Formation Of Organic Aggregates Research Articles

The formation of aggregates in coral reef waters under elevated concentrations of dissolved inorganic and organic carbon: A mesocosm approach

The transformation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to particulate organic carbon is the major mechanism through which large sinking organic particles are formed in aquatic systems. Global stressors, such as high concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) due to ocean acidification, as well as local stressors, such as high DOC concentrations due to coastal eutrophication, can significantly affect the formation and settling of aggregates and thereby the marine biogeochemical carbon cycle. Increasing aggregate formation rates can contribute to the mortality of benthic organisms in coral reef ecosystems, but relevant knowledge is scarce. Therefore, the present study addresses this issue and studies the individual and combined effects of high DIC (900 μatm) and DOC (150μM glucose) on organic matter dynamics as well as the formation of organic aggregates in a manipulative study over 42days using 24 mesocosms dominated by either benthic calcifying algae or by hard corals. Organic aggregates in terms of transparent exopolymer particle (TEP) concentrations and total aggregated volume were measured. Results showed lower TEP concentrations and aggregated volume under high DIC concentrations. By contrast, under DOC enrichment higher rates of aggregate formation and microbial oxygen uptake were observed. Surprisingly, the highest aggregate formation rates were observed under the combined DIC and DOC enrichment. Furthermore, benthic organisms influenced the availability of DOC resulting in higher aggregate formation in coral compared to calcifying algae mesocosms. These experiments simulate future ocean conditions in coastal ecosystems where elevated DOC concentrations could aggravate the effect of high DIC on aggregate formation. In coral reef ecosystems, this may have important consequences on benthic organisms.

Controlled morphogenesis of amorphous silica and its relevance to biosilicification

Biogenetic biosilica displays intricate patterns that are structured on a nanometer-to-micrometer scale. At the nanoscale, it involves the polymerization products of silica, apparently mediated by the interaction between different biomolecules with special functional groups. In this paper, using tetraethyl orthosilicate [TEOS, Si(OCH2CH3)4] as a silica source, phospholipid (PL) and dodecylamine (DA) were introduced as model organic additives to investigate their influence on the formation and morphology of silica in the mineralization process. Morphology, structure, and composition of the products were characterized using a range of techniques including FESEM, TEM, SAXRD, TG-DTA, solid-state 29Si NMR, FTIR, and nitrogen physisorption. The FESEM and TEM analyses demonstrate that increasing PL concentrations at constant DA content leads to the formation of siliceous elongated structures. Localized enlargement can also be observed during further growth of elongated structures, displaying some features of the earliest recognizable stage of valve development in diatoms. In addition, in the presence or absence of PL, a series of control experiments using ammonia instead of DA show that no elongated structures are obtained, suggesting that the formation of elongated silica structures results from the cooperative interactions between PL and DA molecules. Because both organic amines (e.g., long-chain polyamines, LCPA) and phospholipid membranes (e.g., silicalemma) are of special importance for biosilicification in diatoms and sponges, our results imply that phospholipids are involved in the formation of organic aggregates, and thus influence the amines-mediated silica deposition. As such, our results may provide a new insight into the mechanism of biosilicification.

Organic aggregate formation in aerosols and its impact on the physicochemical properties of atmospheric particles

Abstract Fatty acid salts and “humic” materials, found in abundance in atmospheric particles, are both anionic surfactants. Such materials are known to form organic aggregates or colloids in solution at very low aqueous concentrations. In a marine aerosol, micelle aggregates can form at a low fatty acid salt molality of ∼10 −3 m. In other types of atmospheric particles, such as biomass burning, biogenic, soil dust, and urban aerosols, “humic-like” materials exist in sufficient quantities to form micelle-like aggregates in solution. I show micelle formation limits the ability of surface-active organics in aerosols to reduce the surface tension of an atmospheric particle beyond about 10 dyne cm −1 . A general phase diagram is presented for anionic surfactants to explain how surface-active organics can change the water uptake properties of atmospheric aerosols. Briefly such molecules can enhance and reduce water uptake by atmospheric aerosols at dry and humid conditions, respectively. This finding is consistent with a number of unexplained field and laboratory observations. Dry electron microscope images of atmospheric particles often indicate that organics may coat the surface of particles in the atmosphere. The surfactant phase diagram is used to trace the particle path back to ambient conditions in order to determine whether such coatings can exist on wet ambient aerosols. Finally, I qualitatively highlight how organic aggregate formation in aerosols may change the optical properties and chemical reactivity of atmospheric particles.

