This thesis investigates the influence of early diagenesis on trace metal and
molybdenum isotope behavior in marine and lacustrine environments. Chapter one is a
synthesis of previous research in all the marine environments investigated, providing an
essential geochemical context for interpreting the observed behavior of Mo in these settings.
Chapter...
Sediments of the central Chile margin record changes in ocean circulation and
continental erosion associated with large–scale climate change. Here Antarctic–
influenced Southern Ocean currents flow equatorward, forming a link between the high–
and low–latitude oceans. Part of this link, Antarctic Intermediate Water, is an important
conduit that ventilates South...
Ocean circulation is an important component in Earth's climate system. Predicting future climate and circulation changes requires an improved understanding of the past relationship between climate and ocean currents. The neodymium isotope composition (εNd) of water masses is frequently used as a quasi-conservative tracer to reconstruct ocean circulation. The current...
Large barite (BaSO4) structures mark cold seeps in the southern San Clemente Basin. Barium flux to San Clemente sediments is two to three times greater than fluxes measured in surrounding California Borderland basins. Analyses of sediment trap material, water column samples, sediments and pore water indicate that expected bariumbearing mineral...
The exchange of waters between the Pacific and the Southern Oceans occurs along the eastern boundary of the South Pacific. Because water masses of the Antarctic provide a connection among the world's ocean basins, these water masses maintain the ability to influence changes in ocean circulation and climate (Lynch-Stieglitz et...
This study is composed of two parts. Section I deals with
developed moorages and marinas--where they are; what services are
offered in each, and how well the existing supply of permanent moorages
serves the boating public. Section II examines the need for temporary
'harbors of refuge' in the area, what...
We present concentrations of germanium and silicon in sediment pore waters, basaltic formation fluids,
and bulk sediment from three ridge flank hydrothermal systems (RFHS). Basaltic formation fluids from
warm (>30°C) RFHS have much higher Ge concentrations and Ge:Si molar ratios than overlying sediment
pore waters, requiring seawater-basalt reactions to dominate...
Tillamook Bay is the second largest estuary on the Oregon coast, and concerns have been raised whether human induced impacts have been responsible for the perceived increase in sedimentation rates during the past century. Major land-use practices within the five watersheds of the Bay include logging, forest fires, the construction...
Subsurface hydrothermal activity dominates the heat and salt budgets of the deep water column in Crater Lake, Oregon. From a time series of conductivity-temperature-depth data and data from a thermistor chain mooring, we estimate that the net hydrothermal heat flow is ~1 W m⁻² and the corresponding salt flux is...
The investigation described in this project will test the hypothesis that fluxes of carbon, barium, manganese, iron and uranium associated with fluid seepage at the San Clemente fracture zone significantly affect the geochemical budgets for these elements, and ultimately result in anomalously high benthic fluxes throughout the San Clemente basin.
A meaningful application of Mo as a paleo-redox proxy requires an understanding of Mo cycling in modern reducing environments. Stagnant euxinic basins such as the Black Sea are generally regarded as model systems for understanding euxinic systems during early Earth history. However, drawing direct parallels between the Black Sea and...
As a result of the past three years of field studies and our interpretation of these and other data from the literature, we conclude that there are inputs of hydrothermal fluids into the bottom of Crater Lake. The dissolved materials associated with these thermally and chemically enriched fluids, coupled with...
This dissertation works towards determining the mechanisms driving the Mo isotopic composition of soils, and how these signals may be used to refine the use of Mo as a proxy of biogeochemical processes. The first step towards quantifying Mo fractionation in soils is to determine the mechanisms controlling Mo accumulation,...
A benthic microbial fuel cell (BMFC) is an electrochemical device that
generates current from the redox gradient at the sediment-water interface. Early
prototypes had anodes buried in anoxic sediments and cathodes in overlying water.
The BMFCs described in this dissertation are based on a chamber design that enables
the use...
This thesis presents the results of a formal evaluation of a new AOGCM, GENMOM, demonstrating its ability to simulate present-day climate and ENSO dynamics. The model is applied to simulate climate for the Last Glacial Maximum, deglacial, and Holocene time periods. The model output is evaluated against the best available...
Benthic incubation chambers have been deployed in a variety of geochemical environments that provide a comprehensive geochemical framework from which to address issues related to Ba geochemistry and the use of Ba as a paleoproxy. First order budgets for barium show that in the equatorial Pacific, present rates of Ba...
Flux estimates show that upward mixing of the deep-water nitrate pool accounts for more than 85% of the total new nitrogen input to the euphotic zone of Crater Lake. Because measured primary productivity (360 mg C m-2 d-1) is 10–30 times higher than a level supported solely by the input...
We present molybdenum isotope and concentration data from 14 sites in the eastern Pacific from the
central California to the Peru margin. The environments studied have been chosen to represent a broad
range in oxidation-reduction (redox) potential, which provide a framework for the behavior of this redox-sensitive
element. Manganese-rich hemipelagic...
We present a new estimate for the crustal phosphorous sink that results from reactions among seawater, basalt, and sediment blanketing low temperature mid-ocean ridge flank hydrothermal systems. New estimates for global hydrothermal power output, sediment thickness, and the dissolved phosphate concentrations in basement formation fluids indicate that fluid flow through...