Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Estimating Inorganic Carbon Flux From Coal Mining Discharge Portals In The Bituminous Coal Field Region Of Pennsylvania, Lauren J. Rockwell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

A fundamental driver of the adverse effects associated with coal mining is the interplay of water and oxygen within mined sites, leading to the creation of coal mine drainage (CMD). One often overlooked consequence of CMD is the release of geologically-bound carbon as carbon dioxide (CO₂). The interaction of CMD with carbonate rocks, specifically the presence of sulfuric acid driving the dissolution of these rocks, leads to the release of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). This study examined 25 CMD locations in an approximately 2,370 km² area within the bituminous coal field region of Pennsylvania (PA), specifically in …

Reconstructing Surface Water Carbonate Ion Concentration Changes In The Eastern Equatorial Pacific Across Glacial Transitions, Lenzie Gail Ward

OES Theses and Dissertations

Today, the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP) plays a critical role in the global CO₂ budget as a major source of CO₂ to the atmosphere, but recent studies suggest the region may shift to a sink for atmospheric CO₂ under different climate states. Here, I focus on two transitional periods, the last deglaciation (25 kyr to present) and last glaciation (the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5a-4 transition, 96 to 60 kyr), to investigate how the carbon system in the EEP responds to major climate changes. I measured B/Ca ratios in the planktic foraminifera Globigerina bulloides from core MV1014-17JC …

Sequence And Chemostratigraphic Study Across The Basal Eureka Quartzite Unconformity In The Great Basin, Nevada: Implications For The Origin Of The Late Ordovician Carbon Isotope Excursion, Apostolos Paul Kosmidis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The positive carbon isotope (δ 13 C) excursion from the late Middle Ordovician Copenhagen Formation that underlies the Eureka Quartzite in central Nevada has been hypothesized to record a global cooling event ∼10 Myr prior to the well-recognized Late Ordovician Hirnantian glaciation (∼443 Ma). However, direct evidence for pre-Hirnantian continental glaciation remains scarce, raising uncertainties in the relationship between the inferred eustatic sea-level fall and the origin of the positive δ 13 C excursion. Additionally, previous stratigraphic studies from southern Nevada and California suggest relative sea-level fall in excess of ∼ 150 meters, which exceeds estimates for younger glacial periods …

Export Of Terrestrial Dissolved Organic Matter Along A River To Ocean Transect Of The Lower Chesapeake Bay Investigated By Advanced Analytical Techniques, Rachel Leigh Sleighter

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Ultrahigh resolution electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICR-MS) has proved essential for the complete separation of the thousands of peaks present in natural organic matter (NOM), a complex assemblage of organic molecules present in water, soils, and sediments. An improved understanding of its composition is crucial to understand how pollutants interact with NOM and how NOM cycles through global carbon cycles.

Optimizing the acquisition and handling of the FTICR mass spectra is the first step to obtaining high quality data. A simple method to internally calibrate the peaks in the complex spectra, using naturally present fatty …