Viktoria A. Semal1,2, Olga V. Nesterova1 & V. Tregubova1
1Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia 22Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia
We found no clear relationships between the amount of organic matter in bottom sediments and the characteristics of the distribution and nature of living matter in the oceans and seas. Humus of studied bottom sediments can be attributed mainly to the humic type by its composition. Non hydrolyzing part of humus reaches 70-90%. This is characteristic feature of bottom aquasoils formed in the small bays, internal coastal shelfs and the underwater slope. The carbon of humic acids in organic matter ranges from 4 to 80% of total concentration of humic and fulvic asids. This is due to conservation conditions favourable for humic acids in precipitation with high content of organic matter. Whereas fulvic acids in the aquatic environments are more labile and almost not dumped. The greatest concentration of organic matter was found on the submarine and coastal slopes at depths more than 120 m. The low variability of the parameters characteristic of the humus composition was found in all bottom sediments and in the whole marine ecosystem that can be explained by the general conditions of humus formation in the basin of the Sea of Japan.