Master of Science / Department of Geology / Kirsten Nicolaysen / The Kerguelen Archipelago and the submarine Northern Kerguelen Plateau consist primarily of basalt erupted by the intraplate Kerguelen hotspot. The exposed volcanic rocks are tholeiitic basalts (29 Ma) followed by lesser alkalic basalts, highly alkaline phonolites, and syenites (24 Ma). This study presents the mineralogy, isotopic and geochemical compositions of lavas (n=59) from a 650 m section exposed in the wall of a glacial valley at Trois Menestrels in the Kerguelen Archipelago. This basalt section, exposed south of the Cook Ice Cap and closest to the Raillier du Baty alkalic plutonic complex, is further south and west of previously studied basalts exposed on the Plateau Central. Results of 40Ar/39Ar dating show the Trois Menestrels lavas erupted approximately 25 Ma, approximately contemporaneously with other Plateau Central lavas and thus provide an opportunity to examine spatial compositional variations within the Kerguelen hotspot. Though the Trois Menestrels lavas are tholeiitic, The samples plot on the tholeiitic field at the stratigraphic section of Trois Menestrels, 80% of lavas from Mt. Tourmente are transitional to alkalic in the younger rocks (25.6 Ma). This sequence of tholeiitic to transitional to alkalic compositions is mirrored at Mt. Capitole and Mt. Marion Dufresne. Sr, Ba, Pb, Nb, Zr versus Nb plots show similar patterns across the Plateau Central and abundances overlap within error. Variations in isotopic composition reveal that Trois Menestrels is rather homogeneous compared to the other sections. A fundamental issue that derives from these results is the close relationship between these different rocks of the various region of the Plateau Central.

We present distances and kinematics and look at the possible populations for the blue plume (BP) stars in the Canis Major Overdensity (CMa). We conducted a medium resolution spectral survey on the BP stars (N=303) in CMa (centered at l = 238° ; b = -8°) using the data from AAOmega Spectrograph. We used a modified version of the Statistics-sensitive Non-linear Iterative Peak-clipping (SNIP) algorithm to normalize our fluxed absorption spectra. After determining the radial velocities from measurements of strong absorption features for the stars we use a Bayesian analysis of spectral feature strengths and photometric colors to determine Teff, Logg and [Fe/H]. Our procedure makes use of grid for model synthetic spectra computed using SPECTRUM with Atlas9 model atmospheres and Kurucz model colors. We determine the absolute magnitude using the stellar parameters and BaSTI isochrones and compute distances and ages for the BP stars. Our analysis of the BP stars indicates Teff ranging from 6500K to 8000K, metallicity ranging from 0.0 to -1.0 with an average of -0.5. We found for this temperature range that the surface gravity of the stars could not be well constrained. From the spatial and kinematics results we found that most of the stars are thick disk stars with a small mixture of thin disk stars. The stars are most likely a mixture of thick disk blue stragglers and normal A-type stars preferentially seen to greater depths due to the low dust extinction in this location of the Galaxy.

