Measuring the Sources, Fates, Transport and Sedimentation of Marine Snow Aggregates in the Black Sea

海洋雪在海洋颗粒物垂直通量中起重要作用。Asper将设计和建造三个互补的相机系统来研究海洋雪集体的丰度、通量和原位下沉速度。第一个系统将拍摄一个明确定义的水量，以评估这些聚集体沿着垂直剖面或通过固定或浮动系泊的时间的浓度。第二个和第三个摄像头安装在一个透明的沉淀室/沉淀池的正下方（侧面）和下方（向上）。侧视的照相机将通过观察在指定的时间间隔内聚集体的下降来确定沉降腔内的沉降速度。第三台摄像机将通过观察它们连续到达陷阱底部来测量聚合体的通量。捕集器收集的材料也将与聚集物到达的图像进行比较，以估计这些聚集物的组成和质量通量贡献。将这些测量结果结合起来，就可以准确地确定和模拟这些聚集体在任何海洋水柱中微粒物质垂直通量中的作用。

Marine snow is important in the vertical flux of marine particulate matter. Asper will design and construct three complimentary camera systems to study the abundance, flux and in situ sinking speed of marine snow aggregates. The first system will photograph a well-defined volume of water for assessment of the concentration of these aggregates either along a vertical profile or through time on a stationary or floating mooring. The second and third cameras are mounted normal to (side-looking) and beneath (upward-looking) a transparent settling chamber/sediment trap. The side-looking camera will determine the sinking speed of aggregates within the settling chamber by observing their fall over a specified time interval. The third camera will measure the flux of aggregates by observing their successive arrivals on the clear bottom of the trap. Material collected by the trap will also be compared to the images of aggregate arrivals for estimation of the composition and mass flux contribution of these aggregates. Combining these measurements will allow accurate determination and modeling of the role of these aggregates in the vertical flux of particulate matter in any oceanic water column.