Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 06/01/2009 - 05:47
Forums
Dissolved Organic Matter in Antarctica

What new information has the team collected over time about the changes with DOM (dissolved organic matter)?

How does the dissolved organic matter contribute or go into the global carbon cycle?

what new information have they collected with the study and comparison of the two different streams?

Wed, 06/03/2009 - 19:20

Sarah Diers

Hello South Lake High School, Great questions! I have sent them on to Dr. Christine Foreman, the principal investigator (P.I.) for my expedition and will post answers as soon as I hear back from her. My expedition is still months away so it is possible that we cannot answer all your questions at this time. However, Dr. Foreman was involved in previous research expeditions in Antarctica and she may have historical data available. Where is South Lake High School? Thank you for checking out my site and for the great queries!Sarah

Sat, 06/06/2009 - 07:39

Sarah Diers

Hello again, Sough Lake High School,I received a reply from Dr. Foreman in regards to your questions. At this time, we cannot answer the first and third questions, as we still have many months before our expedition to the Dry Valleys. As for the question about DOM's contribution to the global carbon cycle, this is what Dr. Foreman writes, "Dissolved organic matter is the soluble fraction of material present from the decay of plants, bacteria and algae and represents the largest mobile reservoir of carbon on our planet.  DOM is typically 50% carbon by mass and is a fundamental link between terrestrial and aquatic systems.  In fact, ~97% of the dissolved organic carbon in oceans is in the dissolved phase.  Because of its sheer volume, even small changes in the DOM pool has consequences for the global carbon cycles."
 Thanks again for your interest! Keep checking back!
Sarah