Inclined negatively buoyant jets are commonly used to dispose brine effluent produced by desalination plants. Desalination and associated research has expanded in recent years due to the continued depletion and degradation of natural potable water sources. Desalination plants are the preferred option for meeting water demand deficits in many countries around the world. Inclined negatively buoyant jets are produced when the brine is discharged at an upward inclined angle via an offshore pipeline and diffuser system. Previous experimental studies have focused on the rapid mixing and dilution achieved by these discharges, as well as geometric parameters. Dilution measurements between these experimental studies vary significantly, which is possibly due to variations in the location of a lower boundary on observed flow behaviour. In the present study, velocity field information is experimentally measured for inclined negatively buoyant jets and compared to integral model predictions. Experiments are conducted with and without a lower boundary influencing observed flow behaviour, thus allowing the effects of a lower boundary to be determined. The particle tracking velocimetry experimental technique is employed to measure near field velocities of these discharges. Firstly, discharges with source angles between 15\degree and 75\degree are investigated without boundary influence in stationary ambient conditions. The source was a minimum of 655 mm above the bottom of the experimental tank to ensure there was no lower boundary influence on observed behaviour. Time-averaged and fluctuating data are extracted along the trajectory of discharges. All non-dimensionalised geometric and centreline velocity parameters are found to collapse. Empirical coefficients are compared to previous experimental studies and integral model predictions. A new detrainment model is developed to predict the behaviour of inclined negatively buoyant jets without boundary influence. The model further develops recent attempts to allow for buoyancy flux reduction along the flow path. The reduction in buoyancy flux is dependent on the local parameters of the flow and simulates experimentally observed detrainment. Dilution, geometric, and velocity predictions are found to be improved over previous models when compared to experimental data. Finally, a raised platform was placed inside the experimental tank to determine the influence of a lower boundary on inclined negatively buoyant jets. Source angles of 30\degree, 45\degree, and 60\degree are investigated at three different non-dimensional source heights. The lower boundary is horizontal and ambient conditions are again stationary. Discharges impinge the lower boundary before forming a radially spreading layer along the boundary. Geometric and velocity data are compared to the first set of experiments in this study to determine the influence of the lower boundary on observed flow behaviour. Empirical coefficients at maximum height are similar with and without the influence of the boundary, whereas coefficients are substantially influenced at the return point when the boundary is present.

Brandt, Martin B.C. 2011. Imaging the African Superplume – Upper mantle, Tomography and Moment tensor. Ph.D. thesis, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. The African Superplume, African Superswell and East African Rift System are amongst the most prominent geophysical features on Earth, but the structure, evolution and interaction between these features is controversial. In my thesis I conducted a range of investigations in an effort to better understand these issues. The thesis presents the investigations into the structure and expressions of these features. These include: (I) A study of the upper mantle shear velocity structure beneath southern Africa to investigate the source of the buoyancy that has powered the Superswell; (II) Statistical hypothesis testing of middle-mantle shear velocity tomographic models to evaluate evidence for links between the Superplume and low velocity features in/near the transition zone; and (III) Computation of three new regional moment tensors for South Africa to assess crustal stress in the Kalahari craton, and its link with mantle structure and dynamics. Waveform data were obtained for the study on the upper mantle shear velocity structure and the moment tensor inversions from the Southern African Seismic Experiment Kaapvaal craton array. For the statistical hypothesis testing on global tomography images, new travel-time data from both global and AfricaArray stations were added to Grand’s global shear velocity data set. The principal findings of this study are summarized below. I. The upper mantle shear velocity structure beneath the Kalahari craton is similar to that of other shields, except for slightly slower velocities from 110–220 km depth. The difference may be due to higher temperatures or a decrease in magnesium number (Mg#). If the slower velocities in the deep lithosphere are due solely to a temperature anomaly, then slightly less than half of the unusually high elevation of the Kalahari craton can be explained by shallow buoyancy from a depleted hot lithosphere. Decreasing the Mg# of the lower lithosphere would increase density and counteract higher temperatures. If an excess temperature of 90 K over a 110 km depth range and a corresponding decrease in Mg# of -2 between the Kalahari and the other cratons are assumed, this would match the seismic velocity difference but would result in essentially no buoyancy difference. We conclude that the high elevation of the Kalahari craton can only be partially supported by shallow mantle buoyancy and must have a deeper source. We determined a thickness of 250±30 km for the mantle transition zone below eastern southern Africa, which is similar to the global average, but the corresponding velocity gradient is less steep than in standard global models (PREM and IASP91). Velocity jumps of 0.16±0.1 km/s (eastern) and 0.21±0.1 km/s (central) across the 410 km discontinuity were found. Our results indicate a thermal or chemical anomaly in the mantle transition zone, but this cannot be quantified due to uncertainty. II. Statistical hypothesis testing on our global tomography images indicated that the African Superplume rises from the core-mantle boundary to at least 1150 km depth, and the upper mantle slow-velocity anomaly extends from the base of the lithosphere to below the mantle transition zone. The model that links the African Superplume with the slow-velocity anomaly in the upper mantle under eastern Africa has an equal probability to an alternative hypothesis with a thin slow-velocity “obstruction zone” at 850 to 1000 km depth. III. Finally, we calculated three regional moment tensors for South Africa and made progress towards resolving the discrepancy between the local and moment magnitudes we observe for the region. Moment tensors/focal mechanisms in southern Africa change from normal faulting (extension) in the northeast near the East African Rift to strike-slip faulting in the southwest. This confirms previous studies stating that not only eastern Africa, but also southern Africa is being actively uplifted by lithospheric modification at its base and/or the African Superplume.

