Effects of Seasonality and Sediment Permeability on Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen in the South Carolina Grand Strand
Presentation Type
Event
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Angelos Hannides
Major
Marine Science
Presentation Abstract
A key component affecting the biogeochemistry of the sedimentary environment is pore water between grains of sediments. Sedimentary microorganisms are constantly modifying chemical compounds as part of their life functions which are then exchanged between the sediment column and the overlying water column. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen, a major element for life, takes on several forms including nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium which vary in concentration throughout the sediment and with respect to each other. The relative concentrations of these nitrogen species have been previously briefly explored in sandy columns, where redox gradients that control their relative concentrations can be fairly deep because of high permeability, the ability for fluid to flow through the sediment column. In this study, the dissolved inorganic nitrogen geochemistry is determined in swash zone sandy columns at four sites along the South Carolina Grand Strand, and variations are interpreted based on seasonality and sediment permeability.
Course
Marine Science 399
Location
Lib Jackson Student Union, Atrium
Start Date
17-4-2019 4:30 PM
End Date
17-4-2019 4:50 PM
Disciplines
Oceanography
Recommended Citation
Echols, Alexis, "Effects of Seasonality and Sediment Permeability on Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen in the South Carolina Grand Strand" (2019). Undergraduate Research Competition. 16.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2019/poster/16
Effects of Seasonality and Sediment Permeability on Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen in the South Carolina Grand Strand
Lib Jackson Student Union, Atrium
A key component affecting the biogeochemistry of the sedimentary environment is pore water between grains of sediments. Sedimentary microorganisms are constantly modifying chemical compounds as part of their life functions which are then exchanged between the sediment column and the overlying water column. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen, a major element for life, takes on several forms including nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium which vary in concentration throughout the sediment and with respect to each other. The relative concentrations of these nitrogen species have been previously briefly explored in sandy columns, where redox gradients that control their relative concentrations can be fairly deep because of high permeability, the ability for fluid to flow through the sediment column. In this study, the dissolved inorganic nitrogen geochemistry is determined in swash zone sandy columns at four sites along the South Carolina Grand Strand, and variations are interpreted based on seasonality and sediment permeability.