RAPID: Impact of Gulf Oil Surface Films on Atmosphere-Ocean Exchange

RAPID：海湾油表面膜对大气-海洋交换的影响

• 批准号: 1049323
• 负责人: Wade McGillis
• 金额: $ 12.26万
• 依托单位: Columbia University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-08-01 至 2011-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1049323&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Impact; Gulf; Oil; Surface

The Deepwater Horizon offshore platform well blowout, which occurred on 20 April 2010 off the coast of Louisiana, has released large amounts of crude oil and methane into the Gulf of Mexico. As a result, petroleum-based surface films (accompanied by elevated levels of subsurface methane and other dissolved gases) have spread over an unprecedented large area, raising the possibility that air-sea transfer of momentum, heat and gaseous constituents may be modified sufficiently so as to have significant impacts on regional meteorology and ocean/atmospheric chemistry. Prior research, conducted primarily in laboratory settings, has demonstrated that air-sea fluxes of momentum, energy and gases are sharply reduced by the presence of such surface active agents (termed 'surfactants'). This RAPID-type effort will allow a combination of moored and episodic ship-based transect type measurements of the above-mentioned air-sea fluxes (as well as some subsurface quantities) to be conducted over a month-long period near National Data Buoy Center site #42012 off Mobile Bay, Alabama. This work will be done in conjunction with efforts already being conducted by the Dauphin Island Sea Lab operated by the University of South Alabama, and will make use of their 25' research vessel. Supported research activities will address four themes: (1) in situ characterization of surfactant concentrations associated with the oil spill; (2) measurements of air-sea exchanges of momentum, water vapor, heat, carbon dioxide and methane; (3) quantification of impacts of these fluxes on the surface ocean heat budget and biogeochemistry; and (4) investigation of the spill's impact in reducing thermal coupling between the atmosphere and underlying ocean surface.The Intellectual Merit of this work rests in collection of high-quality flux measurements in conjunction with an oil spill of unprecedented scale, as needed to better assess impacts on ocean/atmosphere chemistry and regional meteorology through potential modification of land-/sea-breeze systems and possibly on the behavior or more intense tropical storms.Broader Impacts of the research will include improved understanding of influences of widespread petroleum spills (or other surfactant sources) on regional meteorology and atmospheric/oceanic chemistry, the dissemination of these findings via conference presentations and formal publication, and enhanced training/career development for a supported postdoctoral research associate.

2010年4月20日在路易斯安那州海岸发生的深水地平线海上平台井喷事故向墨西哥湾释放了大量原油和甲烷。因此，以石油为基础的地表薄膜(伴随着地下甲烷和其他溶解气体水平的升高)蔓延到前所未有的大片区域，增加了海气之间的动量、热量和气体成分的转移可能被充分改变，从而对区域气象学和海洋/大气化学产生重大影响的可能性。以前的研究主要是在实验室环境中进行的，研究表明，由于存在这种表面活性物质(称为“表面活性物质”)，海气之间的动量、能量和气体通量急剧减少。这一快速类型的工作将允许在阿拉巴马州莫比尔湾附近的国家数据浮标中心42012号站点附近进行为期一个月的上述海-气通量(以及一些地下数量)的系泊和时断时续的船基横断面测量。这项工作将与南阿拉巴马大学运营的Dauphin岛海洋实验室已经进行的努力一起完成，并将利用他们的25英寸研究船。所支助的研究活动将涉及四个主题：(1)与漏油有关的表面活性物质浓度的现场表征；(2)动量、水蒸气、热量、二氧化碳和甲烷的海气交换的测量；(3)这些通量对表层海洋热量收支和生物地球化学的影响的量化；以及(4)研究漏油在减少大气和下伏海洋表面之间热耦合方面的影响。这项工作的智力价值在于收集了高质量的通量测量结果，并结合史无前例的漏油事件，根据需要更好地评估通过潜在的陆地/海风系统的改变和可能对行为或更强烈的热带风暴对海洋/大气化学和区域气象学的影响。研究的广泛影响将包括更好地了解大范围石油泄漏(或其他表面活性物质来源)对区域气象学和大气/海洋化学的影响，通过会议报告和正式出版物传播这些发现，以及加强对一名受支持的博士后研究助理的培训/职业发展。