horizons (before 1920), Hg showed the highest enrichment factor, up to 300 times. Cd and Zn concentrations in recent sediments were from 2 to 10 times higher than background values. In terms of possible adverse effects, Hg posed the highest risk, and Cd and Zn were frequently above the recommended thresholds.     

Distribution and speciation of phosphorus along a salinity gradient in intertidal marsh sediments

We examined forms of solid phosphorus fractions in intertidal marsh sediments along a salinity (0–22%.) gradient in a river-dominated estuary and in a marine-dominated salt marsh with insignificant freshwater input. Freshwater marsh sediments had the highest ratio of organic N:P of between 28:1 and 47:1 mol:mol, compared to 211 to 311 molmol in the saltmarshes, which is consistent with a trend toward P-limitation of primary production in freshwater and N-limitation in salt marshes. However, total P concentration, 24.7±11.1mol P g dw^–1 (±1 SD) averaged over the upper meter of sediment, was greatest in the freshwater marsh where bioavailablity of P is apparently limited. In the freshwater marsh the greatest fraction of total P (24–51%.) was associated with humic acids, while the importance of humic-P decreased with increasing salinity to 1–23%. in the salt marshes. Inorganic P contributed considerably less to total sediment P in the freshwater marsh (15–40%.) than in the salt marshes (33–85%.). In reduced sediments at all sites, phosphate bound to aluminum oxides and clays was an important inorganic P pool irrespective of salinity. Inorganic P associated with ferric iron [Fe(III)] phases was most abundant in surface sediments of freshwater and brackish marshes, while Ca-bound P dominated inorganic P pools in the salt marshes. Thus, our results showed that particle-bound P in marsh sediments exhibited changes in chemical association along the salinity gradient of an estuarine system, which is a likely consequence of changes in ionic strength and the availability of iron and calcium.     

The salt marshes of the Westerschelde and their role in the estuarine ecosystem

The salt marshes along the Westerschelde estuary have been influenced by various human activities of which reclamation has been a major cause for the loss of salt marsh area. The salinity gradient in the aquatic system is also mirrored in the vegetation of the salt marshes.The role of the salt marshes for the estuary as a whole is manifold but a major importance is their function as a sink for anthropogenic substances.The possible role as a carbon and mineral source for the estuary is discussed in this paper. It is estimated that the total area of salt marsh adds about 8% to the organic matter input in the estuary while the nutrient input may be as high as 25%.Communication nr. 403 of the Delta Institute, Yerseke.     

Effects of Sewage Sludge on the Growth of Potted Salt Marsh Plants Exposed to Natural Tidal Inundation

Abstract A growth experiment with native plants in pots exposed to natural environmental conditions evaluates the use of sewage sludge as a soil amendment in restoration of a southern California salt marsh. Sludge containing desirable organic matter but also undesirable heavy metal contaminants was mixed with a readily available matrix soil to reduce metal concentrations to levels below legal limits for land applications of sludge. Soil nutrient analysis revealed expected increases in total nitrogen and total phosphorus content with increasing sludge concentration. Soil metals analysis, however, revealed decreases in metal content with increased sludge concentration, a trend evidently caused by higher than expected metal content in the matrix soil. Five artificial soil mixtures ranging from 0 to 70% sludge were accompanied by natural wetland soil controls. Pots containing these soils were placed into a natural salt marsh. The pots were then planted with two native salt marsh plant species, Salicornia virginica and Frankenia grandifolia. Aboveground biomass was harvested after 12 months. Plant growth displayed no obvious change with increasing sludge concentration. Over the concentration ranges used, increased nutrient content did not stimulate plant growth and increased metal content did not inhibit plant growth. Plants grew better in natural wetland soil than in artificial soil mixtures, a trend probably caused by the substantially finer texture and higher organic content of natural soil. All sludge treatments differed more from the natural soil than from each other, implying that within the ranges examined, soil texture and organic content exerted more influence on plant growth than did metal or nutrient concentration. These results suggest that incorporating this sewage sludge in the soil of the restored salt marsh will neither benefit nor harm the plants that will live there and that greatest plant growth will be achieved by mixing the sludge with a fine‐grained matrix soil.     

Will fluctuations in salt marsh–mangrove dominance alter vulnerability of a subtropical wetland to sea‐level rise?

