The Southern Ocean (ca. 20% of the world ocean surface) is a key place for the regulation of Earth climate thanks to its capacity to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) by physico-chemical and biological mechanisms. The biological carbon pump is a major pathway of absorption of CO2 through which the CO2 incorporated into autotrophic microorganisms in surface waters is transferred to deep waters. This process is influenced by the extent of the primary production and by the intensity of the remineralization of organic matter along the water column. So, the annual cycle of sea ice, through its in situ production and remineralization processes but also, through the release of microorganisms, organic and inorganic nutrients (in particular iron)into the ocean has an impact on the carbon cycle of the Southern Ocean, notably by promoting the initiation of phytoplanktonic blooms at time of ice melting. The present work focussed on the distribution of organic matter (OM) and its interactions with the microbial network (algae, bacteria and protozoa) in sea ice and ocean, with a special attention to the factors which regulate the biological carbon pump of the Southern Ocean. This thesis gathers data collected from a) late winter to summer in the Western Pacific sector, Western Weddell Sea and Bellingshausen Sea during three sea ice cruises ARISE, ISPOL-drifting station and SIMBA-drifting station and b) summer in the Sub-Antarctic and Polar Front Zone during the oceanographic cruise SAZ-Sense. The sea ice covers were typical of first-year pack ice with thickness ranging between 0.3 and 1.2 m, and composed of granular and columnar ice. Sea ice temperature ranging between -8.9°C and -0.4°C, brines volume ranging between 2.9 to 28.2% and brines salinity from 10 to >100 were observed. These extreme physicochemical factors experienced by the microorganisms trapped into the semi-solid sea ice matrix therefore constitute an extreme change as compared to the open ocean. Sea ice algae were mainly composed of diatoms but autotrophic flagellates (such as dinoflagellates or Phaeocystis sp.) were also typically found in surface ice layers. Maximal algal biomass was usually observed in the bottom ice layers except during SIMBA where the maxima was localised in the top ice layers likely because of the snow and ice thickness which limit the light available in the ice cover. During early spring, the algal growth was controlled by the space availability (i.e. brine volume) while in spring/summer (ISPOL, SIMBA) the major nutrients availability inside sea ice may have controlled algal growth. At all seasons, high concentrations of dissolved and particulate organic matter were measured in sea ice as compared to the water column. Dissolved monomers (saccharides and amino acids) were accumulated in sea ice, in particular in winter. During spring and summer, polysaccharides constitute the main fraction of the dissolved saccharides pool. High concentrations of transparent exopolymeric particles (TEP), mainly constituted with saccharides, were present and their gel properties greatly influence the internal habitat of sea ice, by retaining the nutrients and by preventing the protozoa grazing pressure, inducing therefore an algal accumulation. The composition as well as the vertical distribution of OM in sea ice was linked to sea ice algae. Besides, the distribution of microorganisms and organic compounds in the sea ice was also greatly influenced by the thermodynamics of the sea ice cover, as evidenced during a melting period for ISPOL and during a floodfreeze cycle for SIMBA. The bacteria distribution in the sea ice was not correlated with those of algae and organic matter. Indeed, the utilization of the accumulated organic matter by bacteria seemed to be limited by an external factor such as temperature, salinity or toxins rather than by the nature of the organic substrates, which are partly composed of labile monomeric saccharides. Thus the disconnection of the microbial loop leading to the OM accumulation was highlighted in sea ice. In addition the biofilm formed by TEP was also involved in the retention of cells and other compounds(DOM, POM, and inorganic nutrients such as phosphate and iron) to the brine channels walls and thus in the timing of release of ice constituents when ice melts. The sequence of release in marginal ice zone, as studied in a microcosm experiments realized in controlled and trace-metal clean conditions, was likely favourable to the development of blooms in the marginal ice zone. Moreover microorganisms derived from sea ice (mainly <10 µm) seems able to thrive and grow in the water column as also the supply of organic nutrients and Fe seems to benefit to the pelagic microbial community. Finally, the influence of the remineralization of organic matter by heterotrophic bacterioplankton on carbon export and biological carbon pump efficiency was investigated in the epipelagic (0-100 m) and mesopelagic(100-700 m) zones during the summer in the sub-Antarctic and Polar Front zones (SAZ and PFZ) of the Australian sector (Southern Ocean). Opposite to sea ice, bacterial biomass and activities followed Chl a and organic matter distributions. Bacterial abundance, biomass and activities drastically decreased below depths of 100-200 m. Nevertheless, depth-integrated rates through the