Diatom aggregation and dimethylsulfide production in phytoplankton blooms
Phytoplankton blooms are crucial links in many of the earth's biogeochemical cycles. Blooms take up atmospheric carbon through photosynthesis, and sequester it on the ocean floor by sinking. Aggregation of single cells into [open quote]marine snow[close quote] particles speeds up the sinking of algal cells. Laboratory studies investigating the process of aggregation show that some species have a higher probability of aggregating than others, and that there exist several mechanisms for causing aggregation. Field studies confirm that some species are more likely to be found in aggregates than in the surrounding seawater. High latitude Premnesiophyte blooms are found to produce large amounts of dimethylsulflde (DMS), believed to be an important chemical in global thermoregulation. DMS is found to vary diurnally, possibly due to photooxidation by ultraviolet light. This possibility links the effects of DMS on cloud formation with the effects of increased ultraviolet light penetrating the earths ozone layer.
- Research Organization:
- California Univ., Santa Barbara, CA (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 6795399
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BIOGEOCHEMISTRY
GLOBAL ASPECTS
DIATOMS
BIOCHEMISTRY
POPULATION DYNAMICS
DIMETHYL SULFIDE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
CARBON CYCLE
OZONE LAYER
PHYTOPLANKTON
ALGAE
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
CHROMOPHYCOTA
GEOCHEMISTRY
LAYERS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
PLANKTON
PLANTS
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
540110*