Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2006. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-162). / The oceanic response to overflows is explored using a two-layer isopycnal model. Overflows are a major source of the dense water of the global deep ocean, originating from only a few marginal seas. They enter the open ocean as dense gravity currents down a continental slope and play a crucial role in the deep ocean circulation. To understand the dynamics of these overflows, previous studies simplified their dynamics by treating the overlying ocean as inactive. This simplification may be a first approximation for the overflow but not for the overlying ocean. The Mediterranean overflow, for example, entrains about 2 Sv of overlying Atlantic water when it enters the Atlantic through Gibraltar Strait. The upper ocean must balance the mass loss and vortex stretching associated with entrainment. Thus for the upper ocean, overflows represent a localized region of intense mass and PV forcing. The simulations in this study show that in the upper layer, entrainment forces a cyclonic circulation along bathymetric contours. This is a topographic [beta]-plume and its transport depends on the entrainment region size and the topographic slope. / (cont.) Baroclinic instability also develops and creates eddy thickness flux to the in-shore direction, forcing a double gyre topographic [beta]-plume near the strait due to eddy PV flux convergence on the in-shore side of the continental slope and divergence on the offshore side. When the upper oceanic response to overflows is examined specifically for the Mediterranean overflow, the upper ocean is found to establish two trans-Atlantic zonal jets, analogous to the Azores current and the Azores Counter current. These two zonal jets are an extension of the topographic [beta]-plume driven by the overflow. Because the eddies in the steep slope region near Cape St. Vincent drive a mean flow across the slope, the topographic [beta]-plume connects to the Atlantic Ocean to become a basin scale flow. This thesis shows that overflows can induce a significant circulation in the upper ocean, and for the Mediterranean overflow, this circulation is a basin scale flow. / by Shinichiro Kida. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Sorption is a key factor in determining the fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment. Here, PAH sorption is proposed as the sum of two mechanisms: absorption into a biogenic, organic carbon (OC) fraction and adsorption onto a combustion-derived, black carbon (BC) fraction. To study BC adsorption, a 375ʻC thermal oxidation method was employed to remove OC and isolate the BC fraction. Test studies showed that nitrogen-containing macromolecules charred during this pretreatment causing a positive bias to the BC measurement. Meanwhile, the oxidation of relatively small BC particles underestimated the total BC content in non-charring samples. Models based on carbon oxidation were then proposed to estimate reasonably the total BC and OC contents of sediment samples. The adsorption of pyrene onto isolated BC particles was then studied by constructing a nonlinear isotherm, which was characterized with a BC-normalized distribution coefficient and a Freundlich exponent. Pyrene sorption to Boston Harbor sediment was then modeled as the sum of OC absorption and BC adsorption using the measured adsorption parameters and literature absorption values. Finally, literature reports of high PAH distribution coefficients from the field and nonlinear PAH isotherms from the laboratory were re-explained by considering BC adsorption. / by AmyMarie Accardi-Dey. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2006. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Includes bibliographical references. / Cetacean blubber is a primary site for lipid storage, which the animal utilizes during periods of energetic stress. It is important to understand how the blubber responds to factors such as ontogeny, water temperature, reproductive status, and nutritional state because blubber is also the primary bioaccumulation site for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). During periods of lipid mobilization such as lactation, PCBs from the blubber are mobilized into the circulatory system and may cause toxic effects. One particular toxic mechanism may include the induction of cytochrome P450 enzymes in the integument and liver, which could enhance the biotransformation of PCBs to hydroxylated metabolites (OH-PCBs). OH-PCBs may then interfere with thyroid hormone dependent neurodevelopment. The goals of these studies were to investigate the relationships between lipid dynamics and PCB effects and to devise a quantitative approach to assess neurodevelopment in delphinid cetaceans. Blubber morphology, cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) expression in the skin-blubber biopsy, blubber and plasma PCBs, and plasma OH-PCBs were assessed in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). / (cont.) In addition, magnetic resonance (MR) images of the post-mortem brain in situ were obtained from Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) specimens. These results showed that: 1) Factors such as ontogeny, water temperature, and reproductive status affected blubber morphology in bottlenose dolphins. In response to warmer water, the lipid content of the blubber decreased and this appeared to involve loss of lipids from adipocytes in the middle blubber layer. Similar to the effects of starvation on blubber morphology, lactation decreased adipocyte size predominantly in the deeper blubber, 2) CYP1A1 levels in the deep blubber were significantly related to the total plasma TEQ98 concentrations, adipocyte shrinkage, and plasma OH-PCB levels, 3) Through in situ MR imaging of stranded, Atlantic white-sided dolphin specimens, the size of brain structures that depend on thyroid hormones for maturation could be measured accurately. Future studies can use this technique, coupled with chemical analysis of brain regions, to determine if thyroid hormone disrupting chemicals in delphinid cetaceans are associated with changes in the size of brain structures. / by Eric Wilson Montie. / Ph.D.

Thesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-59). / (cont) An increased understanding of heterotrophic bacterial strategies for acquiring nutrients and trace elements is critical for elucidating their impact on biogeochemical cycling in the ocean. It is estimated that iron is a limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth in over 30% of the open ocean, but still little is known about bacterial strategies for iron acquisition. Siderophore (Fe ligand) production by bacteria may play a major role in influencing the bioavailability of iron in the ocean. Despite the importance of siderophores in the environment, only limited information from a select group of bacteria is available. On a cruise through the Costa Rica Dome (CRD) upwelling region in July 2005, a library of 867 isolates from five depth profiles inside and outside of the dome was obtained and screened for siderophore production using the Chrome Azurol-S (CAS) assay. Phylogenetic affiliation of 134 isolates was determined by sequencing the 16s rDNA gene, and determined that gamma proteobacteria such as Alteromonas, Pseudoalteromonas, Halomonas, and Marinobacter dominated the collection, while alpha-proteobacteria such as Roseobacter were also represented. The isolates obtained from stations in the CRD showed greater siderophore-producing capabilities between 55m and 100m while strains isolated from outside the CRD had shallower peak (-8-35m) production. Functional group determination showed that hydroxamate production dominated from 50-150m, while hydroxamate and catechol production is roughly equal in shallower waters. By characterizing the siderophores produced by these isolates and determining the genetic make-up of the population, these findings further our understanding of how heterotrophic microbes affect biogeochemical processes and the competitive nature of nutrient acquisition. / by Whitney B. Krey. / S.M.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2004. / Includes bibliographical references. / Observations at mid-ocean ridges indicate that magmas are focused to the ridge axis by a network of porous dunites in near chemical isolation. This thesis investigates several of the outstanding questions regarding the mechanisms of melt transport and its effects on the shallow mantle. Chapter 1 details the current understanding of melt migration from observations at mid-ocean ridges and ophiolites. Chapter 2 uses the size distribution and abundance of dunites measured in the Oman ophiolite to place limits on the potential mechanisms by which dunites form and subsequently estimate the flux of chemically unequilibrated melt which a network of dunites can supply. Chapter 3 characterizes the chemical composition of dunites and harzburgites from Oman to further constrain the process by which dunites form and relates the observed trends within dunites to variations in the time-integrated melt/rock ratio. Chapter 4 examines the microstructures of peridotites in Oman to constrain the deformation mechanisms which determine the viscosity of shallow mantle. Chapter 5 is a numerical investigation of advection beneath ridges incorporating the rheology inferred from the observed microstructures. Chapter 6 integrates the conclusions of the previous chapters, reevaluating the potential melt flux through dunites and constraining the permeability of the shallow mantle. / by Michael Geoffrey Braun. / Ph.D.

Thesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Ocean Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-79). / The initial water impact of a free-falling object is primarily related to the fluid forces on the wetted surface of the object. The shape-dependent added-mass coefficients express the fluid forces integrated over the body, and thus physically represent the additional inertia of water accelerated with the body. The field of hydrodynamic impact has been primarily concerned with estimating the added-mass coefficients of various types of bodies for different water impact types, such as seaplane landings, torpedo drops, and ship slamming. In this study, a numerical model has been constructed to estimate the hydrodynamic impact loads of a REMUS dropped in free-fall from a helicopter in a low hover. Developed by von Alt and associates at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the REMUS (Remote Environmental Monitoring UnitS) is a small, man-portable, torpedo shaped Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) that is normally operated from small boats for a variety of scientific, industrial, and military applications. Finite-element method software and computer aided drafting tools were used to create a simplified model of REMUS without fins, propeller, or transducers. / (cont.) This axisymmetric REMUS model was cut by a flat free surface at various pitch angles and submergence values, and a panel mesh of the wetted surface of the vehicle was created using an automatic mesh generator. Surface boundary conditions are enforced for the free surface by reflecting the body panels using the method of images. Each panel mesh was evaluated for its added- mass characteristics using a source collocation panel method developed by Dr. Yonghwan Kim, formerly of the Vortical Flow Research Laboratory (VFRL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Experimental impact tests were conducted with a specially-instrumented test vehicle to verify the initial impact accelerations. / by Stephen Michael Roe. / S.M.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 411-422). / Pelagic sedimentation is the primary modifier of topography generated by ridge-associated volcanic and tectonic processes. This thesis represents an effort to understand the processes of, and the general distribution of, pelagic sedimentation on rough topography, particularly in the Atlantic Basin but with applications to the world ocean as a whole. This study utilizes a simple numerical model of sedimentation which, when applied to models of rough basement topography, allows us to study sedimentation effects in terms of commonly-measured stochastic parameters including seafloor RMS height, abyssal hill spacing, and slope distribution. We also address the effect of sediment compaction on seafloor morphology, and the impact of long-wavelength topography on stochastic measures of sedimented seafloor. Understanding gained allows the construction of inverse problems to obtain information about sediment distribution and basement morphology from multibeam bathymetric data in regimes where backscatter from rough, reflective basement highs obscures returns from wide-beam seismic systems. By using maximum likelihood estimation to compare slope distribution functions calculated from data to those from filtered model topographies, we estimate average sediment thickness L, basement RMS height H, and a measure of sediment mobility k. Using data from near-ridge surveys and off-axis transit lines, we invert for L, H, and K for 3-29 Ma seafloor from the western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) near 26* N, 2- 45 Ma seafloor from the western flank of the MAR near 260 S, 2-40 Ma seafloor from the eastern flank of the MAR near 25* S, and 1-38 Ma seafloor from the western flank of the MAR near 35* S. Variations in L with seafloor age allow us to constrain sediment rain rate and the corrosivity of bottom waters to calcite since the Oligocene. We hypothesize that sediment rain rates during much of the early and middle Miocene were only 10-50% of the average rate for the past -10 m.y. Variations in H suggest correlation between tectonic setting and topographic variability. A relatively narrow range of K is needed to describe intrahill sedimentation patterns. / by Helen Faith Webb. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. / Minor and trace element records of planktic and benthic foraminifera from Atlantic sediment cores, as well as output from a coupled OAGCM, were used to investigate the magnitude and distribution of the oceanic response to abrupt climate events of the past 20 kyr. The study addressed three major questions: 1) What is the magnitude of high-latitude sea surface temperature and salinity variability during abrupt climate events? 2) Does intermediate depth ventilation change in conjunction with high-latitude climate variability? 3) Are the paleoclimate data consistent with the response of a coupled OAGCM to a freshwater perturbation? To address these questions, analytical methods were implemented for the simultaneous measurement of Mg/Ca, Zn/Ca, Cd/Ca, Mn/Ca and Al/Ca in foraminiferal samples using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Paired records of planktic foraminiferal [delta]¹⁸O and Mg/Ca from the subpolar North Atlantic reveal trends of increasing temperatures ([approx.] 