thickness of the different water masses showed that the mesopelagic contribution of bacteria represents a non-negligible fraction, in particular in a diatom-dominated system./ L’océan Antarctique (± 20% de la surface totale des océans) est un endroit essentiel pour la régulation du climat de notre planète grâce à sa capacité d’absorber le dioxyde de carbone (CO2) atmosphérique par des mécanismes physico-chimique et biologique. La pompe biologique à carbone est un processus majeur de fixation de CO2 par les organismes autotrophes à la surface de l’océan et de transfert de carbone organique vers le fond de l’océan. Ce processus est influencé par l’importance de la production primaire ainsi que par l’intensité de la reminéralisation de la matière organique dans la colonne d’eau. Ainsi, le cycle annuel de la glace via sa production/reminéralisation in situ mais aussi via l’ensemencement de l’océan avec des microorganismes et des nutriments organiques et inorganiques (en particulier le fer) a un impact sur le cycle du carbone dans l’Océan Antarctique, notamment en favorisant l’initiation d’efflorescences phytoplanctoniques dans la zone marginale de glace. Plus précisément, nous avons étudié les interactions entre le réseau microbien (algues, bactéries et protozoaires) et la matière organique dans le but d’évaluer leurs impacts potentiels sur la pompe biologique de carbone dans l’Océan Austral. Deux écosystèmes différents ont été étudiés : la glace de mer et le milieu océanique grâce à des échantillons prélevés lors des campagnes de glace ARISE, ISPOL et SIMBA et lors de la campagne océanographique SAZ-Sense, couvrant une période allant de la fin de l’hiver à l’été. La glace de mer est un environnement très particulier dans lequel les microorganismes planctoniques se trouvent piégés lors de la formation de la banquise et dans lesquels ils subissent des conditions extrêmes de température et de salinité, notamment. Les banquises en océan ouvert étudiées (0,3 à 1,2 m d’épaisseur, températures de -8.9°C à -0.4°C, volumes relatifs de saumure de 2.9 à 28.2% et salinités de saumures entre 10 et jusque >100) étaient composées de glace columnaire et granulaire. Les algues de glace étaient principalement des diatomées mais des flagellés autotrophes (tels que des dinoflagellés ou Phaeocystis sp.) ont été typiquement observés dans les couches de glace de surface. Les biomasses algales maximales se trouvaient généralement dans la couche de glace de fond sauf à SIMBA où les maxima se trouvaient en surface, probablement en raison de l’épaisseur des couches de neige et de glace, limitant la lumière disponible dans la colonne de glace. Au début du printemps, la croissance algale était contrôlée par l’espace disponible (càd le volume des saumures) tandis qu’au printemps/été, la disponibilité en nutriments majeurs a pu la contrôler. A toutes les saisons, des concentrations élevées en matière organique (MO) dissoute et particulaire on été mesurées dans la glace de mer par rapport à l’océan. Des monomères dissous (sucres et acides aminés) étaient accumulés dans la glace, surtout en hiver. Au printemps et été, les polysaccharides dissous dominaient le réservoir de sucres. La MO était présente sous forme de TEP qui par leurs propriétés de gel modifie l’habitat interne de la glace. Ce biofilm retient les nutriments et gêne le mouvement des microorganismes. La composition et la distribution de la MO dans la glace étaient en partie reliées aux algues de glace. De plus, la thermodynamique de la couverture de glace peut contrôler la distribution des microorganismes et de la MO, comme observé lors de la fonte de la glace à ISPOL et lors du refroidissement de la banquise à SIMBA. La distribution des bactéries n’est pas corrélée avec celle des algues et de la MO dans la glace. En effet, la consommation de la MO par les bactéries semble être limitée non pas par la nature chimique des substrats mais par un facteur extérieur affectant le métabolisme bactérien tel que la température, la salinité ou une toxine. Le dysfonctionnement de la boucle microbienne menant à l’accumulation de la MO dans la glace a donc été mis en évidence dans nos échantillons. De plus, le biofilm formé par les TEP est aussi impliquée dans l’attachement des cellules et autres composés aux parois des canaux de saumure et donc dans la séquence de largage lors de la fonte. Cette séquence semble propice au développement d’efflorescences phytoplanctoniques dans la zone marginale de glace. Les microorganismes originaires de la glace (surtout ceux de taille < 10 μm) semblent capables de croître dans la colonne d’eau et l’apport en nutriments organiques et inorganiques apparaît favorable à la croissance des microorganismes pélagiques. Enfin, l’influence des activités hétérotrophes sur l’export de carbone et l’efficacité de la pompe biologique à carbone a été évaluée dans la couche de surface (0-100 m) et mésopélagique (100-700 m) de l’océan. Au contraire de la glace, les biomasses et activités bactériennes suivaient les distributions de la chlorophyll a et de la MO. Elles diminuent fortement en dessous de 100-200 m, néanmoins les valeurs intégrées sur la hauteur de la colonne d’eau indiquent que la reminéralisation de la MO par les bactéries dans la zone mésopélagique est loin d’être négligeable, spécialement dans une région dominée par les diatomées.

