A Microbial Survey of Lake Kivu: Mechanisms of Nitrogen Cycling
Name
kaitlyn-przydzial-sb-eaps-2023-thesis.pdf
Description
Thesis PDF
Size
8.25 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
89ac168c8faf66146e8611764dc80da1
Author(s)
Przydzial, Kaitlyn
Advisor(s)
Summons, Roger E.
Uveges, Benjamin
Date Issued
June 2023
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Ocean Anoxic Events (OAEs) are periods in Earth’s history during which large por-tions of the oceans contain decreased amounts of oxygen. OAEs can be very difficult to study since modern oceans are generally well-oxygenated. Here Lake Kivu, a meromictic lake with deep anoxic layers, is presented as a potential OAE analogue and is used to study a proposed nitrogen cycling mechanism that could explain the characteristic 𝛿¹⁵N excursions associated with OAEs. Biomarkers are isolated from sediment samples and analyzed across depth below the lake floor. The results are consistent with a biologically mediated nitrogen cycling mechanism, shedding more light on a potential mechanism to explain nitrogen cycling in OAEs.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Terms of Use
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Copyright retained by author(s)
Persistent DSpace Link