To avoid submergence during sea‐level rise, coastal wetlands build soil surfaces vertically through accumulation of inorganic sediment and organic matter. At climatic boundaries where mangroves are expanding and replacing salt marsh, wetland capacity to respond to sea‐level rise may change. To compare how well mangroves and salt marshes accommodate sea‐level rise, we conducted a manipulative field experiment in a subtropical plant community in the subsiding Mississippi River Delta. Experimental plots were established in spatially equivalent positions along creek banks in monospecific stands of Spartina alterniflora (smooth cordgrass) or Avicennia germinans (black mangrove) and in mixed stands containing both species. To examine the effect of disturbance on elevation dynamics, vegetation in half of the plots was subjected to freezing (mangrove) or wrack burial (salt marsh), which caused shoot mortality. Vertical soil development was monitored for 6 years with the surface elevation table‐marker horizon system. Comparison of land movement with relative sea‐level rise showed that this plant community was experiencing an elevation deficit (i.e., sea level was rising faster than the wetland was building vertically) and was relying on elevation capital (i.e., relative position in the tidal frame) to survive. Although Avicennia plots had more elevation capital, suggesting longer survival, than Spartina or mixed plots, vegetation type had no effect on rates of accretion, vertical movement in root and sub‐root zones, or net elevation change. Thus, these salt marsh and mangrove assemblages were accreting sediment and building vertically at equivalent rates. Small‐scale disturbance of the plant canopy also had no effect on elevation trajectories—contrary to work in peat‐forming wetlands showing elevation responses to changes in plant productivity. The findings indicate that in this deltaic setting with strong physical influences controlling elevation (sediment accretion, subsidence), mangrove replacement of salt marsh, with or without disturbance, will not necessarily alter vulnerability to sea‐level rise.     

沉积物生源要素对水体生态环境变化的指示意义

受人类活动影响,输入到湖泊、河口中的营养盐剧增,导致水体富营养化、食物链结构改变、底质季节性缺氧等生态环境变化。这些环境变化会在沉积物中留下记录,沉积物中生源要素及其稳定同位素的变化是指示水域古生产力、营养盐水平的有效指标。总结归纳了沉积物中生源要素(碳、氮、磷、硅)指标对水体环境中初级生产力、物质来源、营养盐水平3方面变化的指示作用。沉积物中TOC、TN、δ13C、CaCO3和BSi可以反映水体沉降有机质含量和浮游植物的生长状况,是指示水域初级生产力水平的有效指标。根据不同类型植物来源的有机质中δ13C、δ15N和C/N的差异,可以追踪沉积物中有机质的来源。有效地区分有机质来源对于研究人类活动对水体环境的影响及水体富营养化具有重要的价值。沉积物中TN、δ15 N、TP和非磷灰石磷(NAIP)含量的升高直接反映了陆源输入氮、磷的增加。BSi在指示浮游植物生长状况的同时,还反映了水体溶解硅浓度水平和富营养化状况。水体中的生源物质在沉降和埋藏的过程中,会受到早期成岩作用、水动力搬运等众多因素的作用,使沉积物记录的环境变化信息发生改变,从而干扰其对水体环境演变的重建作用。因此综合分析各生源要素指标反映的环境变化信息及其可能的干扰因素,方能正确地反映水域的环境变化过程。     

History of anthropogenically mediated eutrophication of Lake Peipsi as revealed by the stratigraphy of fossil pigments and molecular size fractions of pore-water dissolved organic matter

We investigated stratigraphic changes in fossil pigments and the molecular structure of the UV-absorbing fraction of pore-water dissolved organic matter in a sedimentary record from Lake Peipsi (Estonia/Russia) temporally covering the 20th century. The aims of the study were to define the onset of eutrophication in the lake and to track its course. An attempt was also made to reconstruct lake conditions before the intensive nutrient loading began. Fossil pigment analysis indicated that the eutrophication of the lake started in the 1960s and accelerated in the 1970s. Sedimentary pigments also indicate a continuing tendency of the lake ecosystem towards eutrophy in the 1980s and 1990s. However, changes in the molecular size structure of pore-water dissolved organic matter indicated that the contribution of autochthonous matter to the organic pool of the lake ecosystem had already started to increase around the end of the 1930s. We conclude that this rise was generated by a coincidence of several anthropogenic and natural factors. The pore-water data also show that a slight relative reduction in the autochthonous organic matter took place in the 1990s. A discordance in the paleodata obtained for the beginning of the 20th century complicates clear conclusions about earlier conditions in the lake. On the one hand, the qualitative characteristics of pore-water dissolved organic matter and the low concentration of chlorophyll a indicate that the phytoplankton biomass was low in Lake Peipsi during that period. On the other hand, the concentrations of marker pigments of specific phytoplankton groups are high, comparable with the values in the recent sediments. Possible reasons for the high levels of these pigments in the early 1900s sediments, such as a shift in the preservation conditions of organic substances and their transport from the lake’s catchment, are discussed.     

