Distribution, Forms, and Reactions of Major Biochemicals in Marine Environments

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

HEDGES 9401903 Processes affecting the preservation of organic matter and its major biochemical components in marine sediments will be studied with a continuing program which will: a) Develop a molecular-level technique for analysis of tannins and apply it in a study of the geochemistry of these polyphenols. b) Continue our recent studies on the physical forms or organic matter in marine sediments, emphasizing the effects of protective matrices on major biochemical distributions in organic-rich and deltaic deposits. c) Investigate the possible effects of slow oxic degradation on the preservation of organic matter and pollen in a marine turbidite and in continental margin sediments. The proposed tannin initiative is an extension of our efforts to develop and test analytical methods for major biochemicals that are promising geochemical tracers. The sediment fabric and oxic degradation studies represent a shift in emphasis away from case studies of biodegradation in specific plant tissues, toward field investigations of processes that may strongly affect the preservation of sedimentary organic materials on a global scale.