| NSF Org: |
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 3, 2012 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 3, 2012 |
| Award Number: | 1142044 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Christian Fritsen
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | July 15, 2012 |
| End Date: | June 30, 2016 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $415,885.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $415,885.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
450 JANE STANFORD WAY STANFORD CA US 94305-2004 (650)723-2300 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
CA US 94305-6201 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | ANT Ocean & Atmos Sciences |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): | |
| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.078 |
ABSTRACT
Intellectual Merit:
Sinking particles are a major element of the biological pump and they are commonly assigned to two fates: mineralization in the water column and accumulation at the seafloor. However, there is another fate of export hidden within the vertical decline of carbon, the transformation of sinking organic matter to fine suspended and/or dissolved organic fractions. This process has been suggested but has rarely been observed or quantified. As a result, it is presumed that the solubilized fraction is largely mineralized over short time scales. However, global ocean surveys of dissolved organic carbon are demonstrating a significant water column accumulation of organic matter under high productivity environments. This proposal will investigate the transformation of organic particles from sinking to solubilized phases of the export flux in the Ross Sea. The Ross Sea experiences high export particle production, low dissolved organic carbon export with overturning circulation, and the area has a predictable succession of production and export events. In addition, the basin is shallow (< 000 m) so the products the PIs will target are relatively concentrated. To address the proposed hypothesis, the PIs will use both well-established and novel biochemical and optical measures of export production and its fate. The outcomes of this work will help researchers close the carbon budget in the Ross Sea.
Broader impacts:
This research will support graduate and undergraduate students and will provide undergraduates and pre-college students with field-based research experience. Scientifically, this research will increase understanding of carbon sinks in the Ross Sea and will help develop new tools for identifying, quantifying, and tracking that carbon. The PIs will interface with K-12 students through daily reports from the field and through educational modules developed by several of the PIs in collaboration with science education specialists and college students. A K-12 educator will be included on the research cruises. Outreach will be through COSEE Florida and the Maritime Center in Norfolk, VA.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This project involved a collaboration between multiple US universities. Stanford University was in charge of collecting and interpreting data on the physical and biological characteristics of seawater in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Our data, which is all publicly available for easy download, and interpretations show that very high rates of primary production can occur in the Southern Ocean, even at very low temperatures (-2 to 0 degrees C) and with decreasing amount of light. In turn this work helps answer fundamental questions regarding how and when food is produced in the ocean – food that ultimately supports a large food chain leading all the way up to fish, seals, seabirds, and whales. We also determined the state of carbonate mineral saturation during a previously unsampled time of year. Carbonate mineral saturation state is a property that determines the health and viability of a number of key Southern Ocean organisms such as pelagic snails. By working with our project collaborators we have observed and explained a number of previously unknown or poorly understood features of the annual cycle of primary production and microbial decay in the Ross Sea. Importantly, we observed and measured unusual blooms of golden algae (diatoms) in newly formed sea ice patches, wherein the concentration of plant cells was directly connected to the circulation of the upper ocean under strong wind conditions. We also used an isotopic technique to demonstrate that continuing freshening of the Ross Sea is associated with continental ice melt moreso than with increased snowfall over the ocean.
Last Modified: 11/16/2016
Modified by: Robert B Dunbar
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