Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology

PDF

University of South Florida

Theses/Dissertations

2019

Gulf of Mexico

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Use Of Spectrofluorometry To Detect Petroleum Hydrocarbons In The Marine Environment, Mary Iris Abercrombie Nov 2019

Use Of Spectrofluorometry To Detect Petroleum Hydrocarbons In The Marine Environment, Mary Iris Abercrombie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The genesis of this research was the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which discharged petroleum and gas into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days in 2010. High-resolution fluorescence spectroscopy was employed for the detection of petroleum in seawater samples following the oil spill. Fluorescence arises from the chemical structure of π-bonding in C=C bonds, especially those in aromatic structures. Spectrofluorometry was also used to observe and track the formation of petroleum plumes in seawater undergoing controlled physical dispersion in a wave tank, both with and without the addition of chemical dispersant. Further, the changing fluorescence characteristics of a broad range …


Regeneration Of Trace Metals During Phytoplankton Decay: An Experimental Study, Adrienne P. Hollister Mar 2019

Regeneration Of Trace Metals During Phytoplankton Decay: An Experimental Study, Adrienne P. Hollister

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Trace metals act as important nutrients, and sometimes toxins, to phytoplankton and other marine microorganisms. When phytoplankton decay, the elements in their cells are released back into the water column through regeneration (also referred to as remineralization), one of the processes responsible for governing concentrations of dissolved trace metals and macronutrients in depth profiles. In order to experimentally study regeneration, controlled experimental incubations of mixed phytoplankton assemblages from the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and monocultures of the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia dolorosa and the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis were placed in the dark and monitored as they decayed with naturally present bacteria. Over …