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Marine Biology

University of South Carolina

Biogeochemistry

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Spatial And Temporal Variability In Carbon And Nutrient Concentrations Within The North Inlet Estuary,Sc, Heather Kish Oct 2021

Spatial And Temporal Variability In Carbon And Nutrient Concentrations Within The North Inlet Estuary,Sc, Heather Kish

Theses and Dissertations

Coastal wetlands provide numerous ecosystem services, including the ability to sequester and store significant amounts of organic carbon (so-called “blue carbon”). Variability in carbon storage within marshes represents a major information gap in understanding and quantifying the role saltmarshes play in the global carbon cycle. This study quantified decadal and small-scale variability in carbon and nutrient concentrations across tidal inundation gradients in the relatively pristine North Inlet Estuary, South Carolina. Sampling took place within two segments of the marsh platform of Crab Haul Creek, the landward-most basin within North Inlet. In the summer of 2020, a total of 200 sediment …


Marine Phosphorus Biogeochemistry Ecological Insights From Analytical Chemistry, Douglas W. Bell Jan 2017

Marine Phosphorus Biogeochemistry Ecological Insights From Analytical Chemistry, Douglas W. Bell

Theses and Dissertations

The supply of phosphorus (P) directly impacts the growth and speciation of marine microbes (i.e., phytoplankton, bacteria, Archaea). In turn, microbial communities shape the magnitude and rate of marine biogeochemical cycles, ultimately affecting global climate and food production. This dynamic reflects the continuum of temporal and spatial scales at which the marine P cycle operates. However, linking multiple scales of cycling remains a consistent challenge. The primary objective of my dissertation was to gain insight into marine P biogeochemistry, by means of analytical chemistry, at the molecular and environmental scales of cycling. The first component of my research was to …


Climatic Controls On Organic Matter Decomposition In Boreal Peatlands, Michael J. Philben Dec 2014

Climatic Controls On Organic Matter Decomposition In Boreal Peatlands, Michael J. Philben

Theses and Dissertations

Boreal peatlands currently contain 550 Pg C and are located at high latitudes where mean annual temperatures are expected to increase by as much as 7°C by the end of the century. There is growing concern that warming will stimulate decomposition, transforming peatlands from a sink to a source of atmospheric carbon dioxide and accelerating climate change. A primary goal of this dissertation was to evaluate the effect of climate change on organic matter decomposition in peatlands. This was achieved by developing and employing biochemical tracers to indicate the extent of peat decomposition across a range of naturally occurring climatic …