Stable-isotope geochemistry of nitrogen in marine particulates. Doctoral thesis

Technical Report · Tue Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:6058079

Libes, S M

To investigate the fate of particulate organic matter (POM) during its transit through the water column and deposition on the seafloor, isotope studies of nitrogen and carbon were undertaken. The processes focussed on were water-column and sedimentary diagenesis. Since bacteria are known to be important in both processes, their influence on the isotope chemistry of POM was predicted to be important. The delta(15)N and delta(13)C of plankton, POM, and sediments from several oceanic sites were related to biological and hydrographic processes identified from nutrient, temperature, and salinity profiles. The sites were chosen to provide samples subject to different mineralization processes (nitrification, denitrification, and sulfate reduction), different lengths of water column (duration of the mineralization process), and differences in the size of the organic-matter flux. This was done to determine what effect these factors have on the delta(15)N of POM. Four stations were occupied in the upwelling area off the coast of Peru and one station was occupied in the Gulf of Maine.

• Research Organization: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 6058079
• Report Number(s): PB-92-112770/XAB; WHOI--83-9; CNN: NSF-OCE-80-24442
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ATLANTIC OCEAN
BACTERIA
CARBON 13
CARBON ISOTOPES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
COASTAL REGIONS
DENITRIFICATION
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DIAGENESIS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
GEOCHEMISTRY
GULF OF MAINE
ISOTOPES
LATIN AMERICA
LIGHT NUCLEI
MASS TRANSFER
MATTER
MICROORGANISMS
MINERALIZATION
NITRIFICATION
NITROGEN 15
NITROGEN CYCLE
NITROGEN ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC MATTER
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
PERU
PLANKTON
SAMPLING
SEAS
SEDIMENTS
SITE SURVEYS
SOUTH AMERICA
STABLE ISOTOPES
SURFACE WATERS
UPWELLING