Effects of nutrients and turbulence on the production of transparent exopolymer particles: a mesocosm study

The production of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) in response to several environmental variables was studied in 2 mesocosm experiments. The first (Expt 1) examined a gradient of 4 nutrient levels; the second (Expt 2) examined different conditions of silicate availability and zooplankton presence. Tanks were separated in 2 series, one subjected to turbulence and the other not influenced by turbulence. In tanks with nutrient addition, TEP were rapidly formed, with net apparent production rates closely linked to chl a growth rates, suggesting that phytoplankton cells were actively exuding TEP precursors. High nutrient availability increased the absolute concentration of TEP; however, the relative quantity of TEP produced was found to be lower, as TEP concentration per unit of phytoplankton biomass was inversely related to the initial nitrate dose. In Expt 1, an increase in TEP volume (3 to 48 µm equivalent spherical diameter) with nutrient dose was observed; in Expt 2, both silicate addition and turbulence enhanced TEP production and favored aggregation to larger TEP (>48 µm). The presence of zooplankton lowered TEP concentration and changed the size distribution of TEP, presumably by grazing on TEP or phytoplankton. For lower nutrient concentrations, the ratio of particulate organic carbon (POC) to particulate organic nitrogen (PON) followed the Redfield ratio. At higher nutrient conditions, when nutrients were exhausted during the post-bloom, a decoupling of carbon and nitrogen dynamics occurred and was correlated to TEP formation, with a large flow of carbon channeled toward the TEP pool in turbulent tanks. TEP accounted for an increase in POC concentration of 50% in high-nutrient and turbulent conditions. The study of TEP dynamics is crucial to understanding the biogeochemical response of the aquatic system to forcing variables such as nutrient availability and turbulence intensity.

Growth and magnetic characterization of Co nanoparticles obtained by femtosecond pulsed laser deposition.

We present a detailed study on the morphology and magnetic properties of Co nanostructures deposited onto oxidized Si substrates by femtosecond pulsed laser deposition. Generally, Co disks of nanometric dimensions are obtained just above the ablation threshold, with a size distribution characterized by an increasingly larger number of disks as their size diminishes, and with a maximum disk size that depends on the laser power density. In Au/Co/Au structures, in-plane magnetic anisotropy is observed in all cases, with no indication of superparamagnetism regardless of the amount of material or the laser power density. Magnetic force microscopy observations show coexistence of single-domain and vortex states for the magnetic domain structure of the disks. Superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements point to saturation magnetization values lower than the bulk, probably due to partial oxidation of the Co resulting from incomplete coverage by the Au capping layer.