Syftet i uppsatsen behandlar frågan om hur representation av etniciteter ser ut inom spelindustrin, med fokus på spel i genren RPG. Fokus för undersökningen är spel som tilldelats högst betyg sorterat efter User Score på hemsidan Metacritic.com.    Två analysmetoder har använts för att undersöka i vilken grad som de utvalda speltitlarna är representativa för olika etniciteter. En kvantitativ innehållsanalys har genomförts för att undersöka de representativa möjligheterna inuti spelen, med fokus på spelbara karaktärer. Metoden använde sig av ett kodschema för att genomföra analysen och tydligt kunna redovisa resultaten.    För att skapa en bild av hur representativ den visuella marknadskommunikationen är har en kvalitativ innehållsanalys genomförts genom en semiotiskt bildanalys av de utvalda spelomslagen. Analysen gjordes på en denotativ- och en konnotativ nivå utifrån ett analysschema med definierade frågeställningar.   Resultatet från de båda analysmetoderna visar på en underrepresentation av POC, och en överrepresentation av vita karaktärer. En något bredare representation av olika etniciteter kunde ses i den kvantitativa analysen, medans en stor avsaknad av representation kunde ses i den semiotiska bildanalysen. Slutsatsen visade att spelindustrin i dag inte är tillräckligt representativ för den mångkulturella målgruppen. / The aim of this essay deals with the question of how representation of ethnicities looks like in the gaming industry, with a focus on games in the RPG genre. The focus of the survey are games that have been given the highest rating sorted by User Score on the website Metacritic.com.   Two analytical methods have been used to examine the extent to which the selected game titles are representative of different ethnicities. A quantitative content analysis has been conducted to examine the representative possibilities within the games, with a focus on playable characters. A code scheme was used in the method to carry out the analysis and be able to clearly present the results.   To create an image of how representative the visual marketing communication is, a qualitative content analysis has been conducted through a semiotic image analysis of the selected game covers. The analysis was performed on a denotative and a connotative level based on an analysis scheme with defined issues.   The results from the two analysis methods show an underrepresentation of POC, and an overrepresentation of white characters. A somewhat broader representation of different ethnicities could be seen in the quantitative analysis, while a large lack of representation could be seen in the semiotic image analysis. The conclusion showed that the gaming industry today is not sufficiently representative of multicultural communities.

<p>Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine if POC manage to keep cohort interplay between their identity and image.</p><p>Theoretical framework: This paper is led from theories in area about communicating identity and image. The theories that are relevant to this paper to see the interplay between identity and image is communication theory and brand theories based on associations. From these theories we have composed a model that shows the communication led from identity throughout image in company’s with many distribution channels. It shows what associations that build identity and image and also the complication and threat that the interplay is being exposed to.</p><p>Methodology: We have chosen to do this examination as a case study. The case study has been made through a market survey including only respondents with knowledge about POC and several interviews with employees within the POC organization.</p><p>Results and analysis: The quantitative market survey gave a clear picture of POCs image and the qualitative interviews described how POC wanted the identity to look like. We saw a clear connection between these two, but also some differences. For example was safety one of the most important identity characteristics, while the most common image characteristic was design.</p><p>Conclusion: The interplay between identity and image is very difficult to control. Especially in company’s that includes many distribution channels. The solution is to be aware of the problem this might cause and on daily basis work with improvements on the interplay between identity and image.</p>

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine if POC manage to keep cohort interplay between their identity and image. Theoretical framework: This paper is led from theories in area about communicating identity and image. The theories that are relevant to this paper to see the interplay between identity and image is communication theory and brand theories based on associations. From these theories we have composed a model that shows the communication led from identity throughout image in company’s with many distribution channels. It shows what associations that build identity and image and also the complication and threat that the interplay is being exposed to. Methodology: We have chosen to do this examination as a case study. The case study has been made through a market survey including only respondents with knowledge about POC and several interviews with employees within the POC organization. Results and analysis: The quantitative market survey gave a clear picture of POCs image and the qualitative interviews described how POC wanted the identity to look like. We saw a clear connection between these two, but also some differences. For example was safety one of the most important identity characteristics, while the most common image characteristic was design. Conclusion: The interplay between identity and image is very difficult to control. Especially in company’s that includes many distribution channels. The solution is to be aware of the problem this might cause and on daily basis work with improvements on the interplay between identity and image.

