Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

About: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a nonprofit organization based out in Falmouth, Massachusetts, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Mantle (geology). The organization has 5685 authors who have published 18396 publications receiving 1202050 citations. The organization is also known as: WHOI.

Characterization of dissolved organic matter in the Black Sea by fluorescence spectroscopy

Abstract: THE natural fluorescence properties of sea water provide a means of elucidating the complex chemical composition and diverse sources of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in sea water1–6. The positions of excitation and emission maxima for a wide range of natural water samples show remarkable similarity7. High-sensitivity fluorescence spectroscopic studies8 have shown recently that emission maxima for marine and coastal waters differ by 20 nm when the excitation wavelength is 313 nm. Here we present evidence from three-dimensional excitation emission matrix (EEM) spectroscopy that at least three fluorophores are present in waters of the Black Sea. Distinct changes in the relative abundance of these fluorophores are observed as a function of depth. We suggest that three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy can be used to distinguish between different types and sources of DOM in natural waters. These findings may have important applications in the field of remote sensing of phytoplankton pigments. For example, a better understanding of the sources of DOM components will help in correcting9,10 remotely sensed data for the presence of gelbstoff (yellow-coloured DOM11, which plays an important part in radiation absorption by surface waters).

The deepening of the wind-Mixed layer

Abstract: A simple model is given that describes the response of the upper ocean to an imposed wind stress. The stress drives both mean and turbulent flow near the surface, which is taken to mix thoroughly a layer of depth h, and to erode the stably stratified fluid below. A marginal stability criterion based on a Froude number is used to close the problem, and it is suggested that the mean momentum has a strong role in the mixing process. The initial deepening is predicted to obey where u. is the friction velocity of the imposed stress, N the ambient buoyancy frequency, and t the time. After one-half inertial period the deepening is arrested by rotadeon at a depth h = 22/4 u.{(Nf)+ where f is the Coriolis frequency. The flow is then a “mixed Ekman” layer, with strong inertial oscillations superimposed on it. Three quarters of the mean energy of the deepening layer is found to be kinetic, and only one-quarter potential. Heating and cooling are included in the model, but stress dominates for time-scales of ...

The role of H2O during crystallization of primitive arc magmas under uppermost mantle conditions and genesis of igneous pyroxenites: an experimental study

Abstract: Exposed, subduction-related magmatic arcs commonly include sections of ultramafic plutonic rocks that are composed of dunite, wehrlite, and pyroxenite. In this experimental study we examined the effects of variable H2O concentration on the phase proportions and compositions of igneous pyroxenites and related ultramafic plutonic rocks. Igneous crystallization experiments simulated natural, arc magma compositions at 1.2 GPa, corresponding to conditions of the arc lower crust. Increasing H2O concentration in the liquid changes the crystallization sequence. Low H2O concentration in the liquid stabilizes plagioclase earlier than garnet and amphibole while derivative liquids remain quartz normative. Higher H2O contents (>3%) suppress plagioclase and lead to crystallization of amphibole and garnet thereby producing derivative corundum normative andesite liquids. The experiments show that alumina in the liquid correlates positively with Al in pyroxene, as long as no major aluminous phase crystallizes. Extrapolation of this correlation to natural pyroxenites in the Talkeetna and Kohistan arc sections indicates that clinopyroxenes with low Ca-Tschermaks component represent near-liquidus phases of primitive, Si-rich hydrous magmas. Density calculations on the residual solid assemblages indicate that ultramafic plutonic rocks are always denser than upper mantle rocks in the order of 0.05 to 0.20 g/cm3. The combination of high pressure and high H2O concentration in the liquid suppresses plagioclase crystallization, so that ultramafic plutonic rocks form over a significant proportion of the crystallization interval (up to 50% crystallization of ultramafic rocks from initial, mantle-derived liquids). This suggests that in subduction-related magmatic arcs the seismic Moho might be shallower than the petrologic crust/mantle transition. It is therefore possible that calculations based on seismic data have overestimated the normative plagioclase content (e.g., SiO2, Al2O3) of igneous crust in arcs.