Lateral particle transport in nepheloid layers - a key factor for organic matter distribution and quality in the Benguela high-productivity area

This thesis aims to identify and estimate the significance of lateral transport of particulate organic matter in the deep water-column of the Benguela upwelling system (BUS) offshore southwestern Africa. Although the BUS is regarded as the most productive of the four major eastern boundary systems of the ocean, and therefore of high importance for the global marine carbon cycle, little information is available on processes and fluxes involved in particulate matter transport in this area. To understand transport pathways in the water column, the distribution of particulate matter above the continental margin off Namibia was surveyed using optical sensor techniques. The sensor data are correlated with suspended particulate matter (SPM) and particulate organic carbon (POC) values from water sample filtration.