Biogeochemistry Commons^™

Estimating Hydroxyl Radical Photochemical Formation Rates In Natural Waters During Long-Term Laboratory Irradiation Experiments, Luni Sun, Hongmei Chen, Hussain A. Abdulla, Kenneth Mopper

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

In this study it was observed that, during long-term irradiations (>1 day) of natural waters, the methods for measuring hydroxyl radical (˙OH) formation rates based upon sequentially determined cumulative concentrations of photoproducts from probes significantly underestimate actual ˙OH formation rates. Performing a correction using the photodegradation rates of the probe products improves the ˙OH estimation for short term irradiations (<1 day), but not long term irradiations. Only the ‘instantaneous’ formation rates, which were obtained by adding probes to aliquots at each time point and irradiating these sub-samples for a short time (≤2 h), were found appropriate for accurately estimating ˙OH photochemical formation rates during long-term laboratory irradiation experiments. Our results also showed that in iron- and dissolved organic matter (DOM)-rich water samples, ˙OH appears to be mainly produced from the Fenton reaction initially, but subsequently from other sources possibly from DOM photoreactions. Pathways of ˙OH formation in long-term irradiations in relation to H2O2 and iron concentrations are discussed.

Ionic Liquid Extraction Unveils Previously Occluded Humicbound Iron In Peat Porewater, Timothy J. Veverica

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Extracellular iron reduction has been suggested as a candidate metabolic pathway that may explain a large proportion of carbon respiration in temperate peatlands. However, the o-phenanthroline colorimetric method commonly employed to quantitate iron and partition between redox species is known to be unreliable in the presence of humic and fulvic acids, both of which represent a considerable proportion of peatland dissolved organic matter. We propose ionic liquid extraction as a more accurate iron quantitation and redox speciation method in humic-rich peat porewater. We evaluated both o-phenanthroline and ionic liquid extraction in four distinct peatland systems spanning a gradient of physico-chemical …

Wetlands And Greenhouse Gas Fluxes: Causes And Effects Of Climate Change – A Meta-Analysis, Robert E. Ventura

Pomona Senior Theses

Climate change is one of the largest problems facing this generation. Anthropogenically caused increases of greenhouse gas emissions is a significant culprit to this problem. Although the obvious problems such as cars, industry, and urbanism garnish a significant amount of the criticism, natural sources such as wetlands are also beginning to contribute to this issue. This is becoming increasingly significant as wetlands shift from being sinks of greenhouse gases to becoming sources as various anthropogenic impacts, including global warming itself, begin to affect the health of the wetlands. The aim of this project is to look at four common types …

The Influence Of Hydrogeomorphology, Soil Redox Conditions, And Salinity On The Spatial Zoning Of Saltgrass, Salt Rush, And Cattails In Scotts Creek Marsh, Swanton Pacific Ranch, Ca, Mark D. Gormley

Master's Theses

Scotts Creek Marsh (SCM) is a small coastal wetland ecosystem in Davenport, CA. The vegetation of SCM is dominated by three halophytic zones comprised of saltgrass, salt rush, cattails. The objectives of the study were (i) to investigate the variables that influence the zoning of the three dominant halophyte communities in SCM and (ii) to the test the effectiveness of Indicator of Reduction in Soil (IRIS) tubes to indicate the reduction of S. The study examined the following parameters from April 6 to July 21, 2013: (i) the HGM of Scotts Creek Marsh, (ii) soil oxidation and reduction (redox) conditions, …

Spectroscopic Study Of Uranium (Vi) Reduction By Plant Biomass, Margaret C. Murphy, John Bargar, Noémie Janot

STAR Program Research Presentations

Uranium is a common and problematic groundwater contaminant at Department of Energy legacy sites. At the former uranium ore processing plant at Rifle, Colorado, sediments rich in decayed plant biomass contain large concentrations of uranium that are slowly being released back to the aquifer. To simulate the reaction that occurs in organic rich sediments of the Rifle aquifer, biomass was incubated in U (VI) bearing groundwater. Carbon X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was then used to measure if uranium was bound to the biomass. When uranium binds to biomass the peaks in the C XAS spectra will change shape. Uranium L …

Cycling Of Molecular Hydrogen In Subarctic Sweden, Victoria Ward

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Dopamine Dynamics In Bdnf+/- Mice Using In Vivo Microdialysis And Electrochemical Analysis Of Purine And Monoamine Molecules Using A Boron-Doped Diamond Electrode, Johnna A. Birbeck

Wayne State University Dissertations

The goal of the first study was to determine if a reduction in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in female mice lead to a dysregulation in their dopaminergic system. Through a series of in vivo microdialysis and slice voltammetry experiments, we have discerned that female BDNF^+/- mice are hyperdopaminergic similar to their male BDNF^+/- counterparts. The in vivo microdialysis method zero-net flux highlighted that female BDNF^+/- mice had increased extracellular dopamine (DA) levels, while stimulated regional release by high potassium potentiated DA release from vesicular mediated depolarization. Using the complementary technique of fast scan cyclic voltammetry, electrical …

