Distribution of thiols in the northwest Atlantic Ocean
Distribution of thiols in the northwest Atlantic Ocean
Date
2013-02
Authors
Kading, Tristan
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Location
Northwest Atlantic Ocean
Sargasso Sea
Sargasso Sea
DOI
10.1575/1912/5711
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Keywords
Seawater
Thiols
Oceanus (Ship : 1975-) Cruise OC466
Atlantic Exploer (Ship) Cruise AE10713
Thiols
Oceanus (Ship : 1975-) Cruise OC466
Atlantic Exploer (Ship) Cruise AE10713
Abstract
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
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution February 2013
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Citation
Kading, T. (2013). Distribution of thiols in the northwest Atlantic Ocean [Doctoral thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]. Woods Hole Open Access Server. https://doi.org/10.1575/1912/5711