Biological and chemical responses of sea surface layer to atmospheric deposition

Milinković, Andrea (2023) Biological and chemical responses of sea surface layer to atmospheric deposition. Doctoral thesis, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Prirodoslovno-matematički fakultet.

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Abstract

The main aim of this interdisciplinary study is to gain insight into the effects of atmospheric deposition (AD) on complex structural and physiological responses, primarily of phytoplankton communities, and consequently on the chemical properties of sea surface layers, and the organic matter (OM) enrichment in the sea surface microlayer at the sea-atmosphere interface. Several aspects were examined: i) the variability of concentrations, sources, and deposition fluxes of atmospheric constituents and the impact of AD on the plankton population, and the chemistry of the sea surface layers in the central Adriatic coastal area; ii) the impact of ambient AD from diverse sources on the plankton population, and the change in the chemical properties of the sea surface layers through the first incubation experiment of this kind in the Adriatic Sea; iii) the mechanisms by which the specific anthropogenic AD constituents affect phytoplankton at the level of individual species, through laboratory tests on phytoplankton monocultures. The results obtained indicate that AD alters the composition of the sea surface through the addition of nutrients and toxic components, which strongly affects the competitiveness, growth rate, and thus the structure of the inhabiting plankton communities. Such changes ultimately lead to qualitative and quantitative variations in biogenic OM within the sea surface, whose enhanced enrichment at the natural phase boundary alters ocean-atmosphere exchange processes. The results of this thesis imply that the effects of AD on the sea surface could have strong implications for biogeochemical processes and climate in general.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral thesis)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	aerosol particles; atmospheric deposition; sea surface microlayer; phytoplankton; organic matter; Adriatic Sea
Subjects:	NATURAL SCIENCES > Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences > Marine Science
Divisions:	Division for Marine and Enviromental Research
Projects:	Project title Project leader Project code Project type Biokemijski odgovori površinskog sloja oligotrofnog područja Jadranskog mora na atmosfersko taloženje-BiREADI Sanja Frka Milosavljević IP-2018-01-3105 HRZZ
Depositing User:	Andrea Milinković
Date Deposited:	06 Feb 2024 12:40
URI:	http://fulir.irb.hr/id/eprint/8515

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