Improved Method For Quantifying The Air-Sea Flux Of Volatile And Semi-Volatile Organic Carbon, Emily Hauser, Rebecca M. Dickhut, Renee Falconer, Andrew S. Wozniak

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

A method for quantifying the diffusive air-sea exchange of gaseous organic carbon (OC) was developed. OC compounds were separated into two operational pools-those that were kinetically air limited in diffusion across the air-sea interface and those that were water limited-during simultaneous air/water sampling. The method separates OC compounds into low Henry's law constant (low-H) semivolatile OC (SOC) and high Henry's law constant (high-H) volatile OC (VOC) pools that can be categorized by relating diffusion kinetic parameters to Henry's Law constant. Air limited (low-H; H << similar to 0.1 L atm mol(^-1)) compounds were collected in pure water traps and were quantified as dissolved OC, whereas …

Dissolved Organic Matter Composition And Bioavailability Reflect Ecosystem Productivity In The Western Arctic Ocean, Yuan Shen, Cedric Fichot, Ronald Benner

Faculty Publications

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total dissolved amino acids (TDAA) were measured in high (Chukchi Sea) and low (Beaufort Sea) productivity regions of the western Arctic Ocean to investigate the composition and bioavailability of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Concentrations and DOC-normalized yields of TDAA in Chukchi surface waters were relatively high, indicating an accumulation of bioavailable DOM. High concentrations and yields of TDAA were also observed in the upper halocline of slope and basin waters, indicating off-shelf transport of bioavailable DOM from the Chukchi Sea. In contrast, concentrations and yields of TDAA in Beaufort surface waters were relatively low, indicting …

Production Of Bioactive Secondary Metabolites By Florida Harmful Bloom Dinoflagellates Karenia Brevis And Pyrodinium Bahamense, Cheska Burleson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the critical role algae serve as primary producers, increases or accumulation of certain algae may result in Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Algal toxins from these blooms contribute significantly to incidences of food borne illness, and evidence suggests HABs are expanding in frequency and distribution. Mitigation of these HABs without knowledge of the ecological purpose and biochemical regulation of their toxins is highly unlikely. The production, function, and potential of secondary metabolites produced by the dinoflagellates Karenia brevis and Pyrodinium bahamense, were investigated.

Brevetoxins were demonstrated by two different methods to localize within the cytosol of Karenia brevis. …

Spectroscopic Characterization Of Dissolved Organic Matter: Insights Into Composition, Photochemical Transformation And Carbon Cycling, John Robert Helms

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores processes affecting the composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and how DOM composition changes in sunlit surface waters and in the dark interior ocean. Simulated solar irradiations were used to investigate the impact of photochemistry on terrestrial waters and deep ocean DOM. The photochemically mediated processes observed in Dismal Swamp samples included (i) light induced flocculation of up to 12% of the organic matter and 84% of the dissolved iron originally present; (ii) 74-88% mineralization of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and 95-99% bleaching of chromophoric DOM (CDOM) during 110 days of irradiation; and (iii) nearly complete loss …

Global Estimates Of Mineral Dust Aerosol Iron And Aluminum Solubility That Account For Particle Size Using Diffusion-Controlled And Surface-Area-Controlled Approximations, Qin Han, Charles S. Zender, J. Keith Moore, Clifton S. Buck, Ying Chen, Anne Johansen, Christopher I. Measures

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Mineral aerosol deposition is recognized as the dominant source of iron to the open ocean and the solubility of iron in the dust aerosol is highly variable, with measurements ranging from 0.01–80%. Global models have difficulty capturing the observed variations in solubility, and have ignored the solubility dependence on aerosol size. We introduce two idealized physical models to estimate the size dependence of mineral aerosol solubility: a diffusion‐controlled model and a surface‐area‐controlled model. These models produce differing time‐ and space‐varying solubility maps for aerosol Fe and Al given the dust age at deposition, size‐resolved dust entrainment fields, and the aerosol …

Determination Of Caffeine As A Marker For Septic Tank Contamination Of Wilgreen Lake, Rosemary Onjiko, Susan Godbey, Walter S. Borowski, Darrin Smith, Lori Wilson

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Wilgreen Lake in Richmond, Kentucky, has been listed by both the state and the Environmental Protection Agency as an “impaired” lake due to excess nutrients, which may be in part contributed by domestic septic systems. Caffeine can be used as an anthropogenic marker to estimate the contribution of septic tank effluent to the lake. We have modified existing analytical methods to produce a viable method for the determination of caffeine in environmental water samples and applied the method to water samples collected from Wilgreen Lake. The modified method allows determination of caffeine in a concentration range of 75 to 10,000 …

Fossil And Contemporary Aerosol Particulate Organic Carbon In The Eastern United States: Implications For Deposition And Inputs To Watersheds, Andrew S. Wozniak, James E. Bauer, Rebecca M. Dickhut

