The distribution of particles in the Eastern Pacific Ocean was
investigated from 2 January to 14 February, l969, on the YALOC-69
cruise of Oregon State University. The size distributions were well
fitted by the two-parameter Weibull distribution function, with a
predominant number of them nearly exponential in distributional
shape. Although particles smaller in diameter than 1i could not be
measured, extrapolation of the Weibull distribution into the small
particle range indicated the median particle diameter was smaller than
1μ.
Measurements of light scattering were taken simultaneously
with the particle size determinations. A linear relationship between
the total particulate surface area and the volume scattering function,
β(45°) was indicated, as well as between β(45°)/β(135°) and the
mean particle diameter of distributions sharing a common shape
parameter. Five different characteristic distributional shapes
were found which typified all but a few of the distributions. No
direct relationship was found between the distributional shapes and
the water types encountered on the cruise. The first-order exponential
shapes of the size distributions suggest that a detrital decay
mechanism of the larger particles (i. e. phytoplankton) could be a
dominant factor in determining the small particle end of oceanic
particle distributions. / Graduation date: 1970
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/29127 |
| Date | 30 September 1969 |
| Creators | Carder, Kendall L. |
| Contributors | Beardsley, George F. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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