Tamara K. Pease 

Assistant Professor, Department of Marine Science Research Assistant Professor, Marine Science Institute    Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (2000);  M.S., University of South Florida, St. Petersburg (1990);  B.A., Augustana College (1987). Home page

Organic Geochemistry/Biogeochemistry

Sources, behavior, and cycling of organic compounds in the marine, and estuarine environments; use of specific organic compounds to elucidate the sources and processes which control the distributions of organic matter; biogeochemistry, molecular stable and radio-isotope organic geochemistry.

Ongoing Projects

Microbial Utilization and Degradation of Organic Matter

How do microbial organisms break down organic matter (OM)?  How much OM can be preserved in coastal and open marine environments? Two ongoing projects deal with organic matter degradation and microbial activities.  In one study we are looking at how microbial enzymes are stimulated by fresh inputs of OM and how adding nutrients may stimulate hydrolysis of OM.  Another study is looking at how OM is broken down to carbon dioxide and methane during degradation and what the dynamics are for methane consumption in anaerobic systems.

Coral Reef Survival and Recovery from Bleaching Events

How do host corals survive bleaching events?  Do they utilize internal stores of lipid reserves?  Do they become heterotrophic feeders when they lose their zooxanthallae and become "bleached"?  A new collaborative project is beginning spring 2006 to study how corals utilize carbon during bleaching events in order to help determine which coral species are likely to survive extensive bleaching  events.

Invertebrate Farming of Bacteria

How do polychaete activities contribute to sediment mixing and carbon removal in intertidal habitats?  In this project, we are interested in how local population densities of polychaetes interact with feeding rates and food supplies and how sedimentary food concentrations affect individual feeding rates, populations densities and resource availability.   Key this this in the concurrent study of how bacteria populations respond to benthic infauna feeding activities.  Do the polychaetes "farm" bacteria?  Does microbial activity make the organic matter more available to polychaetes?

Selected Publications

Muri, G., S.G. Wakeham, T.K. Pease, and J. Faganeli.  2004.  Evaluation of lipid biomarkers as indicators of changes in organic matter delivery to sediments from Lake Planina, a remote mountain lake in NW Slovenia.  Org. Geochem. 35:1083-1093.

Wakeham, S.G., T.K. Pease and R. Benner.  2003.  Hydroxy fatty acids in marine dissolved organic matter as indicators of bacterial membrane material.  Org. Geochem. 34:857-868.

Hee C., T.K. Pease, M.J. Alperin, and C.S. Martens.  2001.  DOC production and consumption in anoxic marine sediments: A pulsed-tracer experiment.  Limnol. Oceanogr. 46:1908-1920.

Pease, T.K., E.S. Van Vleet, J.S. Barre, and H.D. Dickins.  1998.  Simulated degradation of glyceryl ethers by hydrous and flash pyrolysis.  Organic Geochemistry 29:979-988.

King, L.L, T.K. Pease, and S.G Wakeham.  1998.  Archaea in Black Sea water column particulate matter and sediments — evidence from ether lipid derivatives.  Organic Geochemistry 28:677-688.

Contact: Tamara K. Pease
Modified: Tue Mar 5 10:34:52 CST (Central Standard Time) 2002