Gallium and Other Reactive Trace Elements in the Atlantic Ocean

该项目将使首席调查员能够参加由国际赞助的大西洋溶解微量元素海洋基线调查。首先，这位研究人员将重点放在元素镓的地球化学性质上，但也将测定某些其他元素，如铝、锰、铜、镍和镉。这项研究有几个目标。首先，这项研究将回答有关镓在海水中的行为的某些问题。这些问题包括海水中观测到的高镓铝比(与大陆岩石相比)的原因，以及北太平洋观测到的镓铝比达到中深部最大值的程度。这项研究的第二个目标是在大西洋深水中使用镓作为铝的一种活性较低的类似物。之前有一些有趣的研究使用铝作为大西洋深处的水示踪剂。通过比较镓和铝的行为，可以检验铝作为示踪剂的一个关键假设(在大西洋深处的保守行为)。最后一个目标与研究的国际焦点有关。这些邮轮由政府间海洋学委员会(由教科文组织赞助)赞助。其目的是汇集有关微量元素浓度的基线信息，并使一个国际调查小组能够相互校准他们的结果。这种相互校准很重要，因为与海水中某些微量元素的绝对浓度有关的问题尚未解决。

This project will allow the principle investigator to participate in an internationally-sponsored oceanic baseline survey of dissolved trace elements in the Atlantic Ocean. Primarily, this investigator will focus on the geochemistry of the element gallium, though certain other elements such as aluminum, manganese, copper, nickel, and cadmium will be determined. There are several objectives of this research. First, the research will answer certain questions about the behavior of gallium in seawater. These questions include the cause of the high gallium/aluminum ratios observed in seawater (compared with continental rocks) and to extent of a mid-depth maximum in gallium/aluminum ratios observed in the North Pacific. A second objective of the research is to use gallium as a less-reactive analogue of aluminum in the deep waters of the Atlantic. There has been some interesting previous research using aluminum as a water tracer in the deep Atlantic. By comparing the behavior of gallium with that of aluminum, a key assumption involved in the use of aluminum as a tracer (conservative behavior in the deep Atlantic) can be tested. A final objective relates to the international focus of the research. The cruises are sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (sponsored by UNESCO). The purpose is to put together baseline information on trace element concentrations and to allow an international group of investigators to intercalibrate their results. This intercalibration is important because of unresolved problems relating to the absolute concentrations of certain trace elements in seawater.