Biogeochemistry Commons^™

Approaches To Assessing Nutrient Coupling In Open Ocean Datasets, James M. Moore, Claire P. Till

IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt

Nutrient coupling describes a process where the biogeochemical cycles of two elements are linked by being incorporated similarly into biomass. This paper uses data from the GEOTRACES GP16 cruise (Eastern Pacific Zonal Transect) to investigate the relationship between certain macronutrients generally coupled to trace elements in terms of their oceanic distributions with the notable exception of in an oxygen minimum zone: cadmium-phosphate and zinc-silicate. There are many methods applied to oceanographic data to correlate analyte concentrations; while they are often presented independently in literature, here we attempt to use them in conjunction for a more thorough interpretation. By compiling 1) …

Design Of Stormwater Bmps For Surface And Groundwater Protection Based On Site-Scale Soil Properties: Phase I, Kelly Kibler, Lisa Chambers, Melanie Beazley

Florida DOT

Much of Earth’s nutrient cycling takes place in soils. Characteristics of soils control physical, chemical, and biological processes that determine rates of nutrient fluxes, storage, or transformation. As remediation of excess nutrients in stormwater runoff is one function of stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs), the soil profile constitutes one of the most important factors of BMP design. Variation observed in BMP effectiveness (e.g., why one BMP design works effectively in one place and not another) can often be explained by variations in the soil profile, either through direct means or by a soil’s influence on hydraulics of stormwater flow through …

High-Energy Storm Events And Their Impacts On Carbon Storage In Tidal Wetlands Of South Carolina, Gavin Gleasman

All Dissertations

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations have been increasing at an accelerating rate for the past two centuries, profoundly impacting global climate change. Atmospheric CO₂ concentrations are influenced by the global carbon cycle through physical and biogeochemical pathways. Tidal wetland environments play a vital role in the global carbon cycle by offsetting atmospheric CO₂ concentrations through their natural physiochemical processes of high autotrophic productivity, allochthonous organic matter deposition, anoxic soils, and continuous accretion which promotes carbon sequestration with long-term storage at the land-ocean margin. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and United States Global Change Research …

The Ecological Effects Of Nitrogen Enrichment In Aridlands, Jennifer Holguin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition is one of the most prominent factors driving global change. Across the globe, N deposition has driven major changes in terrestrial ecosystems, such as declines in plant biodiversity, enhanced exotic plant growth, and changes to biogeochemical processes involved in carbon and nutrient cycling. While noteworthy effort has been put forth to investigate the effects of N deposition on terrestrial ecosystems, a disproportionate number of N addition studies have been conducted in temperate mesic systems. Thus, we lack a holistic and mechanistic understanding of how N deposition impact aridland ecosystems. Additionally, our predictions of the effects of …

Nitrogen Cycling In The Lower Chesapeake Bay And Mid- And South Atlantic Bight, Yifan Zhu

OES Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen (N) is central to marine primary production; its availability often limits the capacity and rates of primary productivity in most of the world’s oceans. Contrastingly, estuaries frequently receive anthropogenic N loading, oftentimes resulting in eutrophication, harmful algal blooms (HABs), and substantially degraded water quality. Nutrient variability in both estuaries and oceanic regimes results from meteorological forcing and physical processes, including wind-induced, tidal, and mesoscale mixing and upwelling. In this dissertation, a comprehensive investigation of N variability and cycling and its links to physical-biogeochemical processes was conducted using time-series monitoring approaches, flux estimations, satellite imaging, biogeochemical measurements, and molecular analyses. …

Thames River Subwatershed Soil, Sediment, Water Data, Justin B. Richardson, Mark J. Butler

Data and Datasets

Trace element and nutrient data are for riparian soils, suspended sediments, eddy bottom sediments, and river water collected between 2019 and 2020 in the Thames River watershed of Connecticut, USA. Trace elements and nutrients were measured using EPA 3050B digestion method and analyzed by ICP-OES or ICP-MS.