Cette thèse a pour objectif la caractérisation de la vitesse de ventilation critique dans un tunnel ventilé longitudinalement lorsque survient un incendie. La vitesse critique est définie comme la vitesse de ventilation minimale pour laquelle l’ensemble des fumées nocives est repoussé à l’aval de l’incendie. Les méthodes utilisées sont théoriques, expérimentales et numériques. Dans une première approche, l’incendie est modélisé par un rejet de fluide plus léger que l’air ambiant. Dans les expériences, il s’agit soit de l’air chaud, soit d’un mélange d’air et d’hélium ce qui permet d’étudier les effets dits non-Boussinesq, c’est à dire induits par une large différence de densité entre le rejet flottant et l’air ambiant. Une modélisation théorique simple est également donnée afin d’expliquer les variations de la vitesse de ventilation critique en fonction des conditions à la source du rejet (flux de flottabilité et géométrie). Un bon accord est observé entre les résultats expérimentaux et le modèle théorique aussi bien pour les rejets dits forces (jets) que pour les rejets dits flottants (panaches). Des simulations numériques ont été également menées afin de fournir une comparaison quantitative des vitesses critiques obtenues dans le cas d’un incendie modélisé par un panache et le cas d’un feu. L’apparition d’une vitesse dite ’super-critique’ observée dans la littérature dans le cas de feux a été étudiée. L’effet sur la vitesse critique d’un feu de puissance faible peut très largement être modélisé par l’effet d’un rejet de fluide léger au sol. En revanche, un feu de forte puissance nécessite une modélisation des flammes et donc de puissance thermique produite en volume dans une partie non négligeable du tunnel. La présence de flammes représente donc une source distribuée de flux de flottabilité au-dessus et en aval du lieu d’injection des gaz de combustion. En conséquence, dans cette situation, le foyer ne peut être modélisé par une simple condition aux limites au sol du tunnel. L’effet sur la vitesse critique d’une éventuelle inclinaison ou pente du tunnel a été également étudié. Une inclinaison du tunnel dans le sens de la ventilation induit une diminution de la vitesse critique par rapport à un tunnel horizontal alors que pour une inclinaison en sens contraire la vitesse critique est augmentée. Cependant, cet effet dépend des conditions à la source du rejet. Pour les rejets flottants, l’effet de la pente du tunnel est important tandis que la vitesse critique devient de moins en moins dépendante de la pente au fur et à mesure que le rejet devient force. Le modèle théorique développé pour un rejet dans un tunnel horizontal a été adapté au cas avec pente et un bon accord a de nouveau été établi entre les résultats expérimentaux et le modèle théorique. Enfin, pour un feu, les simulations numériques ont montré que la pente influence très peu la vitesse critique. Dans une dernière partie, l’effet de la présence de véhicules dans le tunnel a été investigue aussi bien expérimentalement qu’avec l’outil numérique. Les véhicules sont modélisés par des blocs parallélépipédiques de différentes tailles places en amont de la source de flottabilité ou le feu. Il a été montré que seul le bloc proche de la source modifiait la valeur de la vitesse de ventilation critique alors que les blocs plus éloignés avaient une influence négligeable. De même, la vitesse critique obtenue en présence de blocs se rapproche très rapidement de celle obtenue pour un tunnel sans véhicule lorsque la distance entre la source et le bloc le plus proche augmente. Le paramètre qui influence le plus la vitesse critique est la position relative du bloc et de la source. Lorsque le bloc protège directement la source en étant placé à son côté aussi bien longitudinalement que latéralement, l’air frais de la ventilation n’impacte pas directement le rejet et la vitesse critique est augmentée