Benthic Biological and Biogeochemical Patterns and Processes Across an Oxygen Minimum Zone (Pakistan Margin, NE Arabian Sea)

Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) impinging on continental margins present sharp gradients ideal for testing environmental factors thought to influence C cycling and other benthic processes, and for identifying the roles that biota play in these processes.A multinational research program was designed to address the influences of water depth, the OMZ (150–1300 m), and organic matter (OM) availability on benthic communities and processes across the Pakistan Margin of the Arabian Sea. Hydrologic, sediment, and faunal characterizations were combined with in-situ and shipboard experiments to quantify and compare biogeochemical processes and fluxes, OM burial efficiency, and the contributions of benthic communities, across the OMZ.