Small Community Water Systems Have The Highest Prevalence Of Mn In Drinking Water In California, Usa, Miranda Aiken, Samantha C. Ying

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Manganese (Mn) is currently regulated as a secondary contaminant in California, USA; however, recent revisions of the World Health Organization drinking water guidelines have increased regulatory attention of Mn in drinking water due to increasing reports of neurotoxic effects in infants and children. In this study, Mn concentrations reported to California’s Safe Drinking Water Information System were used to estimate the potentially exposed population within California based on system size. We estimate that between 2011 and 2021, over 525,000 users in areas with reported Mn data are potentially exposed to Mn concentrations exceeding the WHO health-based guideline (80 μg L …

Investigation Of A Possible Switch Of Benthic Photosynthetic Organisms And Phytoplanktonic Organisms In White Point Swash, South Carolina, Nathan Easterling

Honors Theses

This research study examined the possible switch from benthic photosynthetic organisms to phytoplankton in the water column at White Point Swash, Long Bay, South Carolina, and what is causing this switch to occur. During Dr. Hannides’ and his group’s studies at this and other swashes in the past, they noticed this phenomenon of the benthic photosynthetic organisms taking over during a certain time and then the phytoplankton in the water column taking over during a different time. In this study, I measured the relative benthic macroalgal area coverage and sedimentary chlorophyll a concentration as measures of the abundance of benthic …

The Dynamics Of Sedimentary Chlorophyll Α At A High-Energy Beach, Sarah (Gray) Abel

Honors Theses

Productive sandy beaches are one of the most crucial areas serving our ecosystem today. While often overlooked in scientific research, productive beaches have many essential functions that lead to the preservation and protection of many different species as well as ecological wellness and stability. A key factor that is linked to this productivity is the presence of chlorophyll in the sediments. Piston cores of the sediments at the low-tide mark at Waties Island, South Carolina, were collected across multiple years and subsequently analyzed for chlorophyll concentrations through fluorometry after acetone extraction and acidification. Each core profile was processed to calculate …

Suboxic And Anaerobic Respiration Across A Sandy-Shore-To-Estuarine Gradient, Jacey Ballard

Honors Theses

Sulfate is an inorganic ion that is one of the major ions of seawater. Sulfate is also an essential reactant in microbially mediated anaerobic respiration that produces sulfide, an energy source during chemosynthesis. Sulfide is widely found in sediment, and water rich in decaying organic material, as well as hydrothermal vents. While sulfate reduction occurs extensively in muds, such as those of marshes, it is not expected to occur in sand which is much better aerated. Recent research in our group documented extensive sub aerobic respiration in coastal sands which suggests that sulfate reduction may have also been happening. This …

The Impact Of Glacial Proximity On The Elemental Composition Of Leachate Derived From Sediment Weathering, Karoline Ford

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This study assesses chemical weathering trends as they relate to glacial retreat. The chemical environment of surfaces exposed to the atmosphere differs significantly from beneath a glacier. As a glacier melts, changes to the biogeochemical processes generate environmental gradients. This study analyzed chemical weathering signals at different distances from a glacial front by comparing the elemental composition of leachate derived from sediments in southeastern Greenland. Samples from proglacial, nonglacial, and moraine locations were weathered in a laboratory setting, and ion chromatography was used to determine the elemental composition of the products. Divergent trends in leachate composition were observed as distance …

Spot1328 Meira Spit, Robert C. Mahon, Elizabeth J. Trower, Benjamin P. Smith, Tyler A. Lincoln, Juliana Olsen-Valdez, John S. Magyar, Cedric J. Hagen

2D Wave Spectral Data, South Arm, Great Salt Lake, Utah

Data in this folder are produced by a SoFarOcean Spotter wave buoy deployed along the south arm of the Great Salt Lake, near Antelope Island State Park from the period of July 13, 2021 through June 28, 2022, in relatively shallow water, approximately 1.6m.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Water depths for #1328 (Miera Spit) started at ~1.7 m, but dropped rapidly to 0.9 m on July 15, 2021 and dropped further to ~0.4 m on August 17, 2021. The timing of these rapid water depth changes matches the timing of buoy location changes when the anchor was dragged inshore by waves. When …

Spot1328 Meira Spit Derived Data, Robert C. Mahon, Elizabeth J. Trower, Benjamin P. Smith, Tyler A. Lincoln, Juliana Olsen-Valdez, John S. Magyar, Cedric J. Hagen

2D Wave Spectral Data, South Arm, Great Salt Lake, Utah

Data in this folder are produced by a SoFarOcean Spotter wave buoy deployed along the south arm of the Great Salt Lake, near Antelope Island State Park from the period of July 13, 2021 through June 28, 2022, in relatively shallow water, approximately 1.6m.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Water depths for #1328 (Miera Spit) started at ~1.7 m, but dropped rapidly to 0.9 m on July 15, 2021 and dropped further to ~0.4 m on August 17, 2021. The timing of these rapid water depth changes matches the timing of buoy location changes when the anchor was dragged inshore by waves. When …

Spot1356 Black Rock, Robert C. Mahon, Elizabeth J. Trower, Benjamin P. Smith, Tyler A. Lincoln, Juliana Olsen-Valdez, John S. Magyar, Cedric J. Hagen

2D Wave Spectral Data, South Arm, Great Salt Lake, Utah

Data in this folder are produced by a SoFarOcean Spotter wave buoy deployed along the south arm of the Great Salt Lake, near Antelope Island State Park from the period of July 13, 2021 through June 28, 2022, in relatively shallow water, approximately 1.6m.