par rapport à la situation sans bloc. [...] / This thesis investigates experimentally, theoretically and numerically the critical ventilation velocity in longitudinal ventilated tunnels in case of a fire. The critical velocity is defined as the minimum ventilation velocity that confines the front of the backlayer of harmful buoyant gases downwind of the source of emission. The fire is first modeled by a release of light gas in ambient air. In the experiments, the light fluid is an air/helium mixture. A simple mathematical model, based on the classical plume study, is formulated to interpret the variations of the critical velocity as a function of the source conditions (momentum and buoyancy fluxes and geometry). A good agreement is observed between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions for both the momentum-driven and buoyancy-driven releases. In addition, the non-Boussinesq effects, i.e. related to large differences between the densities of the buoyant plume and the ambient fluid, could be suitably modeled. Subsequently, the difference between a buoyant plume and a fire is studied, by combining experiments and numerical simulations. The reason for the appearance of the so-called ‘super-critical’ velocity, a ventilation velocity that becomes independent of the heat release rate when it becomes large, is discussed. It is shown that small fires can be reliably modeled as buoyant densimetric plumes released at ground level. The dynamics induced by larger fires require instead the modeling of large flames and hence a volumetric source of heat and buoyancy within the tunnel. In the simulation of fires, when the heat release rate is increased, the volume of combustion also increases, but the critical velocity remains nearly constant, which validates the appearance of the ‘super-critical’ velocity. The effect of tunnel inclination on the critical velocity is then studied. The influence of slope (defined as negative when the entrance of fresh air is at a lower elevation than the source) on the movement of smoke is mainly related to the role of the component of buoyancy along the tunnel axis. A positive slope helps the formation of the backlayer, while a negative slope helps reaching the critical condition. However, this effect depends on the source condition. Our experiments and numerical simulations on densimetric plumes suggest that the dynamical condition at the source affects the critical velocity of a buoyant plume: when the buoyant plume is momentum-driven, the influence of slope is small; when the buoyant plume is buoyancy-driven, the influence of slope is large. This behavior can be well described by a theoretical model based on the previous model of the critical velocity in a horizontal tunnel. These results have been extended to the case of fires by conducting numerical simulations and there is again a good agreement between the observed results and the theoretical model. In particular, the ratio of the critical velocities obtained for an inclined and an horizontal tunnel is independent of the power of the fire. Finally, the effect of vehicular blockage on the critical velocity is studied experimentally and numerically. The vehicles are modeled by blocks of different sizes placed upstream of the buoyancy or fire source. It is shown that only the block close to the source affects the critical velocity, whereas the effect of other blocks of the same size located further upstream is negligible. As the fire-blockage distance becomes larger, the critical velocity changes and becomes close to the value in an empty tunnel. The relative position between the blocks and the fire source has large influence on the critical velocity. When the blocks are placed at the center laterally, the ventilation flow cannot reach the fire plume directly, a larger critical velocity is needed compared with that in a corresponding empty tunnel. [...]

