SGER: Development of New Method for Black Carbon Nano-Particles in Seawater

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The PIs have requested a Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) to develop a new analytical method for rapidly quantifying black carbon (BC) nano-particles in seawater. The proposal is based on the PIs recent success in developing a new method for BC in freshwater using a nebulization introduction system and a single particle intra-cavity laser induced incandescence soot photometer.Little is known regarding BC nano-particles, produced by incomplete combustion, in seawater. These nano-particles are now believed to be an important component of the global carbon cycle, the hydrologic cycle, global warming, and marine chemistry and geochemistry. Recent studies suggest that BC is an important component of seawater and marine sediments and that BC may represent a significant fraction of the dissolved organic carbon pool. Because of the extreme analytical challenges associated with its analysis, very little is known regarding the distribution of BC in the ocean. Broader ImpactsThis project has the potential to open up a whole new sub-discipline of marine chemistry and change our understanding of the connection between the terrestrial and oceanic biosphere. The results of the project will have wide-ranging impacts on the global Earth Science community and will employ an undergraduate student. The PI will communicate the results to the scientific community through high visibility publications and public meetings.