Home
People
| |
Damien
Eveillard Simone Francis George Jackson |
Research
| |
Ecosystem
Models Seagrass & Kelp Marine Particles Larval Transport Biocomplexity |
Publications
| |
Preprints Technical Reports Presentations Lecture Notes |
Links
Software
Marine particles come in many shapes and
forms. Some are clay particles that
have eroded from the land and carried to the oceans by rivers. Others,
like
the image to the right (courtesy of Alice Alldredge), are agglomerates
of fecal pellets, algal cells and many different types of particles.
Particles are important since their sinking provides a mechanism to transport material from the surface waters of the ocean to the sediments.
Currently there is considerable effort world-wide to understand the role of the oceans in the global carbon cycle. The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide enters the oceans from the atmosphere through the air-sea interface. This carbon is taken up by algal cells (phytoplankton) in the surface water during photosynthesis. These small cells can form larger aggregates and sink through the water column carrying the carbon with them. Some of this carbon gets used by other organisms that feed on the sinking aggregates, but the carbon that gets incorporated into the sediments will take many eons before it resurfaces again. Understanding the mechanisms by which particles form aggregates helps us to predict how much carbon is being transported to the oceans sediments.
Our work involves developing mathematical and computer models of particle aggregation. These allow us to calculate the distribution of particle sizes and the settling velocities of particles. We have used these models to help understand the role that aggregation plays in an algal bloom REF; to help interpret measurements of radioactive thorium on marine particles REF; to incorporate particle dynamics in marine ecosystem models REF.
Currently, we are involved in the U.S. JGOFS-SMP (Joint Global Ocean Flux Study - Synthesis and Modeling Program) incorporating aggregation models in ecosystem models.
Some other people investigating marine particles:
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. OCE-972 6077.
Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
webmaster@halodule.tamu.edu Last modified: Wed Dec 20 11:20:40 CST 2000