Conventional methods for the detection of bacterial infection such as DNA or immunoassays are either expensive, time consuming, or not definitive; thus may not provide all the information sought by the medical professionals. In particular, it is difficult to obtain information about viability or drug effectiveness, which are crucial to formulate a treatment. Bacterial culture test is the “gold standard” because it is inexpensive and does not require extensive sample preparation, and most importantly, provides all the necessary information sought by healthcare professionals, such as bacterial presence, viability and drug effectiveness. These conventional culture methods, however, have a long turnaround time: anywhere between 1 day to 4 weeks. This thesis proposes to solve this problem by monitoring the growth of bacteria in thousands of nanowells simultaneously to identify its presence in the sample and its viability, faster. The segmentation of a sample with low bacterial concentration into thousands of nanoliter wells digitizes the samples and increases the effective concentration in those wells that contain bacteria. The user may then monitor the metabolism of the aerobic bacteria by using an oxygen sensitive fluorophore, ruthenium tris (2,2’-diprydl) dichloride hexahydrate (Ru(Bpy)3) by monitoring the dissolved oxygen concentration in the nanowells. Using E.Coli K12, it is demonstrated that the detection time of E.coli can be as fast as 35-60 minutes with sample concentrations varying from 104(62 minutes for detection), 106 (42 minutes) and 108 cells/mL (38 minutes). More importantly, throughout the thesis it is also demonstrated that reducing the well size can reduce the time of detection. Finally, this thesis will discuss how the drug effectiveness information can be obtained in this format by loading the wells with the drug and monitoring the metabolism of the bacteria. The method that is developed in this thesis is low cost, simple, requires minimal sample preparation and can potentially be used with a wide variety of samples in resource poor setting to detect bacterial infections such as Tuberculosis. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Mercury, Hg, is found in Arctic biota in alarming quantity, posing a potential health risk for the local population. It is believed that the large Arctic rivers contribute to this. The Mackenzie River annually transports approximately 325 km3 water to the Arctic Ocean, which is ca 10% of the freshwater received. The annual water flow also transports ca 2 ton of Hg. In order to investigate the source of Hg within the Mackenzie River Basin and the path of transport, a hydro-chemical river mixing model is constructed using field data gathered in summer 2018 and publicly available data. However, since the Hg concentration is very low in the river water and it is known that Hg binds very strongly to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC), both DOC and POC are utilized instead as proxies for Hg. The purpose of the model is to allow for estimations to be made of the relative contributions of different sub-basins and effluents to the total outflow of (e.g.) DOC at the mouth of the Mackenzie River, based on limited hydrographic and riverine water quality data. The model was used to estimate the mixing of DOC and POC sources for summer 2018 as an initial test of its performance. It performs adequately as it can estimate the amount of water discharge and DOC/TOC (total organic carbon) load that each node contributes to the Mackenzie River. The results from the model suggest that the contribution of organic carbon from each sub-watershed is not solely dependent on either drainage area size or water discharge; additionally, it appears to be determined by the local environment and geology. Water from catchment areas containing peatlands have high DOC content, and water passing through regions with coal layers have high POC content. The loss of POC towards the end of the model coincides well with the expected deceleration of the water discharge entering the Mackenzie River delta. It is concluded that the model should be useful for the study of Hg origin and transport in the Mackenzie River. Also, it has the potential for being a starting point for a more advanced or predictive model. / Varje år levereras stora mängder kvicksilver till det Arktiska havet. Kvicksilver är ett välkänt miljögift, tungmetall, och har kapaciteten att ackumuleras i näringskedjan.Kring Arktiska havet finns det ett flertal bosättningar där innevånarna