A biodiversidade e a estrutura da comunidade fitoplanctônica na Zona Costeira Amazônica Brasileira foi avaliada com base em 272 publicações, relativas ao período entre 1861 e 2016, e a partir de oito cruzeiros oceanográficos realizados em diferentes fases do ciclo do Rio Amazonas entre os anos de 2013 a 2015. A seleção das publicações restringiu-se as que apresentaram identificação taxonômica, em diferentes níveis, e/ou quantificação, expressa em densidade celular, obtidas exclusivamente através de microscopia ótica. A composição específica e a densidade celular do fitoplâncton foram avaliadas através da metodologia Utermöhl (1958). As informações disponíveis, principalmente sob a forma de resumos em congressos (67%), monografias (13%) e artigos publicados em periódicos (11%), foram resgatadas de estudos desenvolvidos no litoral dos Estados do Pará (131), Maranhão (105) e Amapá (3), assim como na plataforma continental (36). Entre os ecossistemas mais bem estudados, estão os estuários (135 referências), plataforma continental (36 referências) e as praias (30), sendo o enfoque ecológico o principal objetivo das investigações científicas (96%). Atualmente, o inventário de espécies inclui 1157 táxons distribuídos em 612 diatomáceas, 252 dinoflagelados, 199 clorofíceas, 56 cianobactérias, 19 cocolitoforídeos, 19 euglenofíceas e uma criptofícea. Com base nesta revisão e nas amostragens realizadas neste estudo, a análise da estrutura da comunidade fitoplanctônica na Plataforma Continental Amazônica é característica de ambientes costeiros sob influência de plumas fluviais, com dois cenários ecológicos relacionados aos períodos de vazão do Rio Amazonas: um de maior influência, nos meses de abril e julho, e outro oposto, nos meses de outubro e janeiro. Observou-se uma distribuição em faixas, de acordo com as características ambientais e a estrutura da comunidade fitoplanctônica, divididas em plataforma interna sob influência da pluma, zona de transição e plataforma externa com influência oceânica. As Diatomáceas são responsáveis pelas altas densidades (105 cel.L-1) na região costeira, especialmente sob influência da pluma, contribuindo para o incremento de Clorofila a (>10 &mu;g.L-1). Na porção oceânica, sem influência da pluma, as concentrações de Cla são baixas (<2 &mu;g.L-1) e predominam (104 cel.L-1) as cianobactérias filamentosas e cocolitoforídeos. A variabilidade temporal da descarga do Rio Amazonas e, consequentemente, da dinâmica espacial da pluma, é o principal fator responsável por mudanças na salinidade e disponibilidade de nutrientes, determinando a estrutura da comunidade fitoplanctônica. Este estudo reforça a importância da manutenção de séries temporais e o levantamento da biodiversidade para a compreensão da dinâmica da comunidade fitoplanctônica em ambientes de alta complexidade, como a Plataforma Continental Amazônica. / Phytoplankton biodiversity and structure in the Brazilian Amazon Coastal Zone was evaluated based on 272 publications from the period between 1861 and 2016 and from eight oceanographic cruises carried out in different phases of the Amazon river hydrograph between the years 2013 to 2015. Selected publications were restricted to those which presented taxonomic identification at different levels, and / or quantification in terms of cell density, obtained exclusively by optical microscopy. Specific composition and phytoplankton cell density was evaluated by Utermöhl methodology (1958). Available information in the form of conference abstracts (67%), monographs (13%) and journal articles (11%) were rescued from studies developed on the coast of Pará (131), Maranhão (105) and Amapá (3), as well as on the continental shelf (36). Within these, the best studied ecosystems are estuaries (135 references), the continental shelf (36 references) and the beaches (30), with an ecological approach as the main research objective (96%). Currently, species inventories include 1157 taxa, distributed in 612 diatoms, 252 dinoflagellates, 199 chlorophytes, 56 cyanobacteria, 19 coccolithophorids, 19 euglenoids and one criptoficean. Based on this review and on the results obtained in this study, the structure of the phytoplankton community in the Amazon Continental Shelf is characteristic of coastal environments under the influence of river plumes, with two ecological scenarios related to the Amazon river discharge, one with greater influence in April and July and another with less influence in October and January. The distribution occurs in bands, according to the environmental characteristics and the structure of the phytoplankton community, divided into internal continental shelf under the influence of the plume, transition zone, and external continental shelf with oceanic influence. Diatoms are responsible for the high densities (105 cells.L-1) in the coastal region, especially under the influence of the plume, contributing with the increase of chlorophyll a (> 10 &mu;g.L-1). At the oceanic portion without influence of the plume, Cla concentrations are low (<2 &mu;g.L-1) and filamentous cyanobacteria (104 cells.L-1) and coccolithophorids dominate. The temporal variability of the discharge of the Amazon river and, consequently, the spatial dynamics of the plume, is the main factor responsible for changes in salinity and nutrient availability, determining the structure of the phytoplankton community. This study reinforces the importance of maintaining time series and biodiversity surveys to understand phytoplankton community dynamics in highly complex environments such as the Continental Amazon Shelf.

