We present a study of the ocean circulation using state of the art numerical and data assimilation techniques. The second chapter of the thesis presents the development and application of generalized inversion to a simple dynamical model of Lake Kinneret. The intent was to develop the necessary tools to implement...
Nares Strait is one of three main passages of the Canadian Archipelago that
channels freshwater from the Arctic Ocean to the North Atlantic. There are very few
observations regarding the role of this region on the present day Arctic freshwater budget,
and even less regarding the changes in freshwater fluxes...
An autonomous, in-situ instrument was developed to detect dissolved copper in seawater, suitable for deployment on time scales from weeks to months. A commercially available in-situ nitrate analyzer (YSI 9600) was adapted to measure copper (II) in seawater by chemiluminescence. Modifications included construction of a photomultiplier (PMT) based detector and...
The biological transformation of dinitrogen gas (N2) into combined forms(termed N2 fixation) by certain genera of oceanic cyanobacteria represents the largest incoming flux of nitrogen to the global ocean. As such, biological nitrogen fixation
plays a significant role in the regulation of oceanic productivity and the export of
carbon and...
The mathematical and physical connections between three different ways of quantifying linear predictability in geophysical fluid systems are studied in a series of analytical and numerical models. Normal modes, as they are traditionally formulated in the instabilities theories of geophysical fluid dynamics, characterize the asymptotic development of disturbances to stationary...
Plate boundaries are commonly regions of complex, diffuse deformation with
the motion across the boundary accommodated by numerous structural systems, rather
than being narrow, discrete zones of deformation. One such boundary occurs where
the North American plate makes contact with Juan de Fuca, Gorda, and Pacific plates
along the west...
Our view of phytoplankton has historically revolved around their inability to
control their location in space. The term phytoplankton itself underscores this
particular difference between phytoplankton and their sessile terrestrial counterparts.
Yet there are other differences between land plants and the phytoplankton that are
perhaps equally important, beyond this sessile-planktonic...
Experiments were designed to answer key questions about diatom-derived organic matter cycling (i.e., production and degradation) in coastal systems. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) production was examined in axenic batch cultures of five diatom species. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) release rates varied between species, but were significantly higher for all species...
Modern upwelling conditions and corresponding oceanographic properties are investigated and reconstructed for the Late Quaternary. The oceanographic conditions considered influence diatom ecology and the record of fossil diatom frustules in the sediments.
Diatoms from modern sediments are evaluated as paleoceanographic proxies and transfer functions (TFs) are calibrated using the Imbrie...
Tropical instability waves (TIWs) are prominent seasonal features in both the equatorial Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This work quantifies their role in modulating the distributions of nutrients and phytoplankton biomass. Using an eight year record of biannual ship observations along the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) buoy array, cruise sections crossing...