3⁰C) and salinities over the course of the Holocene, which were punctuated by abrupt events. The variability does not appear to be periodic, but tends to recur within a broad millennial band. The records provide the first evidence of open-ocean cooling (nearly 2⁰C) and freshening during the 8.2 kyr event, and suggest similar conditions at 9.3 ka. / (cont.) However, the two largest temperature oscillations ([approx.] 2⁰C) occurred during the last 4,000 years, suggesting a recent increase in temperature variability relative to the mid-Holocene. Benthic foraminiferal Cd/Ca from an intermediate depth, western South Atlantic core provides insights into changes in the southward penetration of North Atlantic Intermediate Water (NAIW). Cd seawater estimates (Cdw) for the last glacial are consistent with the production of NAIW and its export into the South Atlantic. At [approx.] 14.5 ka, the NAIW contribution to the South Atlantic began to decrease, marking a transition from a glacial subsurface geometry to a Younger Dryas geometry, which occurred concurrently with the onset of the Bolling-Allerod to Younger Dryas cooling. High Cdw in both the deep North Atlantic and the intermediate South Atlantic imply reduced export of deep and intermediate water during the Younger Dryas, and a major decrease in northward heat transport. Modern subsurface geometry was established at [approx.] 9 ka, concurrently with the establishment of Holocene warmth in the North Atlantic region, further supporting a close linkage between subsurface circulation and North Atlantic climate. / (cont.) Paired benthic foraminiferal Mg/Ca and [delta]¹⁸O data from two intermediate depth low latitude western Atlantic sites - one from the Florida Current and one from the Little Bahama Bank- provide insights into the spatial distribution of intermediate depth temperature and salinity variability during the Younger Dryas. The Florida site lies within the deeper portion of the Florida Current; the Little Bahama Bank site lies within the deeper, unventilated portion of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre. During the Younger Dryas, temperatures increased at the Florida Current site and temperatures decreased at the Little Bahama Bank site. The temperature increase within the Florida Current is consistent with the reduced northward heat transport associated with a reduction in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC); the temperature decrease at Little Bahama Bank is consistent with a cooling of high latitude surface waters. To test the possibility that a freshening of the surface North Atlantic caused the terrestrial and oceanographic changes during the Younger Dryas, the GFDL R30 coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model was forced using a North Atlantic freshwater perturbation of 0.1 Sv for a period of 100 years. The freshwater flux causes an overall reduction in the Atlantic overturning from 25 Sv to 13 Sv. / (cont.) However, at [approx.] 1,100 meters water depth, ventilation increases, causing decreases in both temperature and salinity throughout much of the intermediate depth North Atlantic. In the open North Atlantic, intermediate depth temperatures decrease by approximately 1⁰C; at the eastern side, intermediate depth temperatures decrease by less than 0.4⁰C. Intermediate depth temperatures at the western boundary, however, increase due to a reduction in northward heat transport, and also due to a shift in the location of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, which causes a reduction in surface salinity and a decrease in the upwelling of colder, deeper waters. Benthic foraminiferal Cd/Ca from an intermediate depth Florida Current core documents the history of the northward penetration of southern source waters within the return flow of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC). Cd seawater estimates (Cdw) for the last glacial are consistent with the reduced influence of southern source waters at this location relative to the present. / (cont.) At [approx.] 18.5 ka, the southern source contribution to the Florida Current began to increase significantly, marking the onset of a transition from a glacial circulation pattern to a deglacial pattern, which lasted from [approx.] 17 ka to [approx.] 14 ka. At [approx.] 12.5 ka, following the onset of the Younger Dryas cooling in the North Atlantic and the reduction in North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) production, the influence of southern source waters within the Florida Current decreased abruptly. A renewed influence of southern source waters occurred at [approx.] 9 ka, concurrent with the establishment of Holocene warmth in the North Atlantic region. / by Rosemarie Evangeline Came. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-187). / The marine geochemistry of the North Atlantic Ocean varies on decadal to centennial time scales, a consequence of natural and anthropogenic forcing. Surface corals provide a useful geochemical archive to quantify past mixed layer variability, and this study presents elemental and isotopic records from the tropical and subtropical North Atlantic. A consistent method for stable lead isotope analysis via multiple collector ICP-MS is first presented. This method is then applied to western North Atlantic surface corals and seawater, constraining historical elemental and isotopic lead variability. Six stable lead isotope profiles are developed from the western and eastern North Atlantic, demonstrating consistent mixed layer, thermocline, and deep water variability. Finally, coralline trace element records, including cadmium, barium, and lead, are presented from the Cariaco Basin. First, a reliable method is developed for stable lead isotope analysis by multiple collector ICP-MS. This study presents new observations of the large (0.7% amu-l), time-dependent mass fractionation determined by thallium normalization, including preferential light ion transmission induced by the acceleration potential and nebulizer conditions. These experiments show equivalent results for three empirical correction laws, and the previously proposed [beta]Pb/[beta]TI correction does not improve isotope ratio accuracy under these conditions. External secondary normalization to SRM-981 provides one simple alternative, and a rationale is provided for this correction. With current intensities less than 1.5x10-12 A, external isotope ratio precision less than 200 ppm is observed (2[sigma]). Matrix effects are significant with concomitant calcium in SRM-981 (-280 ppm at 257 [mu]M [Ca]). / (cont.) With the appropriate corrections and minimal concomitants, MC-ICP-MS can reliably determine 206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/207Pb ratios of marine carbonates and seawater. Anthropogenic lead represents a promising transient oceanographic tracer, and its historical isotopic and elemental North Atlantic variability have been documented by proxy reconstructions and seawater observations. Two high-resolution surface coral and seawater time series from the western North Atlantic are presented, demonstrating past variability consistent with upper ocean observations. The elemental reconstruction suggests the primary lead transient was advected to the western North Atlantic from 1955 to 1968, with an inferred maximum lead concentration of 205 pmol kg-1 in 1971. The mean 1999 North Atlantic seawater concentration (38 pmol kg-1) is equivalent to 1905, several decades prior to the initial consumption of leaded gasoline in the United States. A 206Pb/207Pb transient from 1968 to 1990 is also observed, lagging the elemental transient by ten years. The provenance of this isotopic record is distinct from Arctic and European ice core observations and supports a 40% ... / by Matthew K. Reuer. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), September 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 226-246). / The upper ocean crust contains a comprehensive record of the shallow geological processes active along the world's mid-ocean ridge system. This thesis examines the magnetic and seismic structure of the upper crust at two contrasting ridges-the fast spreading East Pacific Rise (EPR) and the slow spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR)-to build a more complete understanding about the roles of volcanic emplacement, tectonic disruption and hydrothermal alteration in the near-ridge environment. A technique that inverts potential field measurements directly from an uneven observation track is developed and applied to near-bottom magnetic data from the spreading segments north of the Kane transform on the MAR. It is concluded that the central anomaly magnetization high marks the locus of focused volcanic emplacement. A cyclic faulting model is proposed to explain the oscillatory magnetization pattern associated with discrete blocks of crust being transported out of the rift valley between intensely altered fault zones. Seismic waveform and amplitude analyses of the magma sill along the EPR reveal it to be a thin (<100 m) body of partial melt. These characteristics have important implications for melt availability and transport within the cycle of eruption and replenishment. A genetic algorithm-based seismic waveform inversion technique is developed and applied to on- and near-axis multichannel data from 17'20'S on the EPR and the spreading segment south of the Oceanographer transform (MAR) to map and compare for the first time the detailed velocity structure of the upper crust at two different spreading rates. Combined with conventionally processed seismic profiles, our results show that, while final extrusive thickness is comparable at all spreading ridges (300-500 m), the style of thickening may vary. While a thin (<100 m) extrusive carapace quadruples in thickness within 1-4 km of the EPR crest, the extrusive section at the MAR achieves its final thickness within the inner valley. Both show evidence for a narrow zone of volcanic emplacement. Vigorous hydrothermalism at the EPR may produce a more rapid increase in basement velocities relative to the MAR. Rapid modification of the extrusive/dike transition at both ridges indicates that hydrothermalism is enhanced in this interval. Along-axis transport of lavas may thicken the extrusive pile at slow spreading segment ends, strengthening the magnetic highs generated by lava chemistry. / by Stefan Anthony Hussenoeder. / Ph.D.