NSF Org:	OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP)
Recipient:
Initial Amendment Date:	July 13, 2012
Latest Amendment Date:	July 13, 2012
Award Number:	1204166
Award Instrument:	Fellowship Award
Program Manager:	Peter West OPP  Office of Polar Programs (OPP) GEO  Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date:	August 1, 2012
End Date:	July 31, 2014 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$139,197.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$139,197.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2012 = $139,197.00
History of Investigator:	Craig Aumack (Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	Aumack Craig F Palisades NY  US  10964-8000
Sponsor Congressional District:	17
Primary Place of Performance:	Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Palisades NY  US  10964-1707
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	17
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	POST DOC/TRAVEL
Primary Program Source:	0100XXXXDB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):	1079
Program Element Code(s):	524700
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.078

ABSTRACT

The PI proposes to investigate the importance of ice algae in marine consumer diets pre- and post-export events, using DNA isolated from consumers? guts and stable carbon isotopic signatures. This effort is motivated by consideration of the physiological necessity of many marine organisms to acquire polyunsaturated fatty acids from their diets, likely making ice algae a crucial dietary supplement. Further motivated by the rapid and ongoing Arctic climate changes and sea-ice recession, he will also investigate the nutritional quality of ice algae under varying abiotic conditions using biochemical analyses. This research will provide additional understanding of ice algae?s dietary importance to underlying communities both as a relief from resource limitations associated with ice cover, and as long term nutritional nourishment. This knowledge is essential to assessing the value of the ice community to underlying systems and is paramount to predicting ecosystem wide consequences to rapidly changing Arctic environments.

This award supports a post-doctoral fellowship. It is designed to provide training that will strengthen the career of the post-doctoral associate in Arctic ecosystem research. Sea ice algae are believed to be an important part of the marine food web in the Arctic. The thickness of sea ice and the associated snow cover, as well as the timing of sea ice melt in spring and freeze up in autumn, all may affect the productivity of the ice algae community and, consequently, the organisms that feed on these algae. All of these properties may change because of interannual variability or long term trends in climate. Understanding how the ice algae respond will inform managers and policymakers, as well as local residents, of how the larger Arctic marine ecosystem may be impacted.

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