三江平原典型湿地土壤剖面有机碳及全氮分布与积累特征

研究了三江平原2类典型湿地(毛果苔草沼泽和芦苇沼泽)沉积物剖面有机碳、全氮的分布特征与积累现状.结果表明,2类沼泽剖面有机碳分布均具有明显的储碳层和淀积层;上层的储碳层厚度约为60 cm,有机碳平均含量分别为96和184 g·kg^-1,全氮平均含量分别为7.4和17.6 g·kg^-1;下层的淀积层内有机碳和全氮含量低而稳定.2类沼泽剖面有机碳和全氮含量随剖面深度增加而下降, 有机碳、全氮与容重之间相关均极显著(P＜0.01).2类典型湿地有机碳密度在20～40 cm剖面内最大.储碳层内,有机碳储量分别为1.83×10⁴和1.73×10⁴ t·km^-2,全氮储量分别为1.45×10³和1.67×10³ t·km^-2;100 cm以内,有机碳储量分别为2.86×10⁴和262×10⁴ t·km^-2,全氮储量分别为2.18×10³和2.49×10³ t·km^-2.植被类型对湿地剖面有机碳、全氮含量及储量均具有不同程度的影响.     

Overwintering habitat selection by the mummichog, Fundulus Heteroclitus, in a Cape Cod (USA) salt marsh

This study tracked the seasonal distribution and winter habitat selection of the mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus (Linnaeus), in a Cape Cod, Massachusetts salt marsh. Fish (mean size = 43.1 mm total length, range = 10–93 mm) were collected with a 1 m² throw trap and by excavating sediments. In fall, F. heteroclitus began migrating upstream in creeks and eventually moved into upstream pools where they remained throughout winter. F. heteroclitus burrowed into the sediments of these pools at a density of 0.5 fish m^–2, but was not found burrowed in the sediments of downstream pools or any creeks. Sediments in upstream pools were composed of a higher proportion of fine-grained particles and organic content than other marsh pools and creeks, and winter temperatures in upstream pool sediments remained above 1 °C. Temperatures in the water column and sediments of downstream pools regularly dropped below –1.8 °C, exceeding the lethal limit for F. heteroclitus. These results support other recent work showing that F. heteroclitus migrates upstream in salt marshes in fall and overwinters in salt marsh pools. Moreover, this study demonstrates that F. heteroclitus does not utilize all available pools as overwintering habitat but apparently selects pools with sediments that offer a thermal refuge from lethal winter temperatures.     

Factors affecting metal concentrations in reed plants (Phragmites australis) of intertidal marshes in the Scheldt estuary

We aimed to identify the environmental factors which significantly affect metal uptake by reed plants in the intertidal marshes along the river Scheldt. Transfer coefficients, defined as the ratio of metal concentrations in reed stems to the metal contents in specific sediment fractions (i.e. the exchangeable Cd and Zn fraction and total Cr, Cu, Ni and Pb content), were calculated for each sampling site. They were inversely related to the sediment clay and/or organic matter content. Metal mobility and thus plant availability is higher in sediments with a lower clay or organic matter content. Moreover, the plants might actively accumulate in particular essential elements when concentrations in the sediments are rather low, which is the case in sediments low in clay and organic matter contents. Finally, more sandy sediments are expected to be susceptible to occasional oxidation of sulphides, which leads to an increased metal availability. A higher salinity promoted the uptake of Cu, Cr and Zn.     

