Particle aggregation within aquatic environments is a primary factor controlling the vertical flux of suspended matter. The aggregation process is controlled by the rate of particle interaction, enhanced by turbulent motions and differential settling, and the probability that particles making contact will stick together. The larger the particle aggregate, the faster it will sink. We describe a new and novel method to measure the state of particle aggregation in situ as a function of turbulent energy using an inexpensive attachment, the in situ dis‐aggregation system (iDAS), to a commercially available particle size instrument, a Sequoia Scientific LISST‐100X. A small chamber is attached to the instrument tand sample is drawn into the chamber using an inexpensive, variable speed thruster designed for remotely operated underwater vehicles. Ambient water drawn into the sample chamber passes through a flexible tube of defined diameter and length. The flow velocity through the tube and tube dimensions are used to estimate the turbulent energy that particles experience. As turbulence increases, particle aggregations disrupt, shifting the size distribution towards smaller particles. The method was tested under controlled laboratory conditions using standard test clay material and within several coastal environments along the East Coast of the United States. In all instances, particle aggregations are shown to disrupt as turbulence increases, causing the particle size distribution to shift toward smaller fractured aggregates and component particles. The iDAS can be used to directly measure the aggregation state of suspended material and potentially to estimate the bonding strength between aggregated particles of different type.

中文翻译：

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一种现场测量海洋颗粒聚集体破坏的方法

水生环境中的颗粒聚集是控制悬浮物垂直通量的主要因素。聚集过程由粒子相互作用的速率控制，而湍流运动和差异沉降以及粒子相互接触的可能性会增强粒子相互作用的速率。颗粒聚集体越大，沉降得越快。我们描述了一种新的新颖方法，该方法使用便宜的附件，原位解聚系统（iDAS）和市售粒度仪，红杉科学LISST来测量作为湍流能量函数的原位粒子聚集状态‐100倍。将一个小室连接到仪器上，然后使用为远程操作的水下航行器设计的廉价，变速推进器将样品吸入该室。抽取到样品室中的环境水穿过定义直径和长度的软管。通过管道的流速和管道尺寸可用于估计粒子所经历的湍流能量。随着湍流的增加，颗粒聚集会破裂，从而将尺寸分布移向较小的颗粒。该方法是在受控实验室条件下使用标准测试粘土材料在美国东海岸的几个沿海环境中测试的。在所有情况下，都显示出随着湍流的增加，颗粒聚集会破裂，从而导致粒度分布向较小的破碎聚集体和组分颗粒移动。