Water column

About: Water column is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 13706 publications have been published within this topic receiving 496626 citations.

Variable ageing and storage of dissolved organic components in the open ocean

Abstract: Seawater dissolved organic matter (DOM) is the largest reservoir of exchangeable organic carbon in the ocean, comparable in quantity to atmospheric carbon dioxide. The composition, turnover times and fate of all but a few planktonic constituents of this material are, however, largely unknown. Models of ocean carbon cycling are thus limited by the need for information on temporal scales of carbon storage in DOM subcomponents, produced via the 'biological pump', relative to their recycling by bacteria. Here we show that carbohydrate- and protein-like substances in the open Atlantic and Pacific oceans, though often significantly aged, comprise younger fractions of the DOM, whereas dissolved lipophilic material exhibits up to approximately 90 per cent fossil character. In contrast to the millennial mean ages of DOM observed throughout the water column, weighted mean turnover times of DOM in the surface ocean are only decadal in magnitude. An observed size-age continuum further demonstrates that small dissolved molecules are the most highly aged forms of organic matter, cycling much more slowly than larger, younger dissolved and particulate precursors, and directly links oceanic organic matter age and size with reactivity.

Continuous measurements of water tensions in the xylem of trees based on the elastic properties of wood

Abstract: According to the cohesion theory for the ascent of water in vascular plants, significant tensions should develop in the water columns of transpiring trees. These tensions cause small but detectable changes in the diameter of the xylem as a consequence of adhesive forces between water molecules and the inner xylem walls. The diurnal time course of tension in the water columns in the xylem of the trunk of mature Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) was measured during the summer of 1995 by means of a displacement transducer mounted on a rigid steel frame. The apparent elastic modulus of Scots pine wood in the radial direction (E ′ r ) was determined in the laboratory and then used to estimate tensions from the measured displacement. Laboratory measurements on logs indicated that only the sapwood contributed to dimensional changes of the xylem. Corrections for thermal expansion of the system were included. Water tensions fell by 0.19 MPa over the course of the day, when needle water potentials fell by 0.50 MPa. Such data are consistent with the cohesion theory, and with the view that the hydraulic resistances to flow in above- and below-ground plant parts are of similar magnitude.

Resuspension and Diffusive Flux of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in a Hypereutrophic Lake

Abstract: Bottom sediments in shallow lakes can play a major role in releasing nutrients to the overlying water column during wind induced sediment resuspension or by constant flux due to diffusion. Internal nutrient loads due to these processes may be equal to or higher than external loads. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted on Lake Apopka, a shallow, hypereutrophic subtropical lake located in central Florida. Ammonium (NH⁺₄) and soluble reactive P (SRP) flux during sediment resuspension were measured under laboratory conditions using intact sediment cores. Ammonium N and SRP flux due soley to diffusion were assessed using in situ porewater concentrations. Average diffusive flux from sediment to the overlying water was estimated to be 25 mg NH₄-N m⁻² d⁻¹ and 1 mg P m⁻¹ d⁻². Resuspension fluxes of NH⁺₄ and SRP were higher than diffusive flux. Soluble reactive P profiles of porewater showed distinct profile differentiation, with the surface 0 to 8 cm sediment depth acting as a P-depletion zone, and the underlying sediment displaying steep gradients in porewater SRP. These results suggest that dissolved NH⁺₄ and SRP transport from the surface 8 cm of sediment was due to sediment resuspension, while below this depth, upward mobility of NH⁺₄ and SRP was regulated by diffusion. Although dissolved N and P flux is upwards (from sediment to water column), during extended periods (annual cycle) the lake is functioning as a net sink for N and P by transforming inorganic pools of nutrients into organic forms and depositing them on the sediment surface. Florida Agric. Exp. Stn. J. Ser. R-04707.

Sea Ice Ecosystems

Abstract: Polar sea ice is one of the largest ecosystems on Earth. The liquid brine fraction of the ice matrix is home to a diverse array of organisms, ranging from tiny archaea to larger fish and invertebrates. These organisms can tolerate high brine salinity and low temperature but do best when conditions are milder. Thriving ice algal communities, generally dominated by diatoms, live at the ice/water interface and in recently flooded surface and interior layers, especially during spring, when temperatures begin to rise. Although protists dominate the sea ice biomass, heterotrophic bacteria are also abundant. The sea ice ecosystem provides food for a host of animals, with crustaceans being the most conspicuous. Uneaten organic matter from the ice sinks through the water column and feeds benthic ecosystems. As sea ice extent declines, ice algae likely contribute a shrinking fraction of the total amount of organic matter produced in polar waters.

In situ calcium carbonate dissolution in the Pacific Ocean

Abstract: Over the past several years researchers have been working to synthesize the WOCE/ JGOFS global CO2 survey data to better understand carbon cycling processes in the oceans. The Pacific Ocean data set has over 35,000 sample locations with at least two carbon parameters, oxygen, nutrients, CFC tracers, and hydrographic parameters. In this paper we estimate the in situ CaCO3 dissolution rates in the Pacific Ocean water column. Calcium carbonate dissolution rates ranging from 0.01 1.1 mmol kg1 yr1 are observed in intermediate and deepwater beginning near the aragonite saturation horizon. In the North Pacific Intermediate Water between 400 and 800 m, CaCO3 dissolution rates are more than 7 times faster than observed in middle and deep water depths (average = 0.051 mmol kg1 yr1). The total amount of CaCO3 that is dissolved within the Pacific is determined by integrating excess alkalinity throughout the water column. The total inventory of CaCO3 added by particle dissolution in the Pacific Ocean, north of 40S, is 157 Pg C. This amounts to an average dissolution rate of approximately 0.31 Pg C yr1. This estimate is approximately 74% of the export production of CaCO3 estimated for the Pacific Ocean. These estimates should be considered tomore » be upper limits for in situ carbonate dissolution in the Pacific Ocean, since a portion of the alkalinity increase results from inputs from sediments.« less