Distribution of thiols in the northwest Atlantic Ocean
Author(s)
Kading, Tristan James![Thumbnail](/bitstream/handle/1721.1/79298/847520107-MIT.pdf.jpg?sequence=5&isAllowed=y)
DownloadFull printable version (2.815Mb)
Other Contributors
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Advisor
Carl Lamborg.
Terms of use
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Thiol substances can form stable complexes with metals (especially copper and mercury) in the surface ocean that can impact cycling and bioavailability of those elements. In this study, I present seven concentration profiles of cysteine and glutathione, two low-molecular weight thiols, from the coastal northwest Atlantic Ocean and the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series (BATS) sampling site in the Sargasso Sea, a first for these regions. These two thiols were found in the upper 200 meters of the ocean at all sites, and the total thiol concentration varied from 0.2 to 3.2 nM. The highest concentration of both thiols was found at the deep chlorophyll maximum in most samples. Thiol concentrations were higher on the continental shelf than in the open ocean. The observed distribution of cysteine and glutathione and thermodynamic stability of copper complexes suggests that Cu(I)-dithiol complexes may be the dominant surface ocean copper and thiol species. Mercury-thiol complexes were also present in thermodynamically modeled seawater, which may provide a vector for mercury uptake in the surface ocean.
Description
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Chemical Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2013. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (p. 30-38).
Date issued
2013Department
Joint Program in Chemical Oceanography; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary SciencesPublisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Keywords
Joint Program in Chemical Oceanography., Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences., Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.