Characteristics of nitrogen forms in the surface sediments of southwestern Nansha Trough, South China Sea

The area of the southwestern Nansha Trough is one of the most productive areas of the southern South China Sea. It is a typical semi-deep sea area of transition from shoal to abyssal zone. To understand distributions and roles of nitrogen forms involved in biogeochemical cycling in this area, contents of nitrogen in four extractable forms: nitrogen in ion exchangeable form (IEF-N), nitrogen in weak acid extractable form (WAEF-N), nitrogen in strong alkali extractable form (SAEF-N) and nitrogen in strong oxidation extractable form (SOEF-N), as well as in total nitrogen content (TN) in surface sediments were determined from samples collected from the cruise in April–May 1999. The study area was divided into three regions (A, B and C) in terms of clay sediment (