The United States Navy's involvement in the Vietnam War, especially its role in the region's inland waterways, has long been an overshadowed aspect of the conflict. Most histories ignore or minimize the Navy's contribution, especially its river patrol or 'brown water' role. Through archival and library research as well as interviews with U.S Navy Vietnam War veterans this thesis demonstrates the vital role played by the brown water navy in the northern provinces of South Vietnam. A key but understudied component of this effort was Task Force Clearwater, an improvised brown water fleet that-along with the maritime logistics campaign that it supported-would prove essential for the successful defense of South Vietnam's northernmost provinces and demonstrate the vital importance of inland naval power. Task Force Clearwater and its supported maritime logistics effort form a little explored component of the U.S. Navy's role in South Vietnam. A brown water task force that proved essential for the successful defense of the northern provinces of I Corps, Clearwater repeatedly demonstrated the vital importance of inland naval power and the critical need for reliable and protected routes of supply. The task force revealed many lessons that had been long understood, forgotten, and then relearned by the U.S. Navy, among them that control of inland waterways was perhaps the most advantageous form of logistical supply in war. Created in part to satisfy the ancient maxim of "keeping the supply lines open", the task force's role broadened with time. In the course of its existence the men and boats of Clearwater would provide not only the tools of war in I Corps but also provide key lessons for the future.

Das Auftreten von Braunwasser in Trinkwasserverteilungsnetzen ist eine Beeinträchtigung der Trinkwasserqualität, die durch mobilisierte partikuläre Ablagerungen verursacht wird. Die Partikel gelangen durch verschiedene Prozesse, wie z. B. der Korrosion metallischer Leitungen und den Eintrag am Wasserwerk, kontinuierlich in sehr geringen Massenströmen in das Rohrnetz. Durch die Akkumulation der Partikel an Rohroberflächen können sich Ablagerungsmengen bilden, die bei ansteigenden Strömungsgeschwindigkeiten resuspendiert werden und zu unerwünschten Braunwassererscheinungen führen. Die vorliegende Arbeit behandelt die experimentelle Untersuchung des Transportes von Partikeln, die für Trinkwassernetze typisch sind, in Rohrströmungen. Es werden Einflussfaktoren identifiziert, die für den Partikeltransport von Bedeutung sind. Ein neu entwickeltes dynamisches Modell beschreibt den Transport von Partikeln und die Ablagerungsbildung in Rohrströmungen und vermaschten Rohrnetzen. Das Modell wurde in einer Anwendersoftware implementiert und an einem Trinkwasserverteilungsnetz für das Nachvollziehen der beobachteten Ablagerungsbildung eingesetzt. Im Vergleich zu bestehenden dynamischen Modellen werden partikelbezogene Prozesse unter Berücksichtigung der für trinkwasserbürtige Partikel und Ablagerungen typischen Eigenschaften mathematisch genauer beschrieben. Stationäre und dynamische Ereignisse bezüglich Wasserqualität und Ablagerungsbildung können jetzt durch die Berücksichtung zahlreicher zeitabhängiger Einflussfaktoren nachvollzogen werden. / The occurrence of discoloured water in drinking water distribution systems is a disturbance of the water quality, which is induced by mobilised particulate deposits. Different processes result in the continuous entry of small mass flow rates of particles into the piping, for instance the corrosion of metallic pipes as well as the entry at the water works outlet. By the accumulation of these particles, significant amounts of deposits can be formed and at higher flow rates be resuspended, which leads to unwanted events with discoloured water. This study examines the experimental investigation of the transport of particles, which are typical for drinking water distribution systems, in pipe flow. Influencing factors are identified, which are of importance for the particle transport. With a newly developed model, the transport of particles and the deposit formation in pipe flow and in piping is described. The model is implemented into a software application and deployed at a drinking water distribution system to understand the observed deposit formation. In comparison with existent dynamic water quality models, particle-related processes are described mathematically in more details, under consideration of characteristics typical for particles and deposits in drinking water distribution systems. Hence, observed steady-state and dynamic events can be followed using several influencing time-dependent factors.