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Atmospheric particulate matter samples were collected from mid-Atlantic and northeastern U. S. (Virginia and New York, respectively) sites to assess the fossil versus contemporary sources contributing to aerosol organic carbon (OC) and the implications for its deposition to watersheds. Mean particulate matter total OC (TOC) deposition rates (wet + dry deposition) were calculated to be 1.6 and 2.4 mg C m^-2 d^-1 for the Virginia and New York sites, respectively. Wet deposition of particulate TOC was determined to be the dominant depositional mode, accounting for >65% (Virginia) and >80% (New York) of total aerosol TOC deposition. Isotopic mass …

Temporal And Spatial Variations In Freshwater 14C Reservoir Effects: Lake Mývatn, Northern Iceland, Philippa L. Ascough, G. T. Cook, M. J. Church, E. Dunbar, Á. Einarsson, Thomas H. Mcgovern, A. J. Dugmore, Sophia Perdikaris, H. Hastie, A. Friðriksson, H. Gestsdóttir

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

Lake Mývatn is an interior highland lake in northern Iceland that forms a unique ecosystem of international scientific importance and is surrounded by a landscape rich in archaeological and paleoenvironmental sites. A significant freshwater reservoir effect (FRE) has been identified in carbon from the lake at some Viking (about AD 870–1000) archaeological sites in the wider region (Mývatnssveit). Previous accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurements indicated this FRE was about 1500–1900 ¹⁴C yr. Here, we present the results of a study using stable isotope and ¹⁴C measurements to quantify the Mývatn FRE for both the Viking and modern periods. …

Anthropogenic Osmium In Rain And Snow Reveals Global-Scale Atmospheric Contamination, Cynthia Chen, Peter N. Sedwick, Mukul Sharma

OES Faculty Publications

Osmium is one of the rarer elements in seawater, with typical concentration of ≈10 x 10^-15 g g^-1 ( 5.3 x 10^-14 mol kg^-1. The osmium isotope composition (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio) of deep oceans is 1.05, reflecting a balance between inputs from continental crust (≈ 1.3) and mantle/cosmic dust (≈ 0.13). Here, we show that the ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios measured in rain and snow collected around the world range from 0.16 to 0.48, much lower than expected (>1), but similar to the isotope composition of ores (approximate to 0.2) …

Development And Application Of A Gg-Irms Reductive Pyrolysis Reactor Interface For The Δ34S Determination Of Sulfur In Individual Organic Compounds, N. Deborah Hewlett

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The incorporation of sulfur into sedimentary organic matter is an important aspect of organic carbon preservation. A better understanding of the sulfur cycle and the formation of organo-sulfur compounds are necessary if we are to better understand the interaction of biogeochemical cycles of C, N, O, H. and S. Currently, the determination of ³⁴S/³²S in organic matter is limited to bulk organic samples. The sulfur isotopic analysis of individual organo-sulfur compounds within the sediments should allow for a more complete understanding of the sulfur cycle and the processes which lead to sulfur incorporation into organic matter. This …

A Biogeochemical Comparison Of Fossil (Carboniferous) And Modern Crustose Red Algae, Michael A. Kruge, John E. Utgaard, William Ferry

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The nature of the contribution of the various types of algae to sedimentary organic matter continues to be a topic of research interest. Crustose red algae have however received less attention than other types. The fossil calcareous red algae (Rhodophyta) analyzed in this study are two relatively unrecrystallized specimens of Parachaetetes (Family Solenoporacea) from the lower part of the Ste. Genevieve Formation (Carboniferous, Visean) in Union County, Illinois, USA. They occurred in the patch reef phase of a small carbonate mudmound-patchreef. The three modern specimens (collected and identified by F. Collier) are the crustose algae Lithothamnion, Clathromorphum and Phymatolithon …

Identification And Quantitation Of Volatile Amines In Marine Sediments, Chuen Mei Huang

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Pore waters which were taken from sediments of the Chesapeake Bay were analyzed to determine the presence of volatile amines. A purge-and-trap technique was used to concentrate the amines. Then, following derivatization with heptaflourobutyric anhydride, the HFBA-amines were analyzed by gas chromatography with electron capture detection and with mass spectrometric detection. One secondary amine, diethylamine with a concentration of 0.3-0.6 uM, was found in a total of three pore water samples from cores collected on two different dates. A primary amine, sec-butylamine with a concentration of O. 05 AIM, was also found in one of these same samples. Another primary …

Water Chemistry Survey Of Boulder Basin, Lake Mead, P. R. Tramutt, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

The survey results indicate that the impoundment of water behind Hoover Dam has not adversely affected the dissolved oxygen (DO) content and that water quality and DO content were uniform regardless of depth. The study made in April-May 1964 will provide water quality data of Lake Mead prior to releases from Lake Powell as a basis for evaluating Lake Powell's effect on water quality and limnology of Lake Mead. The performance of a DO analyzer was tested and found unsatisfactory at depths below 150 ft. Parameters tested by standard chemical analyses of water samples in the Denver Laboratory and by …