RAPID: Chemical Analysis of Atmosphere Associated with Gulf Oil Spill

针对2010年4月20日深水地平线石油钻井平台爆炸引发的深海BP漏油事件引发的前所未有的人为灾难，加州大学欧文分校迅速启动了几个机会平台的全空气罐采样。他们采用了成熟和灵活的全空气采样技术，然后进行高灵敏度的气相色谱分析，包括从C-1(甲烷)到C-12(十二烷)的直链饱和烃和苯、甲苯等芳香烃，以及较高分子量物种，并特别注意有毒贡献者的存在。在可能的情况下，还确定了与Corexit等分散剂有关的大气化学物种。确定了各种“机会平台”。这些是65英尺长的R/V Eugenie号船，从5月20日至5月23日期间从甲板上采集了96个完整的空气样本。最初的结果是如此丰富，以至于48个采样罐被送到R/V鹈鹕号，96个被送到NOAA船托马斯·杰斐逊号。此外，从一架双水獭飞机上采集了120个样本。这项快速研究是检查漏油造成的微量气体排放的协调反应的三个主要部分之一。第二个利用了从同一双水獭飞机上收集的甲烷数据(AGS-1048798，RAPID：空间增强型宽带阵列光谱分析系统在墨西哥湾漏油上空进行的甲烷羽流测绘)，以绘制甲烷羽流图；第三个RAPID(AGS-1042894，快速：矿物燃料开采业甲烷排放地面参考测量)使用了美国国家航空航天局ER-2飞机上的遥感平台AVIRIS，以便在更大的空间尺度上对甲烷进行遥感测量。ER-2飞行计划与双水獭飞行计划进行了协调，以重叠。从整个空气样本和遥感，将实现对漏油产生的甲烷烟柱大小的粗略估计。

In response to the unprecedented anthropogenic disaster following the deep ocean BP oil spill, which was initiated by an explosion at the Deep Water Horizon oil rig on April 20, 2010 the University of California, Irvine rapidly initiated whole air canister sampling on several platforms of opportunity. They employed their well established and flexible technique of whole air sampling followed by high sensitivity gas chromatographic analysis including straight-chain saturated hydrocarbons from C-1 (methane) to C-12 (dodecane) and aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, as well as and higher molecular weight species, with special attention to the presence of toxic contributors. Where possible, atmospheric chemical species associated with dispersal agents such as Corexit were determined as well. A variety of "platforms of opportunity" were identified. These were the 65 ft vessel "R/V Eugenie" from the deck of which 96 whole air samples were collected between May 20 and May 23. The initial results were so informative that 48 sampling canisters were sent to the R/V Pelican and 96 to the NOAA ship Thomas Jefferson. In addition 120 samples were collected from a Twin Otter aircraft.This RAPID study is one of three that makes up the bulk of a coordinated response to examine trace gas emissions from the oil leak. The second used methane data (AGS-1048798, RAPID: Spatially Enhanced Broadband Array Spectrograph System (SEBASS) Survey Over the Gulf Oil Spill) collected from the same Twin Otter aircraft to map methane plumes and the third RAPID (AGS-1042894, RAPID: Fossil-Fuel Extraction Industry Methane Emission Ground Reference Measurements during the AVIRIS Response to the Gulf Oil Spill) used the remote sensing platform AVIRIS on the NASA ER-2 aircraft to measure methane remotely and on a larger spatial scale. The ER-2 flight plan was coordinated to overlap with the Twin Otter flight plan. From whole air samples and remote sensing, a rough estimate of methane plume size from the oil spill will be realized.