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Coral calcification : insights from inorganic experiments and coral responses to environmental variables
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010)
The mechanisms involved in the formation of coral skeletons are examined using a laboratory model for coral calcification and the growth of living corals under different environmental conditions. Abiogenic aragonite was ...
Evolution of oceanic margins : rifting in the Gulf of California and sediment diapirism and mantle hydration during subduction
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013)
This thesis investigates three processes that control the evolution of oceanic margins. Chapter 2 presents seismic images of a ~2-km-thick evaporite body in Guaymas Basin, central Gulf of California. In rifts, evaporites ...
Constraining circulation changes through the last deglaciation with deep-sea coral radiocarbon and sedimentary ²³¹Pa/²³⁰Th
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012)
Radioactive isotopes can be used in paleoceanography both for dating samples and as tracers of ocean processes. Here I use radiocarbon and uranium series isotopes to investigate the ocean's role in climate change over the ...
Experimental studies of melting and crystallization processes in planetary interiors
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011)
Melting and crystallization processes on the Earth and Moon are explored in this thesis, and the topics of melt generation, transport, and crystallization are discussed in three distinct geologic environments: the Moon's ...
Linear and nonlinear stratified spindown over sloping topography
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010)
In a stratified rotating fluid, frictionally driven circulations couple with the buoyancy field over sloping topography. Analytical and numerical methods are used to quantify the impact of this coupling on the vertical ...
Controls on earthquake rupture and triggering mechanisms in subduction zones
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010)
Large earthquake rupture and triggering mechanisms that drive seismicity in subduction zones are investigated in this thesis using a combination of earthquake observations, statistical and physical modeling. A comparison ...
Temporal and petrogenetic constraints on volcanic accretionary processes at 9-10 degrees North East Pacific Rise
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010)
Volcanic accretion at the fast-spreading East Pacific Rise (EPR) occurs over a ~2-4 km wide neo-volcanic zone on either side of the axial summit trough (AST). Eruption ages are critical for understanding the distribution ...
Comprehensive study of a heavy fuel oil spill : modeling and analytical approaches to understanding environmental weathering
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012)
Driven by increasingly heavy oil reserves and more efficient refining technologies, use of heavy fuel oils for power generation is rising. Unlike other refined products and crude oils, a large portion of these heavy oils ...
Nitrogen cycling in oxygen deficient zones : insights from [delta]¹⁵N and [delta]¹⁸O of nitrite and nitrate
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013)
The stable isotopes, [delta]¹⁵N and [delta]¹⁸O, of nitrite and nitrate can be powerful tools used to interpret nitrogen cycling in the ocean. They are particularly useful in regions of the ocean where there are multiple ...
Variations in coral reef net community calcification and aragonite saturation state on local and global scales
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013)
Predicting the response of net community calcification (NCC) to ocean acidification OA and declining aragonite saturation state [Omega]a requires a thorough understanding of controls on NCC. The diurnal control of light ...