| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
|
| Initial Amendment Date: | March 15, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | March 15, 2017 |
| Award Number: | 1658030 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Simone Metz
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | March 15, 2017 |
| End Date: | February 29, 2020 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $565,683.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $565,683.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
|
| History of Investigator: |
|
| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
266 WOODS HOLE RD WOODS HOLE MA US 02543-1535 (508)289-3542 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
|
| Primary Place of Performance: |
266 Woods Hole Rd. Woods Hole MA US 02543-1050 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
|
| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
|
| Parent UEI: |
|
| NSF Program(s): | Chemical Oceanography |
| Primary Program Source: |
|
| Program Reference Code(s): |
|
| Program Element Code(s): |
|
| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
Microscopic communities in the ocean can be surprisingly diverse. This diversity makes it difficult to study the individual organisms and reactions that control specific reactions controlling nutrient cycles. Past studies confirm that iron and nitrogen are vital elements for biological growth. There is increasing evidence, however, that other chemicals such as silica, zinc, cobalt, and vitamin B12 may be just as important. This project will provide an unprecedented view of community distributions using new molecular methods to isolate and link active proteins to specific chemical cycles during the very first research deployment of a brand-new autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The AUV will collect samples in programed patterns by pumping water directly into its filtering mechanism and then return the samples to the ship for analysis. The Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) station, which provides abundant supporting data, is the site for this innovative investigation into the microbial ecology and chemistry of the open oceans. Additionally, data will be widely distributed to other scientists through the Ocean Protein Portal website being developed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) and the Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office. Data will also contribute a new teaching module in the Marine Bioinorganic Chemistry course at WHOI.
This first scientific deployment of the newly engineered and constructed biogeochemical AUV, Clio, will generate a novel dataset to examine marine microbial biogeochemical cycles in the Northwestern Atlantic oligotrophic ocean in unprecedented detail and at high vertical resolution. First the project proposes to understand if the microbial community reflects the varying chemical composition and cyanobacterial species through nutrient response adaptations. Additionally, the research will determine if iron stress in the low light Prochlorococcus ecotyope found in the deep chlorophyll maximum is a persistent feature influenced by seasonal dust fluxes. The highly resolved vertical data from the in situ pumping capabilities of Clio are fundamental to a rigorous examination of these biogeochemical questions. This highly transformative dataset will greatly advance understanding of the nutrient and trace element cycling of this region and will be the first field validation of the potentially revolutionary capability these new approaches represent for the study of marine microbial biogeochemistry.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
Note:
When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external
site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a
charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from
this site.
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.
In this project we successfully studied the proteins produced by microbial community in the North Atlantic Ocean using metaproteomic samples collected by the new autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Clio. Clio is the first AUV designed specifically for studying ocean biogeochemistry - the integrated study of elemental cycles and the influence of biology, chemistry and geological processes on them. With support from this project, Clio has completed nearly 30 dives to date, dived to more than 4000m depth, and collected thousands of samples. The analysis of the proteins from microbes collected on these expeditions showed the presence of sophisticated biochemical systems deployed in response to nutrient and micronutrient scarcity and the export of organic matter. On the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series expeditions, Clio typically conducted three dives per cruise, including acquiring high resolution vertical profiles through the chlorophyll maximum with 5m resolution. The metaproteomic datasets from the Clio expeditions have yielded surprising and important insights into the biogeochemical processes occuring in the North Atlantic oligotrophic gyre. In the euphotic zone, a layering of nutrient stressors is evident, and that seasonal deepening of the thermocline is represented within the nitrogen and phosphorus transporters and element sparing systems becoming more prevalent through the summer period. In contrast, within the chlorophyll maximum iron stress proteins become increasingly pronounced, which is surprising in the heavy dust deposition Atlantic environment, but indicates isolation of the chlorophyll maximum from surface waters. In addition transporters for organic forms of these nutrients is seen within all of these profiles, implying DON and DOP sources are key to this ecosystem's functioning. Together these results imply a layering of multiple nutrient stressors, rather than typical model parameterizations for productivity control by single nutrient limitation. This project contributed to the development of technology for AUV sampling, improvements in methods for measurement of ocean proteins using metaproteomic mass spectrometry analyses, and broader impact efforts including submissions and upgrades to the Ocean Protein Portal for ocean biochemical research and education and to the training of a graduate student and postdoc.
Last Modified: 07/09/2020
Modified by: Mak A Saito
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
