RAPID: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Instrumentation Development for Hyperspectral Characterization of Natural and Anthropogenic Organic Compounds in Seawater

投资促进局申请资金购买两台荧光分光光度计和一台分光光度计，以支持投资促进局在现有的OTIC资助下开展的工作，以开发用于现场电子显微镜分析的仪器。该项目的目标是收集墨西哥湾深水地平线(DWH)漏油中的石油、风化石油和溶解石油的激发发射矩阵(EEM)指纹，以确定用于检测石油化合物和改进现场光学传感器的最佳光学参数。需要先进的光谱技术来确定石油和石油副产品的浓度，并区分石油和海水中自然存在的有机物。这一点现在尤其重要，因为泄漏已经被阻止，环境浓度很低，但仍处于慢性毒性水平。将使用的技术包括：激发发射矩阵(EEM)光谱、多个激发波长下的时间分辨荧光(荧光寿命)、吸收和量子效率。过去邮轮的样本已经在手边，正在等待分析。其他的将由研究伙伴从机会之旅中收集。所要求的仪器在灵敏度、分析速度、特异性(增加了时间分辨能力)和总体样品分析能力方面比现有设备有了重大改进。其中一个荧光分光光度计将专门用于船上使用，使研究人员能够确认来自湿实验室的现场Safire和XMF荧光仪的结果。广泛影响尽管没有这项提议的资助，但博士后和研究生将在这个项目上工作，并从使用这个仪器中受益。在接下来的12个月里，关于仪器使用、海水中油的荧光和荧光光谱技术的指导将被纳入到PI的课程中。国际海洋研究所将举办由仪器制造商主办的关于海水中油类检测的网络研讨会。

The PI requests funds to purchase of two spectrofluorometers and a spectrophotometer needed in support of the PI's work on an existing OTIC funded RAPID for development of instrumentation for in situ EEM analysis. The goal of that project is collection of excitation emission matrix (EEM) fingerprints of oil, weathered oil, and dissolved oil from Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico for the purpose of determining optimal optical parameters for detection of oil compounds and improving in situ optical sensors.Advanced spectroscopic techniques are required to determine concentrations of oil and oil byproducts and to discriminate between oil and naturally occurring organic matter in seawater. This is especially important now that the leak has been stopped and ambient concentrations are low but still at levels of chronic toxicity. The techniques to be used are: excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectroscopy, time-resolved fluorescence (fluorescence lifetimes) at multiple excitation wavelengths, absorption, and quantum efficiency. Samples from past cruises are already on hand and awaiting analysis. Others will be collected from cruises of opportunity by research partners. The instruments requested represent a major improvement over existing equipment in terms of sensitivity, speed of analysis, specificity (addition of time-resolved capability), and overall sample analysis capacity. One of the spectrofluorometers will be dedicated to shipboard use to enable researchers to confirm results from Wet Labs in situ Safire and XMF fluorometers.Broader ImpactsAlthough not funded with this proposal a post doc and graduate student will work on this project and benefit from use of this instrumentation. Instruction on instrument use, fluorescence of oil in seawater, and spectrofluorometric techniques will be incorporated into the PI's courses in the next 12 months. The PI will present a webinar on oil detection in seawater sponsored by the instrument manufacturer.