Seminar: Dave DeMaster – NCSU

UNC-CH’s Department of Marine Sciences is proud to host a seminar by Dave DeMaster. This event is scheduled for Wednesday, February 5th, at 12:30 pm in room G201 on the ground floor of Murray/Venable Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This seminar will also be broadcast live to seminar room 222 at the Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) in Morehead City, NC and online via Zoom (Meeting ID: 501-070-231).

Presenter Affiliation: Professor, NC State’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology

Title: Using radiochemistry to understand the distribution and nature of labile organic carbon in Antarctic marine sediments: An update

Abstract: The main focus of the talk will be on the determination of Labile Organic Carbon (the reactive organic matter that provides energy and nutrition to the entire benthic ecosystem) from high-resolution C-14 measurements in the seabed.  The research utilizes this novel approach for quantifying the abundance of reactive sedimentary organic matter to examine the nature and distribution of Labile Organic Carbon (LOC) in contrasting Antarctic environments: the collapsing/retreating ice shelves of the East Antarctic Peninsula versus the West Antarctic Peninsula, which is undergoing warming as fast as any site on Earth.  In addition, our research compares the abundance and turnover-time of LOC in surface sediments and in subsurface sediments as a means of understanding the fate of LOC.  Lastly, the presentation will compare the C-14 approach to quantifying LOC in marine sediments to other techniques for characterizing reactive organic matter such as Biopolymeric determinations and Ramped Pyrolysis.