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    Particle dynamics in the rising plume at Piccard Hydrothermal Field, Mid-Cayman Rise

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    Article (618.1Kb)
    Supporting Information S1 (246.0Kb)
    Tables S1–S6 (60Kb)
    Date
    2015-08-25
    Author
    Estapa, Margaret L.  Concept link
    Breier, John A.  Concept link
    German, Christopher R.  Concept link
    Metadata
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    Citable URI
    https://hdl.handle.net/1912/7613
    As published
    https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GC005831
    DOI
    10.1002/2015GC005831
    Keyword
     Hydrothermal particulate iron fluxes; Particle size distribution; Particle inherent optical properties; In situ optical sensors; Mid-Cayman Rise; Piccard Hydrothermal Field 
    Abstract
    Processes active in rising hydrothermal plumes, such as precipitation, particle aggregation, and biological growth, affect particle size distributions and can exert important influences on the biogeochemical impact of submarine venting of iron to the oceans and their sediments. However, observations to date of particle size distribution within these systems are both limited and conflicting. In a novel buoyant hydrothermal plume study at the recently discovered high-temperature (398°C) Piccard Hydrothermal Field, Mid-Cayman Rise, we report optical measurements of particle size distributions (PSDs). We describe the plume PSD in terms of a simple, power-law model commonly used in studies of upper and coastal ocean particle dynamics. Observed PSD slopes, derived from spectral beam attenuation and laser diffraction measurements, are among the highest found to date anywhere in the ocean and ranged from 2.9 to 8.5. Beam attenuation at 650 nm ranged from near zero to a rarely observed maximum of 192 m−1 at 3.5 m above the vent. We did not find large (>100 μm) particles that would settle rapidly to the sediments. Instead, beam attenuation was well-correlated to total iron, suggesting the first-order importance of particle dilution, rather than precipitation or dissolution, in the rising plume at Piccard. Our observations at Piccard caution against the assumption of rapid deposition of hydrothermal, particulate metal fluxes, and illustrate the need for more particle size and composition measurements across a broader range of sites, globally.
    Description
    Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2015. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 16 (2015): 2762–2774, doi:10.1002/2015GC005831.
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    • Geology and Geophysics (G&G)
    Suggested Citation
    Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 16 (2015): 2762–2774
     

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