Avec les lancements réussis des missions ESA Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) et NASA Aquarius/SAC-D, la salinité de surface des océans peut maintenant être déduite. De plus, les produits de couleur de l'eau, tels que les mesures d'absorption et d'atténuation de la lumière et de concentration en chlorophylle, peuvent être utilisés comme traceurs de la salinité. Les signatures des panaches des grands fleuves tropicaux tels que l'Amazone et l'Orénoque peuvent être étudiées en détail grâce à ces nouvelles méthodes. En particulier, les relations de corrélations entre SSS et propriétés optiques également déduites de mesures satellites peuvent maintenant être établies et analysées sur des échelles spatiales beaucoup plus grandes. Différents efforts de recherche sont envisagés dans le cadre de ce travail de thèse. Tout d'abord, nous étudions les corrélations entre salinité de surface et propriétés optiques dans le panache de l'Amazone durant la période 2010-2013. Ensuite, la relation de mélange est établie de façon robuste selon tout d'abord une approche régionale, puis selon une approche locale. Ensuite, une fois cette loi de dilution établie de façon robuste, nous l'utilisons pour estimer un produit de salinité de surface à partir des produits couleur de l'eau sur la période 1998-2013. Enfin, nous tentons d'envisager la relation de dilution suivant une approche lagrangienne. / We enter now in a new era of global Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) observing systems from Space with therecent successful launches of the ESA Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission and the NASA Aquarius/SAC-D mission. These new satellite SSS observing systems are as well complemented by an increased number of devices deployed in situ. Finally, ocean color products can be used as well for tracking salinity via semi-conservative tracers such as dissolved organic matter absorption coefficient at 443 nm(acdm), light attenuation at 490 nm and chlorophyll concentration. With these new methods, we are now in an excellent position to revisit the SSS observed in the warm seas of the tropical Atlantic with multi-yeartime series of excellent remote sensing and concurrent in situ observations. The seasonal cycles in the spatial extent of low surface salinity waters of the major river plumes and freshwater pools of the tropical Atlantic oceans as the Amazon and Orinoco rivers can thus be analyzed in a new and original manner. In particular, the correlation between SSS and bio-optical properties measured from Space in the plume waters can now beestablished and analyzed over large spatial scales. In the frame of this PhD work, different major research topics were studied. First the correlations between sea surface salinity and absorption coefficient of colored detrital matter at 443 nm in the Amazon-Orinoco plume over 2010-2013 are studied. Then the conservative mixing relationship is robustely established based on two different approaches, a regional one over the whole Amazon plume and a local one. Once the SSS/acdm relationship established, it is used to retrieve a SSSproduct from 1998 to 2013 based on Ocean Color data. Finally, we attempt to explore the conservative mixing using a lagrangian approach.

