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 Cretaceous was a period of extreme climatic conditions accompanied
by major perturbations in ocean-atmosphere biogeochemical cycles. One of the
most intriguing features is the sporadic interruption of normal marine pelagic
sediment deposition by organic rich sediments deposited during oxygen-deficient
conditions (ocean anoxic events OAEs). A current model for the...
The objectives of this dissertation were to describe the complex oceanographic conditions around the Galápagos Archipelago (eastern equatorial Pacific), their seasonal variability, and their effects on patterns of cetacean occurrence. The physical and ecological factors leading to a plume of high phytoplankton biomass in the wake of the Galápagos were...
Concern regarding increased coastal erosion has heightened amid growing acceptance of global warming and associated sea-level rise. This study examines shoreline erosion in Flathead Lake, Montana due to five decades of artificially elevated lake levels. It provides a model to investigate coastal erosion associated with sea-level rise. The natural water...
Birth and pupping season records of Pacific harbor seals
(Phoca vitulina richardsi) were used in an analysis of
photoperiod effect on the timing of birth in this species. Dates
and latitudes of births were converted into photoperiods using a
photoperiod equation. Sequential dates from parturition were
converted into photoperiods and...
The increase in modern atmospheric CO₂ concentration (360 ppm) from
pre-industrial levels (280 ppm) raises concern over the impact of anthropogenic
carbon dioxide input on atmospheric chemistry. For this reason, it is important to
understand the natural fluctuations of atmospheric carbon dioxide in the past. The
Vostok ice core record...