| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 18, 2013 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 27, 2014 |
| Award Number: | 1333148 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Henrietta Edmonds
hedmonds@nsf.gov (703)292-7427 OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | October 1, 2013 |
| End Date: | September 30, 2016 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $385,524.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $385,524.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
266 WOODS HOLE RD WOODS HOLE MA US 02543-1535 (508)289-3542 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
183 Oyster Pond Road Woods Hole MA US 02543-1522 |
| 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): | Chemical Oceanography |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
More than 400,000 tons of petroleum hydrocarbons are released annually into the ocean, where they are subject to physical, chemical and biological processes, known as weathering, that are known to remove select hydrocarbons from the ocean. However, little attention has been given to the residues left by the weathering of oil, and studies indicate that oxygenation of these hydrocarbons can play a part in the formation of recalcitrant tar and toxic compounds. To address this gap, researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of Mary Washington, and University of California Santa Barbara will conduct research to lay a scientific foundation for understanding 1) which processes control the formation of oxygenated hydrocarbons, 2) the rates of these processes, 3) the identity of the major products, 4) the rates at which they are formed and destroyed, and 5) for distinguishing photochemical oxygenation from biological oxygenation. The results from these experiments will contribute to a better understanding of the petroleum oxygenation processes and the environmental fate of understudied oxygenation products.
Broader Impacts: This study will provide for several undergraduates and two postdoctoral scholars to be trained in innovative analytical and experimental techniques. The results of this effort will help regulatory agencies to define new analytical methods and target compounds for oil spill research, and will add to our understanding regarding the fate and impacts of hydrocarbons released into the ocean.
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.
When an oil spill occurs, responders face multiple challenges to assure the safety of humans and reduce damages to the environment. Simply put, the goal of a responder is preventing a bad thing from getting worse. To overcome these challenges, it is critical for responders to know the composition of oil spilled into the environment and its behavior after the spill. In our previous studies, we were surprised to find that in less than a year after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, which occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, approximately 50% of the oily residues collected in the environment had a different composition compared to the oil initially spilled into the Gulf; the oily residues were signficantly oxidized. However, the cause of the oxidation was not known.
One goal of this project was to determine the relative importance of sunlight (photochemistry) or microbes, the two most likely drivers in the production of these oxidized residues. From the analysis of >100 field samples and laboratory experiments, we found that sunlight-driven processes contributed substantially to the formation of oxidized hydrocarbons following the Deepwater Horizon. This research also provided the first insights into the photochemical mechanisms governing the formation of oxidized oil residues. These findings should pave the way for additional work that will address if the oxidation of oil affects how responders combat future spills. For example, is in-situ burning, a frequently used tool to combat spilled oil, as effective for oxidized oil as it is for unoxidized oil?
There are currently 29 rigs extracting oil from off-shore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. With this unwavering commitment to extract fossil fuels comes the risk of spills. Our work has determined that sunlight was a key process that rapidly changed the composition of oil and may impact the approach responders take to reduce damages from future spills. We have made great efforts to communicate these results to our academic colleagues, as well as leaders in United States government and oil industry charged with planning and responding to future spills.
Last Modified: 03/03/2017
Modified by: Christopher M Reddy
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