| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | May 23, 2024 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 23, 2024 |
| Award Number: | 2343142 |
| 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: | June 1, 2024 |
| End Date: | May 31, 2027 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $808,280.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $808,280.00 |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
438 WHITNEY RD EXTENSION UNIT 1133 STORRS CT US 06269-9018 (860)486-3622 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
438 WHITNEY RD EXTENSION UNIT 1133 STORRS CT US 06269-1133 |
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Performance Congressional District: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Chemical Oceanography |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
Mercury (Hg) remains an important pollutant in the ocean despite international commitments to lower emissions. While all forms of mercury are toxic, monomethyl mercury (MMHg) is especially problematic because it becomes highly concentrated in fish consumed by humans. Given the health implications for people it is critically important to understand MMHg cycling in the ocean, but the fundamental processes that govern MMHg entrainment from seawater to the base of the food web are not yet sufficiently understood. This project will study MMHg in natural phytoplankton and test hypotheses about the mechanisms and controls on MMHg uptake. The study will occur on the shelf of the Western North Atlantic Ocean and in its estuaries, a region of productive fisheries. Seasonal and geographical changes in biological productivity and plankton community structure will serve as a ?natural laboratory? for testing hypotheses on the factors that control MMHg uptake. The project will provide training and research opportunities through paid internships and summer programs for undergraduate students. Two graduate students, one at the University of Connecticut and one at the University of Rhode Island, will be trained. The team will conduct outreach activities in collaboration with the Yale Peabody Museum to share marine MMHg science with a variety of museum audiences.
Researchers from the University of Connecticut, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of Rhode Island, and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences will collaborate on this study with the overarching goal of studying MMHg in natural phytoplankton and testing current assertions that cell size and dissolved organic carbon concentration [DOC] act as major controls over MMHg uptake in phytoplankton and investigate other mechanisms. Additional hypotheses that will be tested include: 1) phytoplankton that employ heterotrophy take up more MMHg, and 2) faster plankton growth lowers cellular MMHg. Novel data such as cellular quota, biomass-based concentrations, and volume concentration factors for MMHg in pico, nano, and microplankton will be obtained through MMHg analysis of sequentially filtered plankton, characterized for their size and taxonomic properties by flow cytometry and image analyses and machine learning algorithms. Through year-round sampling in estuaries, the team will also investigate how MMHg concentrations that should be representative of the phytoplankton are influenced by MMHg bound to nonplanktonic particles. The project research will leverage spring and fall research cruises and data collection of the Northeast U.S. Shelf Long-Term Ecological Research (NES-LTER) and NOAA?s Ecosystem Monitoring (EcoMon) programs. MMHg data will be synthesized statistically and graphically. Some spatial patterns in MMHg of the plankton will be shared as surface maps. Depth profiles of unfiltered MMHg and total Hg concentrations will also be studied. The data gained through this research will be useful for comparing laboratory-derived concentration factors and model-generated predictions in the study region. Results generated in this research will be helpful for MMHg modeling efforts, and the approach may be adapted to studies in other ecosystems or for other metals.
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.
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