Degradability of organic matter in river sediments differs in relation to origin and age. In order to explain previously observed spatial patterns of organic matter degradability and stabilization, this study investigated sediment organic matter (SOM) properties along a tidal Elbe river transect using dissolved organic matter (DOM) fractions, density fractions, carbon stable isotopes and thermometric pyrolysis (Rock-Eval 6). These properties were linked to SOM decay rates and biological indicators such as chlorophyll a and silicic acid in the water phase, and sediment-bound extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), microbial biomass and oxygen consumption. Sediment source gradients were established using the concentration of Zn in the fraction < 20 μm as proxy. The specific Zn concentration showed that the most upstream location was nourished primarily by upstream fluviatile sediments while the other locations carried a downstream signature. The upstream location was also characterised by the highest concentrations of chlorophyll a, microbial biomass, silicic acid, EPS, humic acids and hydrophilic DOM, the most negative δ13C signature and by the highest oxygen consumption rate, with decreasing trends towards downstream locations. This trend was also evident in the decreasing SOM lability from upstream to downstream, an increasing share of total SOM found in the acid-base-extractable fractions and a
decreasing share of carbon in the light density fractions. Thermometric pyrolysis revealed the highest H-index(easily degradable SOM) for the most upstream location and the ratio of the I-index (immature SOM) to the R-
index (refractory SOM) to correlate positively with measured SOM decay rates. This study suggests that spatial patterns of SOM degradability can be explained by a source gradient, with young organic matter entering the system from upstream from predominantly biogenic sources, while down-stream sources (North Sea sediment) deliver more refractory SOM that is stabilized in organo-mineral associations to a higher extent. In the investigated sediments, dissolved organic matter represented 0.23–1.20% of the total organic carbon (TOC) from anaerobically degradable SOM, while 4.10–11.46% TOC was liberated as CO2 and CH4 after long-term incubation (250 days). Thermometric pyrolysis is shown to serve as a useful proxy for SOM degradability in river sediments, with the Hydrogen-Index (HI) correlating well with degradability and the relationship between the I-index and R-index changing consistently towards lower I-indices and higher R-indices with an increasing degree of SOM stabilization.