An evaluation of 14C age relationships between co‐occurring foraminifera, alkenones, and total organic carbon in continental margin sediments

Radiocarbon age relationships between co‐occurring planktic foraminifera, alkenones, and total organic carbon in sediments from the continental margins of southern Chile, northwest Africa, and the South China Sea were compared with published results from the Namibian margin. Age relationships between the sediment components are site‐specific and relatively constant over time. Similar to the Namibian slope, where alkenones have been reported to be 1000–4500 years older than co‐occurring foraminifera, alkenones were significantly (∼1000 years) older than co‐occurring foraminifera in the Chilean margin sediments. In contrast, alkenones and foraminifera were of similar age (within 2σ error or better) in the NW African and South China Sea sediments. Total organic matter and alkenone ages were similar off Namibia (age difference TOC alkenones: 200–700 years), Chile (100–450 years), and NW Africa (360–770 years), suggesting minor contributions of preaged terrigenous material. In the South China Sea, total organic carbon is significantly (2000–3000 years) older owing to greater inputs of preaged terrigenous material. Age offsets between alkenones and planktic foraminifera are attributed to lateral advection of organic matter. Physical characteristics of the depositional setting, such as seafloor morphology, shelf width, and sediment composition, may control the age of co‐occurring sediment components. In particular, offsets between alkenones and foraminifera appear to be greatest in deposition centers in morphologic depressions. Aging of organic matter is promoted by transport. Age offsets are correlated with organic richness, suggesting that formation of organic aggregates is a key process.

The humin structure of mucilage aggregates in the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian seas: hypothesis about the reasonable causes of mucilage formation

Sixteen mucilages sampled in the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian seas during 1999–2001 were characterised using spectroscopic [Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR); colorimetric], chromatographic [thin-layer chromatography (TLC)], and elemental analysis techniques. Most samples contained comparable fractions of organic and inorganic compounds, with the exception of a few samples where the inorganic fraction was greater than the organic fraction. Carbohydrates were important in the samples rich in organic matter, while carbonate and silica (quartz and biogenic silica) were the most important constituents of the inorganic fraction. Carbonate and silica were the only important constituents of the samples with a very low organic content. According to chemical analyses, mucilage aggregates show the typical structure of humin—the insoluble fraction of the humic substance. Classification of mucilage samples as humin-like compounds, together with a reexamination of the factors involved in the formation of organic aggregates in marine environment, has led to the formulation of a reasonable hypothesis for mucilage formation.

Transfer of atmospheric matter through the euphotic layer in the northwestern Mediterranean: seasonal pattern and driving forces

Abstract The transfer of atmospheric particulate matter through the surface marine layer was studied by comparing atmospheric and marine fluxes. Time series were obtained from the coupling of a coastal atmospheric sampling station (Cap Ferrat, French Riviera) and a marine sampling site (DYFAMED site, central Ligurian Sea). Liquid phase traps were used for measuring total atmospheric fluxes and sediment traps deployed at 200 m depth for measuring marine fluxes. Fluxes of mass, aluminium, and soluble anthropogenic metals (Cd, Pb and Zn) were obtained from both these reservoirs. Physical and biological time series data acquired at the DYFAMED site also were used to describe a three-step seasonal transfer scenario: (i) In summer and autumn, during the period of water stratification, marine fluxes are low and do not account for the transfer of lithogenic material, as revealed by low Al to mass flux ratios and high proportions of organic carbon at 200 m depth. Atmospheric material accumulates along the thermocline, while a series of physico-chemical processes lead to the formation of small (⩽150 μm) non-biogenic organic aggregates. (ii) In winter, the sinking of dense water that occurs in the Ligurian Sea is responsible for a rapid downward transfer of the lithogenic matter accumulated in the surface layer. The fact that soluble trace metals (e.g., cadmium) accumulated in the surface layer are only partially found in sediment traps may indicate that sorption processes play a minor role in the formation of organic aggregates, compared with coagulation processes. (iii) In spring, nutrients brought to surface waters by the winter vertical mixing allow phytoplanktonic blooms, and the transfer of atmospheric matter is then governed by the temporal variations of biological activity. The seasonal variability of the vertical transfer leads to the concept of seasonal variability of elemental residence times in the euphotic layer.

Microscopic determination of iron-organic aggregates in sea and lake waters

The size distribution and the aggregation state of particulate organic matter and particulate iron were microscopically observed by the application of histological dyeing method. They were seriously affected by the seasonal water circulation in Lake Haruna. From the results, the formation and the change of particulate iron were suggested. Iron-organic aggregates were observed both in the lake and in the sea, and the significance of their distribution was discussed in relation to the sedimentation of iron and the formation of organic aggregates.

Interaction of bubbles and bacteria in the formation of organic aggregates in sea-water.

Interaction of bubbles and bacteria in the formation of organic aggregates in sea-water.