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日路易斯安那州海岸发生的深水地平线海上平台井喷事件导致大量原油和甲烷流入墨西哥湾。 结果，基于石油的地表膜（伴随着地表下甲烷和其他溶解气体水平的升高）已经蔓延到前所未有的大面积，增加了动量、热量和气体成分的海气传递可能被充分改变的可能性，从而对区域气象和海洋/大气化学产生重大影响。 先前主要在实验室环境中进行的研究表明，由于此类表面活性剂（称为“表面活性剂”）的存在，空气-海洋的动量、能量和气体通量急剧减少。 这种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站点附近进行为期一个月的对上述海气通量（以及一些地下量）的系泊和间歇式船基横断面类型测量。 这项工作将与南阿拉巴马大学运营的多芬岛海洋实验室已经开展的工作结合起来，并将利用他们的 25 英尺研究船。受支持的研究活动将涉及四个主题：(1) 与漏油相关的表面活性剂浓度的原位表征； (2) 气海动量、水蒸气、热量、二氧化碳和甲烷交换的测量； (3) 量化这些通量对海洋表面热收支和生物地球化学的影响； (4) 调查泄漏对减少大气和底层海洋表面之间热耦合的影响。这项工作的智力价值在于收集与前所未有规模的石油泄漏相关的高质量通量测量数据，根据需要通过陆地/海风系统的潜在修改以及可能的行为或更强烈的行为更好地评估对海洋/大气化学和区域气象的影响。 该研究的更广泛影响将包括更好地了解广泛的石油泄漏（或其他表面活性剂来源）对区域气象和大气/海洋化学的影响，通过会议演讲和正式出版物传播这些发现，以及加强对受支持的博士后研究员的培训/职业发展。