får sin näring främst från havet och denna befolkning riskerar att bli påverkad av kvicksilverhalten i deras mat.Mackenziefloden mynnar ut i det Arktiska havet i norra Kanada. Med ett vattenflöde av ca 325 km3 vatten per år och ett avrinningsområde på 1.8 miljoner km2 bidrar Mackenziefloden med ca 10% av färskvattentillförseln till Arktiska havet. Det är också uppskattat att ca 2 ton av kvicksilver transporteras via Mackenziefloden.För att kartlägga flödet och ursprunget av kvicksilver används prover tagna i fält 2018 och allmänt tillgängliga data. Från det konstrueras en modell som kartlägger flödet och ursprung av partikulärt och kemiskt löst kol. Förekomsten av partikulärt och kemiskt löst kol är relaterat till förekomst av kvicksilver och är betydligt enklare att mäta.Tillsammans med data på flödeshastighet, tagna från existerande mätstationer, används provresultaten till att etablera en serie av punkter som kommer att representera de olika delarna av Mackenzieflodens dräneringsområde. På detta sätt kan de olika förgreningarna som mynnar ut i Mackenziefloden observeras var och en för sig, vilket gör det lättare att se vilka områden som tillför partikulärt och kemiskt löst kol och i vilka mängder.Det är föga förvånande att de stora floderna, så som Liardfloden och Peelfloden, är bland de största bidragarna av kol, både partikulärt och kemiskt löst. Nära Mackenzieflodens utlopp kan man se att mängden partikulärt kol i suspension avtar, i samband med att flödeshastigheten minskar och partiklar börjar att fällas ut då floden mynnar ut i deltat.Resultaten i den här studien visar en väldigt hög masstransport (i kg/km2/31d), gentemot tidigare observationer. Detta är dock orsakat av att fältproverna som använts här är tagna under en kort period väldigt nära vårfloden, vilket får de dagliga värdena att se väldigt stora ut. Dessa värden är dock bara aktuella en kortare tid och avtar resten av året.Denna modell utgör en potentiell bas för vidare studie av kol och kvicksilverförekomst i Mackenzieflodens avrinningsområde och eventuellt även för andra floder givet tillgängliga data.

A magnetic bead-based DNA extraction and purification device has been designed to be used for extraction of the target DNA molecules from whole blood sample. Mixing and separation steps are performed using functionalised superparamagnetic beads suspended in the cell lysis buffer in a circular chamber that is sandwiched between two electromagnets. Non-uniform nature of the magnetic field causes temporal and spatial distribution of the beads within the chamber. This process efficiently mixes the lysis buffer and whole blood in order to extract DNA from target cells. Functionalized surface of the magnetic beads then attract the exposed DNA molecules. Finally, DNA-attached magnetic beads are attracted to the bottom of the chamber by activating the bottom electrode. DNA molecules are extracted from the magnetic beads by washing and re-suspension processes. The numerical simulation approach has been adopted in order to design the magnetic field source. The performance of the magnetic field source has been investigated against different physical and geometrical parameters and optimised dimensions are obtained with two different magnetic field sources; integrated internal source and external source. A new magnetic field pattern has been introduced in order to efficiently control the bulk of magnetic beads inside the mixing chamber by dynamic shifting of magnetic field regions from the centre of the coils to the outer edge of the coils and vice versa. A Matlab code has been developed to simulate beads trajectories inside the designed extraction chip in order to investigate the efficiency of the magnetic mixing. A preliminary target molecule capturing simulation has also been performed using the simulated bead trajectories to evaluate the DNA-capturing efficiency of the designed extraction chip. The performance of the designed extraction chip has been tested by conducting a series of biological experiments. Different magnetic bead-based extraction kits have been used in a series of preliminary experiments in order to extract a more automation friendly extraction protocol. The efficiency of the designed device has been evaluated using the spiked bacterial DNA and non-pathogenic bacterial cell cultures (B. subtilis, Gram positive bacteria and E. coli, Gram negative bacteria) into the blood sample. Excellent DNA yields and recovery rates are obtained with the designed extraction chip through a simple and fast extraction protocol.