Spot1356 Black Rock Derived Data, Robert C. Mahon, Elizabeth J. Trower, Benjamin P. Smith, Tyler A. Lincoln, Juliana Olsen-Valdez, John S. Magyar, Cedric J. Hagen

2D Wave Spectral Data, South Arm, Great Salt Lake, Utah

Data in this folder are produced by a SoFarOcean Spotter wave buoy deployed along the south arm of the Great Salt Lake, near Antelope Island State Park from the period of July 13, 2021 through June 28, 2022, in relatively shallow water, approximately 1.6m.

Dissolved Copper Distributions In The Western Mississippi Sound: Characterizing An Unrecognized Endmember, Megan Hansen

Honors Theses

This study examined the distribution of dissolved copper (Cu) in the western Mississippi Sound, as the element can be beneficial or harmful to organisms depending on its concentration and its chemical form. A mixing experiment eliminated flocculation as a control on Cu distributions during estuarine mixing in both dissolved and colloidal fractions. Field sampling of the western Mississippi Sound occurred during a low river discharge period, and distributions of Cu indicated conservative mixing between fresh ([Cu] ≈ 17 nM) and saline ([Cu] ≈ 2 nM) sources in mid-to-high salinities. Storm outfalls were sampled after rain events to evaluate the impact …

Linking Decomposition Reactions In Arctic Soils To Microbial Enzyme Production, Jane Karen Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Microbial processes such as soil enzyme production are a major driver of decomposition and a current topic of interest in arctic soils due to the effects of climate warming. Despite the advances in understanding soil enzymes, there are still knowledge gaps regarding the role of enzymes in decomposition. In this dissertation, I addressed three of those gaps in the following chapters: (Ch.2) to explore the location of enzymes within the soil matrix, (Ch.3) to identify peptides matched to soil enzymes produced by microorganisms for organic matter decomposition, and (Ch.4) understand the longevity of enzymes in the soil after microbial production. …

Evaluating Bulk Carbon And Nitrogen Isotope Compositions Of Acidic Hydrothermal Sediments On Earth– Implications For Mars Astrobiology, Chance Sturrup

Masters Theses

Carbon isotopes have been widely used as unique biosignatures because biologic processes commonly result in distinctive negative delta ¹³C values (-35 to -10 ‰) within organic material on Earth. However, the bulk delta ¹³C analysis in Gale crater sediments on Mars revealed a wider range of values, from -25 to +56 ‰ (Franz et al., 2020), which suggests a more complex origin. To determine if bulk isotope analysis can be successfully used to detect a microbial signature in a martian analog environment, we analyzed concentrations and isotope compositions of C within hydrothermal sediments in Iceland (Námafjall, Krýsuvík, Hveragerdi) …

Molecular Evidence For The Export Of Terrigenous Organic Matter To The North Gulf Of Mexico By Solid-State 13C Nmr And Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry Of Humic Acids, Sarah Ann Ware

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Marine organic matter is mainly believed to originate from autochthonous organic matter, while terrigenous organic matter is assumed to be largely degraded prior to reaching the open ocean or more recently replaced by marine organic matter via a stripping process. Sediment samples along a transect extending from the Mississippi River Birdsfoot Delta to the Mississippi Canyon on the Louisiana continental shelf were examined by advanced analytical techniques, electrospray ionization coupled to a 12T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (ESI-FTICR-MS) and quantitative solid-state multiple cross polarization magic angle spinning (multi-CPMAS) ¹³C NMR in an effort to understand the …

The Phosphorus Puzzle: Why Metal Phosphites Could Be The Missing Piece, Eleanor Boyle, Thomas J. Leyden Iii

Symposium of Student Scholars

It is well understood that phosphorylation of organic molecules is a keystone mechanism toward developing early cell function. However, the source of phosphorous in prebiotic chemistry is under debate. Phosphate minerals were abundant on the early Earth, but they are highly insoluble. In comparison, metal phosphites are significantly more soluble. While they may not have been preserved in the geological record, there are several plausible pathways for their formation under prebiotic conditions. We hypothesize that metal phosphites were a major source of phosphorus. To test our hypothesis, we synthesized and characterized metal phosphites, containing the most abundant cations on the …