Chapter 63 



Experiments Regarding the Sulfide Formation 

 in Sediments of the Texas Gulf Coast 



W. GuNKEL and Carl H. Oppenheimer 



A he formation of hydrogen sulfide by bacteria is a widespread 

 phenomenon in nature produced by sulfate reduction and by the 

 decomposition of protein. It is generally assumed that sulfate is 

 more responsible than organic sulfur transformation for the pro- 

 duction of sulfide, however, there are very few quantitative in- 

 vestigations in this regard available. Kriss (3) for example, points 

 out that in the Black Sea there are no data which show the preva- 

 lence of one or the other reaction. He says ( 3 ) that the statement 

 of Danelcenko and Cigirin ( 1926 ) , that the sulfate reduction plays 

 nearly an exclusive role, is not only lacking in proof but also that 

 their statements have the character of an argument which is in 

 contrast to their actual data. Reviews about sulfate reducing bac- 

 teria are in Bunker (2), Rubenchik (10) and Postgate (7). 



Experiments were conducted in shallow marine bays at the 

 Texas Gulf Coast, described by Oppenheimer (5), and at the 

 German Coast of the North Sea. Our intention was to obtain 

 quantitative data in model experiments about the formation of 

 sulfides in marine sediments. We were particularly interested in: 

 1) The amount of sulfide formed with time, 2) The sources of 

 sulfides, and 3 ) The numbers of bacteria of different physiological 

 groups present. 



MATERIALS AND METHODS 



Two different experiments were used: 



Natural Environment Studies 



Opaque plastic tubes, diameter of 6 cm and a length of 25 

 cm were inserted into the soft sediment in a shallow bay of tlie 

 Gulf of Mexico near Port Aransas. They contained, after being 



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