Les travaux présentés dans ce manuscrit ont porté sur l'élaboration de nouveaux copolymères dibloc amphiphiles (poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-poly(méthacrylate d'oligo(éthylène glycol) méthyl éther) biodégradables, thermostimulables et susceptibles d'être employés dans des applications respectueuses de l'environnement comme le traitement des eaux contaminées. La particularité de ces copolymères provient d'une part de la différence de solubilité des deux blocs et d'autre part de l'association d'un bloc hydrophobe biodégradable à un bloc thermostimulable hydrophile. Les propriétés de ces copolymères en milieu aqueux ont ainsi été évaluées en fonction de la température. Ces composés ont été obtenus par la combinaison de deux techniques de polymérisation contrôlée en utilisant un amorceur difonctionnel. Pour cela, deux stratégies ont été testées : i) la polymérisation par ouverture de cycle (POC) de l'ε-caprolactone à partir d'un macro-amorceur de poly(méthacrylate d'oligo(éthylène glycol) méthyl éther) à terminaison OH après avoir mis au point les conditions expérimentales de la POC en comparant plusieurs catalyseurs. ii) par polymérisation radicalaire par transfert d'atome (ATRP) du méthacrylate d'oligo(éthylène glycol) amorcée à partir d'une poly(ε-caprolactone) à extrémité bromée. Les températures critiques inférieures de solubilité (LCST) de ces copolymères ont été déterminées par UV visible. Leurs comportements micellaires ont été étudiés par mesures HPPS / The development of new biodegradable diblock copolymers poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-poly[oligo(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate], which could be used in environmental friendly applications such as treatment of contaminated water has been the main goal of this work. For the preparation these copolymers, the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) and the Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP) were combined by using a bifunctional initiator. The two-step route for the synthesis of these copolymers was using either ATRP or ROP as first step and the other polymerization secondly. Each polymerization was studied carefully in order to control the macromolecular parameters of the copolymers. On the one hand, the ATRP of methacrylates bearing oligo(ethylene glycol) was carried out by using poly(ε-caprolactone) with bromide end-group as macroinitiator. On the other hand, the ring opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone was initiated by the hydroxyl end-group of the poly[oligo(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate], using tin octoate, tin tetrakis(phenylethynyl) or bismuth triflate as catalysts. The Low Critical Solution Temperature (LCST) of these amphiphilic diblock copolymers in aqueous medium have been determined by UV-visible spectroscopy. Their micellar behaviors were also studied by measuring size by HPPS

Racial profiling: Personal experiences that people of color face in Sweden  The purpose of this study is to explore the personal experiences of racial profiling that people of color face in Sweden. Racial profiling is a social issue in the world today and a much-disputed subject in the Swedish society. The study was conducted with qualitative interviews with four people of color in Sweden. The intersectionality perspective was used as an analytical tool to analyze the experiences people of color face with the help of social constructionism theory. The results showed that all four interviewees have experienced racial profiling in different settings in their lives. In addition, the study showed that the interviewees’ experiences of racial profiling differed depending on the interviewees’ identity attributes such as gender, race, and their religious affiliation affecting their vulnerability and experiences of racial profiling. The findings also show that the four informants have experienced and are vulnerable to everyday racism in Sweden due to the existing prejudices in the Swedish society.

In the northern Gulf of Mexico, hypoxia occurs annually during the summer on the Texas-Louisiana shelf. This study examines the distribution of particulate and dissolved components relative to hydrography, to better understand the processes controlling the development of hypoxia. Particulate matter on the Texas-Louisiana Shelf has three major sources – river plumes, primary production, and resuspended sediments. The sources and processes controlling distribution and transport of particles are investigated using optical proxies (backscattering, chlorophyll fluorescence, Colored Dissolved Organic Matter fluorescence (CDOM)), temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), and in-situ sampling during June and August 2011 cruises of the Mechanisms Controlling Hypoxia program (hypoxia.tamu.edu). Discrete samples of particulate matter (PM) and particulate organic carbon (POC) concentration were obtained for analysis and calibration of optical instruments interfaced with a profiling CTD, a towed undulating CTD (Acrobat), and the ship’s flow-through system along the shelf from south of Galveston, Texas, to east of the Mississippi delta. The results of this study support a previously hypothesized concept of three primary areas of organic and inorganic particle composition and processes that dominate those areas – river-dominated water, highly productive surface waters, and clear, nutrient-poor low-productivity surface waters. The distribution and bulk composition of particulate matter in the northern Gulf of Mexico, plus the distribution of chlorophyll fluorescence and CDOM suggest that subpycnocline primary production plays a role in determining oxygen concentration in subpycnocline waters away from the river-dominated water.