With these dynamic and boundary conditions, a most exciting opportunity exists to link them 

 with extensive in situ observations of fluxes of soluble and particulate phases and 

 transformations between them. New tools and techniques (e.g., sediment traps, large-volume 

 samplers, experimental benthic chambers, and numerical modeling) will be developed and used 

 extensively in conjunction with physical and satellite observation programs over the next 

 decade. This program will provide an understanding of the factors which control long-term 

 chemical/biological dynamics at the ocean basin or global scale. 



Of particular relevance here is the application of emerging methodology employing AMS for 

 measuring '''^C, ""^Be, ""^Si, and ^^ai concentrations in seawater. Additionally, significant effort 

 will be required to assure that the necessary infrastructure is in place to guarantee that the 

 volumes of data produced from satellites and aircraft can be handled. 



The specific objectives of this initiative are: (1) to define the rate of production of organic 

 matter (i.e., organic tissue, opal, calcite, and many of the specific chemical and biological 

 components of these phases) as a function of geographic location and time; (2) to define the flux 

 of organic matter from the photic zone into the ocean interior as a function of location and time; 

 (3) to define the transfer rates (by respiration, dissolution, and sorption) between phases as a 

 function of time and location within the water column; and (4) to define the flux between the 

 ocean interior and the seafloor. Several major aspects of the ocean sciences will benefit from 

 having results of this research applied to specific regions. 



A knowledge of rates of photosynthesis and respiration as a function of space and time in the sea 

 is fundamental to any understanding of the ecology of marine organisms. A knowledge of 

 production and dissolution patterns of opal and calcite hard parts is fundamental to reading the 

 record of paleoenvironments preserved in marine sediments. Finally, knowledge of the pattern 

 of nutrient transport to the ocean's surface and of the pattern of nutrient regeneration in the 

 sea's interior will provide powerful constraints on models of water flow through the sea. 



To accomplish a synoptic study of this scale and match fluxes to and through the water column, a 

 seven-year program costing between $5M and $8M per year is required, with an additional 

 $6M required in FY 1 988 and FY 1 989 for establishing a dedicated AMS facility for the Ocean 

 Sciences. 



2. Coastal Ocean Fluxes. The objective of this subinitiative is to determine the extent and 

 nature of material being injected into the open ocean across the coastal boundary. The results of 

 this research will be augmented by studies of the Land/Sea Interface and Continental Margins and 

 will serve as the input function for models developed to describe global open ocean flux studies 

 (GOFS). 



Mass balances of both meso and global space scales are necessary in determining whether the 

 influx of material to the ocean is greater than its removal. The approach has been applied with 

 regard to some metals in seawater, and results indicate that a substantial increase in the oceanic 

 inventory of certain metals has occurred as a result of human activity. However, these efforts 

 have been severely limited by a lack of comprehensive models. It is likely that global models 

 will be generated using regional models; therefore, the geographic setting must be 

 predetermined. 



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