Purpose The share of microbially degradable sediment organic matter (SOM) and the degradation rate depend, among others, on the intrinsic properties of SOM as well as on the type and concentration of terminal electron acceptors (TEA). Next to its role as TEA, molecular oxygen enhances SOM decay by oxygenase-mediated breakdown of complex organic molecules. This research investigated long-term SOM decay (> 250 days) under aerobi...

Purpose Sediment organic matter (SOM) influences settling and thus the rheological behavior of suspended particles by enhancing flocculation or reducing surface charges by forming organo-mineral complexes that facilitate particle–particle interactions in consolidating sediments. It was, therefore, assumed that the microbial degradation of SOM and its spatio-temporal variability would affect sediment rheological properties and...