The principal investigator will join his German colleagues at the University of Bremen and the University of Oldenburg in a study of the relationship between the oxidation of dissolved organic matter (humic substances) and cycling of managanese in the water column of the Wadden Sea. The principal investigator plans to deploy a package of state-of-the-art in-situ sensors ("ZAPS") capable of measuring organic matter and managanese with high precision. His German counterparts, who are also expert in marine manganese geochemistry, will deploy their own latest instrumentation. Besides providing the opportunity for analytical cross-checking between these internationally-ranked laboratories, the project promises to yield detailed insight into the relationship between microbial processes, carbon cycling, and the chemistry of manganese (and possibly iron) in the surface ocean.
