9521170 CANUEL Lipid biomarkers, elemental (% organic carbon, C/N ratios), and isotopic (C-13) information will be used to: (1) characterize primary source materials in order to develop reliable chemcial tracers for their input, (2) identify temporal and spatial patterns in the sources of suspended POM in the Chesapeake Bay, and (3) evaluate historical changes in the delivery of organic materials using sediments cores. Because of high variability in the delivery processes, the study will focus on processes likely to be most important, namely, freshwater inflow, phytoplankton blooms, and microbially-medicated degradation. The educational component of this career development plan has as its objectives: (1) the development of graduate level courses, (2) mentoring of graduate and undergraduate students, and (3) establishing a summer program to initiate high school girls into scientific research. The Female Initiation into Research in Science and Technology (F.I.R.S.T.) program will place precollege girsl in labs where they will work closely with female mentors. All of the education objectives will utilize research experience as a teaching tool. Together the research and education plans outlined in this proposal will build a framework for understanding key processes controlling the delivery and fate of organic materials in near shore environments, including other estuaries, and the continental shelf and slope. Specifically, results from this study will identify the important sources of organic matter and their relative abundance in the water column and sediments of the Chesapeake Bay.
