| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | February 14, 2014 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | April 15, 2016 |
| Award Number: | 1334848 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Kandace Binkley
kbinkley@nsf.gov (703)292-7577 OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | March 1, 2014 |
| End Date: | February 28, 2019 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $490,899.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $490,899.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2015 = $163,224.00 FY 2016 = $162,214.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1001 EMMET ST N CHARLOTTESVILLE VA US 22903-4833 (434)924-4270 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
291 McCormick Rd Charlottesville VA US 22904-4123 |
| 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): | OCEAN TECH & INTERDISC COORDIN |
| Primary Program Source: |
01001516DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001617DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): | |
| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
The PIs request funding to build and test robust eddy correlation instruments for unidirectional and oscillating flow environments based on sturdy fiber- and planar-optical sensors and novel signal-processing electronics. The new hardware will be supported by software development to correct potential flux underestimations caused by inadequate oxygen sensor response time and spatial offsets between oxygen and flow sensors. The fragility of the thin glass microelectrode used in aquatic eddy correlation instruments severely limits the use of this powerful technique for flux measurements in benthic environments. This problem represents the major bottleneck preventing the widespread use of this approach.
Broader Impacts:
The PIs have very strong records both in spreading the use of EC technology through the community and in graduate and undergraduate education. They outline clearly the ways in which they will continue their ongoing endeavors in both areas. In addition, the application of this technology to the geochemistry and ecology of shallow-water regions has broad implications for carbon cycling and ocean acidification studies, both of which have important societal ramifications. Better quantify oxygen fluxes in the aquatic environment is important for society. It can e.g. help predict when and if the health of an aquatic system is being weakened, and when e.g. hypoxia or anoxia is approaching. Anoxia leads to death of all higher life
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.
Marine sediments cover approximately 70% of the Earth?s solid surface and they play a vital role in organic matter decomposition, and for shallow water areas exposed to light, also production. Oxygen exchange between the seafloor and the water column above is the most used proxy for these complex carbon transformation processes, and the exchange is one of the most frequently measured variables in marine science.
The aquatic eddy covariance technique is a relatively new approach that for the first time allows us to measure this oxygen exchange at the seafloor under natural field conditions. This is of course a huge leap forward in our effort to describe these carbon cycling processes, but methodological challenges have prevented wider use of this powerful technique. These challenges are mainly associated with measuring oxygen concentrations at the seafloor accurately and at a fast rate, and the subsequent calculation of the oxygen exchange from the measured data.
This project was designed to remove these barriers by developing new robust eddy covariance instrumentation based on optical oxygen detection and new interpretation software.
Working with three oxygen sensor manufactures and the Max Planck Institute for Microbiology, Germany, several new sensor solutions were developed and tested in marine environments, all in parallel with our standard aquatic eddy covariance instrumentation. As a result, two new robust plug-and-play optical oxygen sensor solutions are now available on a commercial basis, and a third one is underway. Other sensors with multiple oxygen sensor heads were developed specifically for this research and these results were used to improve the existing software for the interpretation of aquatic eddy covariance data. Additionally, long-term test data measured over different substrates, including permeable sands and seagrass beds, were used to enhance our understanding of their ecological functioning with respect to oxygen dynamics and carbon cycling.
Project results were presented at major international conferences, published in peer-reviewed journals, and presented in department seminars given in the US and abroad. Project outcomes will directly benefit old and new users of the aquatic eddy covariance technique, and on a longer term, aid researches working on understanding and quantifying oxygen dynamics and carbon cycling at the seafloor. Two PhD students we trained as part of the project.
Last Modified: 06/22/2019
Modified by: Peter Berg
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