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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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

2019

Faculty Publications

Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology

Marine snow

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Vertical Marine Snow Distribution In The Stratified Hypersaline, And Anoxic Orca Basin (Gulf Of Mexico), Arne Diercks, Kai Ziervogel, Ryan Sibert, Samantha B. Joye, Vernon Asper Feb 2019

Vertical Marine Snow Distribution In The Stratified Hypersaline, And Anoxic Orca Basin (Gulf Of Mexico), Arne Diercks, Kai Ziervogel, Ryan Sibert, Samantha B. Joye, Vernon Asper

Faculty Publications

We present a complete description of the depth distribution of marine snow in Orca Basin (Gulf of Mexico), from sea surface through the pycnocline to within 10 m of the seafloor. Orca Basin is an intriguing location for studying marine snow because of its unique geological and hydrographic setting: the deepest ~200 m of the basin are filled with anoxic hypersaline brine. A typical deep ocean profile of marine snow distribution was observed from the sea surface to the pycnocline, namely a surface maximum in total particle number and midwater minimum. However, instead of a nepheloid (particle-rich) layer positioned near …


Variations In The Abundance And Distribution Of Aggregates In The Ross Sea, Antarctica, Vernon L. Asper, Walker O. Smith Jan 2019

Variations In The Abundance And Distribution Of Aggregates In The Ross Sea, Antarctica, Vernon L. Asper, Walker O. Smith

Faculty Publications

The vertical distribution and temporal changes in aggregate abundance and sizes were measured in the Ross Sea, Antarctica between 2002 and 2005 to acquire a more complete understanding of the mechanisms and rates of carbon export from the euphotic layer. Aggregate abundance was determined by photographic techniques, and water column parameters (temperature, salinity, fluorescence, transmissometry) were assessed from CTD profiles. During the first three years the numbers of aggregates increased seasonally, being much more abundant within the upper 200 m in late summer than in early summer from 50 to 100 m (12.5 L–1 in early summer vs. 42.9 …