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Topic Sedimentary Organic Matter Dynamics at a High-Energy Beach
Abstract Sandy sediments play a significant role in global biogeochemical processes, but few studies have focused on their organic matter cycling due to an assumption that little was happening there due to low organic matter content. However, it has been shown that this setting's low organic matter content is caused by the high turnover rate of the sediment. This study further focuses on organic matter cycling of permeable sandy sediments by determining seasonal and depth patterns for this setting's organic matter across a time series. By using mass loss-on-ignition, it was found that sandy sediments exhibit a seasonality commonly found in muddy sediments, increased organic matter in spring and summer, while the depth pattern was opposite of those common in mud. Minimum concentration values were expressed in the uppermost layer of sediment while maximum values were found deeper in the sediment. It is important to note that while these trends can clearly be seen that the values represented are still the low concentrations commonly associated with sandy sediments.
Faculty Advisor: Angelos Hannides, Marine Science
Graduate Student Mentor: Todd Rhodes, Coastal and Marine Systems Science
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