Mixis strategies and resting eeg production of rotifers living in temporally-varying habitats

The organic phosphate pool of some Camargue sediments (South of France) was studied, after removal of inorganic phosphate, with Ca-NTA/dithionite (Fe bound phosphate) and Na-EDTA (Ca bound phosphate). The organic phosphate was divided into an acid soluble organic phosphate fraction (ASOP) and a residual organic phosphate fraction (ROP). The extraction of organic matter with 2.0 M NaOH (90 °C) from ROP yielded considerable quantities of Org-P. In this extract the presence of phytate (inositol hexa phosphate) could be demonstrated using phytase to hydrolyse the phytate. Phytate was shown to account for a considerable part of organic phosphate in sediments of freshwater marsh sediments as well as in the sediment of the brackish/salt water lake ‘Etang de Vaccares’. In laboratory experiments phytate was found to precipitate with all poly-valent cations tested. Furthermore, phytate was found to be strongly adsorbed onto Fe(OOH), which may explain its accumulation and its stability in sediments. Considerable quantities of ASOP were found; the chemical stucture of this pool remains unknown.     

Vegetation death and rapid loss of surface elevation in two contrasting Mississippi delta salt marshes: The role of sedimentation, autocompaction and sea-level rise

From 1990 to 2004, we carried out a study on accretionary dynamics and wetland loss in salt marshes surrounding two small ponds in the Mississippi delta; Old Oyster Bayou (OB), a sediment-rich area near the mouth of the Atchafalaya River and Bayou Chitigue (BC), a sediment-poor area about 70 km to the east. The OB site was stable, while most of the marsh at BC disappeared within a few years. Measurements were made of short-term sedimentation, vertical accretion, change in marsh surface elevation, pond wave activity, and marsh soil characteristics. The OB marsh was about 10 cm higher than BC; the extremes of the elevation range for Spartina alterniflora in Louisiana. Vertical accretion and short-term sedimentation were about twice as high at BC than at OB, but the OB marsh captured nearly all sediments deposited, while the BC marsh captured <30%. The OB and BC sites flooded about 15% and 85% of the time, respectively. Marsh loss at BC was not due to wave erosion. The mineral content of deposited sediments was higher at OB. Exposure and desiccation of the marsh surface at OB increased the efficiency that deposited sediments were incorporated into the marsh soil, and displaced the marsh surface upward by biological processes like root growth, while also reducing shallow compaction. Once vegetation dies, there is a loss of soil volume due to loss of root turgor and oxidation of root organic matter, which leads to elevation collapse. Revegetation cannot occur because of the low elevation and weak soil strength. The changes in elevation at both marsh sites are punctuated, occurring in steps that can either increase or decrease elevation. When a marsh is low as at BC, a step down can result in an irreversible change. At this point, the option is not restoration but creating a new marsh with massive sediment input either from the river or via dredging.     

Nitrate addition stimulates microbial decomposition of organic matter in salt marsh sediments

Salt marshes sequester carbon at rates more than an order of magnitude greater than their terrestrial counterparts, helping to mitigate climate change. As nitrogen loading to coastal waters continues, primarily in the form of nitrate, it is unclear what effect it will have on carbon storage capacity of these highly productive systems. This uncertainty is largely driven by the dual role nitrate can play in biological processes, where it can serve as a nutrient‐stimulating primary production or a thermodynamically favorable electron acceptor fueling heterotrophic metabolism. Here, we used a controlled flow‐through reactor experiment to test the role of nitrate as an electron acceptor, and its effect on organic matter decomposition and the associated microbial community in salt marsh sediments. Organic matter decomposition significantly increased in response to nitrate, even at sediment depths typically considered resistant to decomposition. The use of isotope tracers suggests that this pattern was largely driven by stimulated denitrification. Nitrate addition also significantly altered the microbial community and decreased alpha diversity, selecting for taxa belonging to groups known to reduce nitrate and oxidize more complex forms of organic matter. Fourier Transform‐Infrared Spectroscopy further supported these results, suggesting that nitrate facilitated decomposition of complex organic matter compounds into more bioavailable forms. Taken together, these results suggest the existence of organic matter pools that only become accessible with nitrate and would otherwise remain stabilized in the sediment. The existence of such pools could have important implications for carbon storage, since greater decomposition rates as N loading increases may result in less overall burial of organic‐rich sediment. Given the extent of nitrogen loading along our coastlines, it is imperative that we better understand the resilience of salt marsh systems to nutrient enrichment, especially if we hope to rely on salt marshes, and other blue carbon systems, for long‐term carbon storage.