9310961 GARDNER The U.S. JGOFS Arabian Sea Process Study affords an opportunity to study the role of particles aggregates in oceanic biochemistry. Drs. Gardner, Walsh, and Richardson will study the distribution, transformations, and characteristics of particulates and aggregates in the Arabian Sea during and between the annual monsoons in an effort to understand the relation between environmental conditions and particles/aggregates dynamics. Production, destruction, interconversion, and sedimentation of particulates of various sizes are important processes in oceanic biogeochemistry and will be studied on spatial (vertical and horizontal) and temporal (diel to seasonal) scales. This study will contribute to our understanding of the relationship between particles and aggregates of particles in the water column, and in combination with other physical, chemical, and biological measurements will improve our understanding of oceanic biogeochemical cycling.
