http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/137507728

Nature and Role of Marine Exudates in Particle Aggregation in the Sea (SIGMA ARI)

The overall goal of the project was to determine the importance of dissolved and colloidal exudates in flocculation of algae in the sea. Thus, during the course of algal blooms, we (1) studied bubble-generated, non-living background particles formed from surface active algal exudates, since these particles appear to play a key role in floc formation; (2) determined the molecular size distribution and composition of exocellular saccharides; and (3) related changes in exopolysaccharide composition and concentration (dissolved, colloidal, and surface active substances) to particle concentration and size distribution, to the formation of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP), and to variations in viscosity of the medium, alpha (the sticking coefficient), and microbial activity (i.e., exo-enzymatic hydrolysis, remineralization and synthesis of microbial exudates). This study has provided the first detailed molecular information on particle aggregation in the sea. This information is essential for understanding the molecular mechanisms that cause particles to adhere, and for modeling particle aggregation dynamics in the upper ocean.

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