| NSF Org: |
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) |
| Recipient: |
|
| Initial Amendment Date: | August 10, 2018 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 10, 2018 |
| Award Number: | 1821911 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Colleen Strawhacker
colstraw@nsf.gov (703)292-7432 OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2018 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2023 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $618,602.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $618,602.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
|
| History of Investigator: |
|
| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
8622 DISCOVERY WAY # 116 LA JOLLA CA US 92093-1500 (858)534-1293 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
|
| Primary Place of Performance: |
La Jolla CA US 92093-0210 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
|
| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
|
| Parent UEI: |
|
| NSF Program(s): | ARCSS-Arctic System Science |
| Primary Program Source: |
|
| Program Reference Code(s): |
|
| Program Element Code(s): |
|
| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.078 |
ABSTRACT
The central Arctic Ocean is changing rapidly as multiyear sea ice gives way to a new seasonal sea ice regime, and these regional shifts have important implications for global climate as well as the entire Arctic system. As part of the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC), the investigators will use a research vessel frozen into polar ice as a sampling platform to focus on the influence of sea ice on the uptake and release of oxygen and methane across a full annual cycle. Combined with other observations made by MOSAiC collaborators, these data will allow the investigators to build a detailed conceptual model of carbon and energy flow across seasons and improve numerical models explaining the behavior of the broader Arctic system. In addition, they will use genomic techniques to gain a new understanding of microbial dynamcis and diversity in this understudied region. The broader impacts of this work include support for early-career scientists, significant international collaboration as part of the MOSAiC program, and training for postdoctoral scientists and undergraduate students. Public outreach will include viewings of the Northwest Polar Passage documentary Frozen Obsession in San Diego, CA, and Providence, RI, followed by panel discussions on polar exploration, ecology, and change.
The goal of this project is to identify the biological and physical drivers underlying the production and uptake of oxygen and methane, establishing the metabolic balance of these key gases in the oligotrophic Central Arctic. The investigators will take advantage of the unique opportunity afforded by the international, year-long Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition to determine net community production from year-round measurements of oxygen and argon, as well as methane oxidation and production from methane concentration and isotopic ratios. They will measure bacterial and community respiration, bacterial production, and microbial community structure, and analyze gene expression to identify the genes, organisms, and pathways associated with methane production in the surface ocean. Results will be used to model the oceanic methane cycle using the MITgcm Arctic Regional Model and improve the biogeochemical components of the Regional Arctic System Model (RASM).
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
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.
This project undertook an investigation of the microbial drivers of dissolved oxygen concentration over an annual cycle in the central Arctic. Oxygen is an important tracer of carbon flow in ecosystems. Oxygen deficits can indicate the net production of CO2, while an oxygen surplus can indicate net CO2 uptake. The Arctic marine microbial community is likely to shift in response to changing sea ice and other conditions. Understanding how microbial community structure influences dissolved oxygen will improve our ability to predict CO2 flux in a future Arctic Ocean.
Data collection was carried out during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition. The project supported over 11 months of direct participation by project personnel, including one PhD student who participated for 5 months and took the lead on data analysis. Over 1000 samples were collected and sequenced for 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequence analysis and these data have been made publicy available. Machine learning techniques were used to construct predictive models of oxygen and argon concentration based on microbial community structure. These models were used to predict the concentration of these gases during periods when observations were not possible. Our results show a strong seasonal cycle in biological oxygen utilization that can be predicted by the shifts in microbial community structure. We further determined those microbial taxa likely to be the primary drivers of biological oxygen utilization. Shifts in the abundance of these taxa in response to changing conditions are likely to lead to changes in carbon flow in Arctic marine ecosystems. Our results were disseminated to the scientific community through presentations at multiple meetings and the drafting of a comprehensive manuscript. The work formed the basis for one PhD dissertation which has been published.
Last Modified: 01/29/2024
Modified by: Jeff Bowman
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
