1. Sources traits and sampling of marine sediments

2. atmosphere Rivers Surface water Particulate Water column dissolved
Solids
Solutes,
gas, dust, aerosols
Surface water
biogenic production
Water column
Particulate
dissolved
Interface
Past interfaces
Past interfaces

3. Residence time of water in the ocean ≈ 3200 years

4. Ocean crusts reach ages of 200 million years

6. Seafloor sediments store the memories of the ocean
Sediments have physical, chemical and biological characteristics that reflect their origins (where they come from), environment and journey

7. Categories of solids in the sediment
Biogenic (substance produced by life processes)
Lithogenic (comes from non biogenic rocks)
Authigenic (minerals that are formed in situ; also called hydrogenic)

8. Aquatic Sediments
Bulk Sediment
Solids
porewater

9. Physical properties Bulk density Dry density porosity Grain size
wet mass
dry mass
Water volume
Total volume
Dry Volume
Total volume
Grain size
mass of size fraction
vol of size fraction or
dry mass total
dry vol total

10. Sediment stratigraphy, sampling considerations
age
age
age

11. A 20cm long x-ray of laminated sediments showing light summer layers (resulting from algal blooms) and dark winter layers (resulting from heavy rainfall).

12. Solutes in the sediment porewater

13. Porewater extraction

14. incubation

15. Solids in the sediment Elements Organic and inorganic compounds
Minerals

16. Biological properties
Meiofauna
Microfauna
Macrofauna

17. Sorting benthic fauna by size

18. We sample sediments and examine their characteristics to:
learn about past and present interactions
between the overlying water and the seafloor
Search for usable resources
(e.g. minerals and fossil fuels)
Research basic scientific questions
(e.g. paleo magnetism)

19. Data that has to be taken with every sample of sediment that we ccollect
Sample ID
Spatial (x:y) location (Lat; Long)
Vertical (z) location (water depth in m)
sample range (cm into the sediment)
Sampling time (min,h,d,mo,yr)

20. Basics of sediment sampling A. registration (Lat, Long, Depth, Time)

21. Sediment (core) description

22. Grab
Activated from a vessel
Very reliable
Disturbs the stratigraphy
Not quantitative
Shallow penetration
Soft sediments (sensitive to stones and shells)

23. Box corer
Operated from a vessel
All depth
Very reliable
preserves the stratigraphy
Quantitative
Shallow penetration
Soft sediments

24. Manually sampled Short cores
Operated by scuba divers
Coastal, max depth 100 m
Very reliable
Cheep (small vessels)
Sampling area is limited
preserves the stratigraphy
Quantitative
Shallow penetration
Gentle insert
Soft sediments

25. Manually sampled Short cores; modification for ROV
Extended depth
Pin point sampling with quality control
Very expensive

26. Multi corer
Operated from a vessel
Repetitions
Sampling area is limited
All depths
preserves the stratigraphy
Quantitative
Shallow penetration
Gentle insert
Soft sediments

27. Gravity corer
Operated from a vessel
All depths
preserves the stratigraphy
Quantitative
Impact may compact the sediment
Medium penetration
Impact insert
Soft sediments
Not good for porewater measurements

28. Piston corer (a gravity corer with suction mechanism)
Operated from a vessel
All depths
preserves the stratigraphy
Quantitative
Improved penetration (up to 25 m)
Impact insert
Soft to medium sediments

29. Vibra corer Operated from a vessel
Operates to depth of hundreds of meters
preserves the stratigraphy
Quantitative
Medium penetration
Vibration insert
medium sediments
Compacts the sediment
Requires a power cable

30. Pneumatic corer
Operated by divers working off a mid size vessel
operates to depth of 50m
preserves the stratigraphy
Quantitative
Medium penetration
Vibration insert
medium sediments
Compacts the sediment
Requires compressed air source

31. (pneomatic or hydroulic)
Manual drill corer
(pneomatic or hydroulic)
Operated by divers working off a vessel (limited by diving depth and pneumatic pressure)
preserves the stratigraphy
Quantitative
Penetration into hard substrates e.g. rock and corals

32. IODP http://www.iodp.org/index.php

33. Deep sea drill corer
Operated from big ocean going, specialized ships
operates at full oceanic depths
preserves the stratigraphy
Quantitative
Deep penetration (max depth to date =2111m below the seafloor off Japan)
All sediment typs
Ridiculously expensive

34. Calcium Compensation Depth (CCD) 4200-4500 m.
calcareous ooze (blue

35. Calcium Compensation Depth (CCD) 4200-4500 m.
calcareous ooze (blue