The PIs are acknowledge leaders in the field of marine sediment geochemistry and early digenesis. With this proposal, they plan to continue studies into the activities of bottom- dwelling animals and how they can alter material transport and digenetic reactions in surface sediments of the seafloor. The proposal is divided into three general research areas: a) the irrigation and diffusion structure of solutes in the bioturbated zone, b) the permeability of burrow linings and mucoid secretions, and c) a multi-dimensional study of solute distributions. The proposed development of novel optical fluorosensors to measure small scale variations in pore water chemistry is considered an exciting and important new direction in studies of early digenesis in marine sediments.
