U.S.- Australia Cooperative Research: Benthic Flux Measurements off the Northwest Coast of Australia

该奖项将使William M. Berelson博士（南加州大学）和Daniel C. McCorkle博士（伍兹霍尔海洋研究所）与David T. Heggie博士（澳大利亚矿产资源、地质和地球物理局）在澳大利亚西北海岸印度洋的澳大利亚R.V. Rig Seismic上进行研究巡航期间进行合作。这项研究将包括与勘探石油碳氢化合物有关的地球化学研究，并辅之以关于沉积物中的碳循环和轻烃的现代过程研究；与古海洋学研究有关的石油源岩层。了解底栖生物边界在调节碳、氧、氮和二氧化硅等元素的全球海洋循环中所起的作用是很重要的，因为这些元素影响海洋的生产力，并可能受到人为活动的影响。这项研究将增加深海通量测量的稀疏数据集，并增加生产大陆边缘营养物底栖生物交换测量的日益增长的数据库。参加这次巡航的几个小组的综合专业知识和资源将使沉积物、核心水和孵化室化学研究能够同时进行，但只限于同一样品。

This award will enable Dr. William M. Berelson (University of Southern California) and Dr. Daniel C. McCorkle (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) to collaborate with Dr. David T. Heggie (Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology & Geophysics) during a research cruise aboard the Australian R.V. Rig Seismic in the Indian Ocean off the northwest coast of Australia. The research will entail geochemical studies related to exploration for petroleum hydrocarbons, supplemented with modern process studies on carbon cycling and light hydrocarbons in sediments, together with paleoceanographic studies related to petroleum source-rock formations. It is important to understand the role the benthic boundary plays in mediating global ocean cycles for elements such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and silica because these elements influence the productivity of the oceans and can be affected by anthropogenic activity. This study will add to the sparse data set for deep ocean flux measurements and add to a growing data base of nutrient benthic exchange measurements on productive continental margins. The combined expertise and resources of the several groups participating in the cruise will enable study of sediment, core water, and incubation chamber chemistry to take place at the same time, margin on the same samples.