The effect of suspended particle composition on particle area-to-mass ratios in coastal waters

Measurements of particle area, organic suspended mass, and mineral suspended mass were collected at 9 sites on the west and south coasts of Great Britain. Multiple linear regression of particle area on organic suspended mass and mineral suspended mass was used to estimate the area-to-mass ratios of organic and mineral matter. Statistically, the null hypothesis that the organic area-to-mass ratio was 2 times the mineral ratio could not be rejected. Failure to reject this hypothesis may indicate that component particle composition is not correlated with the packing geometry of aggregated particles or the size of component particles that comprise the aggregates. Alternatively, correlations between particle parameters may exist, but they offset one another, thereby producing an organic area-to-mass ratio that is not significantly different from two times the mineral area-to-mass ratio.