The trophic state of lakes is commonly defined by the concentration of nutrients in the water column. High nutrient concentrations generate high phytoplankton production, and lakes with low nutrient concentrations are considered low-productive. This simplified view of lake productivity ignores the fact that benthic primary producers and heterotrophic bacteria can be important basal producers in lake ecosystems. In this thesis I have studied clear-water and brown-water lakes with respect to primary production, respiration and bacterial production based on allochthonous organic carbon. These processes were quantified in pelagic and benthic habitats on temporal and spatial scales. I also calculated the net ecosystem production of the lakes, defined as the difference between gross primary production (GPP) and respiration (R). The net ecosystem production indicates whether a lake is net heterotrophic (GPP < R), net autotrophic (GPP > R) or in metabolic balance (GPP = R). Net heterotrophic lakes are sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere since respiration in these lakes, by definition, is subsidized by an external organic carbon source. External organic carbon is transported to lakes from the terrestrial environment via inlets, and can serve as a carbon source for bacteria but it also limits light availability for primary producers by absorbing light. On a seasonal scale, four of the clear-water lakes studied in this thesis were dominated by primary production in the soft-bottom benthic habitat and by respiration in the pelagic habitat. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were low in the lakes, but still high enough to cause the lakes to be net heterotrophic. However, the lakes were not low-productive due to the high production in the benthic habitat. One of the clear-water lakes was studied also during the winter and much of the respiration under ice was supported by the benthic primary production from the previous summer. This is in contrast to brown-water lakes where winter respiration is suggested to be supported by allochthonous organic carbon. By studying lakes in a DOC gradient (i.e. from clear-water to brown-water lakes) I could draw two major conclusions. The lakes became less productive since benthic primary production decreased with increasing light extinction, and the lakes became larger sources of CO2 to the atmosphere since pelagic respiration was subsidized by allochthonous organic carbon. Thus, lake carbon metabolism can have an important role in the global carbon cycle due to their processing of terrestrial organic carbon and to their possible feedback effects on the climate system.

Das Auftreten von Braunwasser in Trinkwasserverteilungsnetzen ist eine Beeinträchtigung der Trinkwasserqualität, die durch mobilisierte partikuläre Ablagerungen verursacht wird. Die Partikel gelangen durch verschiedene Prozesse, wie z. B. der Korrosion metallischer Leitungen und den Eintrag am Wasserwerk, kontinuierlich in sehr geringen Massenströmen in das Rohrnetz. Durch die Akkumulation der Partikel an Rohroberflächen können sich Ablagerungsmengen bilden, die bei ansteigenden Strömungsgeschwindigkeiten resuspendiert werden und zu unerwünschten Braunwassererscheinungen führen. Die vorliegende Arbeit behandelt die experimentelle Untersuchung des Transportes von Partikeln, die für Trinkwassernetze typisch sind, in Rohrströmungen. Es werden Einflussfaktoren identifiziert, die für den Partikeltransport von Bedeutung sind. Ein neu entwickeltes dynamisches Modell beschreibt den Transport von Partikeln und die Ablagerungsbildung in Rohrströmungen und vermaschten Rohrnetzen. Das Modell wurde in einer Anwendersoftware implementiert und an einem Trinkwasserverteilungsnetz für das Nachvollziehen der beobachteten Ablagerungsbildung eingesetzt. Im Vergleich zu bestehenden dynamischen Modellen werden partikelbezogene Prozesse unter Berücksichtigung der für trinkwasserbürtige Partikel und Ablagerungen typischen Eigenschaften mathematisch genauer beschrieben. Stationäre und dynamische Ereignisse bezüglich Wasserqualität und Ablagerungsbildung können jetzt durch die Berücksichtung zahlreicher zeitabhängiger Einflussfaktoren nachvollzogen werden. / The occurrence of discoloured water in drinking water distribution systems is a disturbance of the water quality, which is induced by mobilised particulate deposits. Different processes result in the continuous entry of small mass flow rates of particles into the piping, for instance the corrosion of metallic pipes as well as the entry at the water works outlet. By the accumulation of these particles, significant amounts of deposits can be formed and at higher flow rates be resuspended, which leads to unwanted events with discoloured water. This study examines the experimental investigation of the transport of particles, which are typical for drinking water distribution systems, in pipe flow. Influencing factors are identified, which are of importance for the particle transport. With a newly developed model, the transport of particles and the deposit formation in pipe flow and in piping is described. The model is implemented into a software application and deployed at a drinking water distribution system to understand the observed deposit formation. In comparison with existent dynamic water quality models, particle-related processes are described mathematically in more details, under consideration of characteristics typical for particles and deposits in drinking water distribution systems. Hence, observed steady-state and dynamic events can be followed using several influencing time-dependent factors.