Annuellement, l'industrie mondiale de la volaille produit des milliards de tonnes de plumes et de duvets de poule, canard, oie et dinde. Une grande partie de ces déchets sont incinérés dans des décharges polluant l'atmosphère et le sol. Il est donc crucial de développer de nouvelles idées pour des applications commerciales des bioproduits de plumes et de duvets. Ainsi, dans ce travail de thèse, les fibres de plumes et de duvets ont été caracterisées au niveau physique, mécanique, thermique et acoustique. Deux produits commerciaux ont été développés avec les plumes et les duvets : des nontissés par un processus d’aiguilletage et des nontissés de nanofibres de kératine par electrospinning. Les données ont été analysés en utilisant des méthodes statistiques pour valider les résultats. Les plumes ont pu être recyclées comme matière première pour l'industrie du textile et des matériaux. Les plumes sont facilement utilisables en raison de leur qualité, leur faible coût et les quantités disponibles. Ainsi, des plumes recyclées non seulement réduisent les coûts du produit final, mais aussi créent un mouvement écologique pour développer une économie durable. / The poultry industry produces billions tons of chicken, duck, turkey and goose feathers and down feathers worldwide annually. Most of these waste products are incinerated in landfills resulting in pollution of atmosphere and land. For these reasons, it was crucial to develop new ideas for commercial applications of feathers and downs as a fiber byproducts. In this thesis work, feathers and down as fibers were characterized in physical, mechanical, thermal and acoustic scopes and two commercial products were developed using feather and down feathers: nonwoven by dry laid needle punched process and nanofibers nonwovens of keratin by electrospinning process. The results were analyzed using statistical methods to validate the analysis. Thereby, feathers were recycled and used as a raw material for the textile and materials industry. Furthermore, they are easly usable due to their quality, low cost and the available quantity. Moreover, recycled feathers not only reduce the costs of the final product but also create an environmental movement to develop an eco-friendly circular economy.

The Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) pathway is the primary pathway for the entry of inorganic carbon in the biosphere. Autotrophic organisms use this cycle to ultimately convert CO2 into carbohydrates using a key enzyme known as ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO). The gene that encodes for the large subunit of RubisCO is rbcL and detection of its expression can be used to determine the autotrophic organisms present in the environment. Recently, microarrays have been used to study functional gene expression from environmental samples such as those obtained from sediments and soil. The purpose of this thesis is to combine microarray technology and rbcL expression analysis to investigate phytoplankton populations in the Mississippi River Plume (MRP). Initially, a macroarray was constructed to determine its capabilities of quantifying gene expression in MRP. PCR amplicons were spotted onto a nylon membrane and labeled transcript RNA was hybridized to each array. Due to the large amount of cross hybridization that was observed, a microarray was used. Microarray analysis revealed large amounts of Synechococcus, pelagophyte and prymnesiophyte expression in the surface waters. Furthermore, there was no chlorophte or Prochlorococcus expression observed in the surface waters. Subsurface microarray data showed high levels of pelagophytes and other Form ID organisms. A significant chlorophyte signal was also observed in the subsurface. This study provides a third level of specificity at which phylogenetic diversity has been sampled in the MRP. Although a limited number of samples were analyzed by microarrays, this technology shows promise and this study was viewed as a pilot for their application. The rbcL probes designed were based upon published sequences from 2003 and we now have a much greater understanding of the diversity of rbcL-containing phytoplanktonic phylotypes. Future studies should employ this knowledge for judicious probe selection.

Detection of chemical plumes in hyperspectral data is a problem having solutions that focus on spectral information. These solutions neglect the presence of the spatial information in the scene. The spatial information is exploited in this work by assignment of prior probabilities to neighborhood configurations of signal presence or absence. These probabilities are leveraged in a total probability approach to testing for signal presence in a pixel of interest. The two new algorithms developed are named spatial information detection enhancement (SIDE) and bolt-on SIDE (B-SIDE). The results are explored in comparison to the clutter matched filter (CMF), a standard spectral technique, and to several supervised machine learning techniques. The results show a great improvement of SIDE over these other techniques, in some cases showing the poorest performance of the SIDE filter being much better than the CMF at its best.