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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Influence Of Suspended Particle Size And Composition On Particle Image Processing, Estuarine Floc Fractal Properties, And Resulting Estuarine Light Attenuation, Kelsey Fall
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Understanding the nature of suspended particles is crucial to explaining water clarity issues in many estuaries, including the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries. Typical near surface estuarine particles are not individual sediment grains, but rather are clusters of inorganic and organic components known as flocs. Because of their fragile nature, flocs are challenging to observe in-situ, so their influence on the optical properties of the system are not well-known. This dissertation used a combination of state-of-the-art optical instrumentation, including laser scattering and transmissometry, a high-definition particle imaging camera system (PICS), and irradiance meters, along with supporting laboratory analysis techniques …
Inorganic Carbon Chemistry In East Antarctic Coastal Polynyas, Mar C. Arroyo
Inorganic Carbon Chemistry In East Antarctic Coastal Polynyas, Mar C. Arroyo
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Polynyas are large areas of open water or reduced sea ice coverage that persistently form in polar environments and often experience enhanced rates of physical, chemical, and biological processes that impact ocean dynamics on local to global scales. Polynyas that form adjacent to the coast, known as coastal polynyas, play an important role in the global carbon cycle by regulating the exchange of CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere in the high latitudes. Because of their importance to the global carbon cycle, there is a particular interest to better characterize CO2 system processes in Antarctic coastal polynyas. In this study, …
Environmental Controls On Pteropod Ecology And Physiology Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula, Patricia Susan Thibodeau
Environmental Controls On Pteropod Ecology And Physiology Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula, Patricia Susan Thibodeau
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Pteropods (pelagic snails) are ubiquitous zooplankton in the Southern Ocean and abundant along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), one of the most rapidly warming regions on the planet. They are important prey for higher trophic levels, grazers of phytoplankton, and contribute to particulate organic and inorganic carbon export. Pteropods are heralded as bioindicators of ecosystem health due to the vulnerability of their aragonitic shells under ocean acidification conditions, which could greatly affect their abundances in the future. Despite their importance within Antarctic food webs, few studies have analyzed the effects of climate change on pteropod physiology and biogeography in the …
Temporal Variability In Cohesive Sediment Dynamics In A Partially Mixed Estuary, The York River Estuary, Virginia, Usa: A Numerical Study Developed From Observations, Danielle Tarpley
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Fine-grained material such as silts and clays are the predominant sediment type in low energy systems such as micro-tidal embayments and estuaries. Due to its cohesive nature, fine sediment typically moves through marine systems as aggregated particles, or flocs, rather than as individual mineral grains. The particle's components, local hydrodynamics, and concentration influence floc size, density, and fall velocity. These, in turn, impact suspended sediment transport, which complicates predictions of the fate of sediment for water quality, contaminant distribution, and dredging purposes in these systems. This dissertation used a state-of-the-art modeling system and observations to examine the variability in sediment …