Collaborative Research: An Inverse and Forward Global Modeling Synthesis of Noble Gases to Better Quantify Biogeochemical Cycles

稀有气体（氦、氖、氩、氪、氙）溶解在海洋中，浓度接近大气平衡，具有已知的物理特性，是非生物的，这使它们成为海洋中气体循环物理过程的极好示踪剂。 此外，每种气体都具有独特的性质，使它们对不同的物理过程敏感。出于这个原因，来自伍兹霍尔海洋研究所和拉蒙特-多尔蒂地球观测站的科学家们将使用惰性气体的逆向和正向建模来提高我们对控制海洋中二氧化碳、氧气和氮气等气体循环的物理过程的认识。 具体而言，他们将处理以下三个过程：（1）破波引起的气泡介导的海气通量的参数化;（2）确定深海生物介导的脱氮作用引起的溶解氮气的背景海洋积累;（3）使用三个海洋模型评估溶解度泵的强度。 为了实现他们的目标，研究人员计划在限制气体循环之前，通过使用基于社区地球系统模型，地球物理流体动力学实验室耦合气候模型和估计海洋数据同化模型的三种最先进的海洋环流估计进行模拟来编译所有可用的惰性气体观测。 通过这种建模工作，研究人员将能够解释来自自主传感器的上层海洋氧气测量结果，限制深海脱氮，并评估评估人类吸收二氧化碳所需的溶解度泵。 至于更广泛的影响，科学家们将创建一个版本的传输矩阵方法，用于研究生课程。 将向科学界提供惰性气体观测数据库沿着数据标准和元数据，以及来自共同体地球系统模型和地球物理流体动力学实验室耦合气候模型2.1的迁移矩阵。 一名来自伍兹霍尔海洋研究所（WHOI）的博士后将得到本项目的支持。 预计本科生将参与这项研究，并通过WHOI夏季奖学金计划提供支持。

The noble gases (helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon) are dissolved in the ocean at concentrations near equilibrium with the atmosphere, have known physical properties, and are abiotic which makes them excellent tracers of the physical processes that cycle gases in the ocean. In addition, each of the gases has unique properties making them sensitive to different physical processes. For this reason, scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory will use inverse and forward modeling of noble gases to improve our knowledge of the physical processes that control the cycle of gases such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen in the ocean. Specifically, they would address the following three processes: (1) parameterize bubble mediated air-sea gas fluxes from breaking waves; (2) identify the background ocean accumulation of dissolved nitrogen gas from biologically mediated denitrification in the deep ocean; and (3) evaluate the strength of the solubility pump using three ocean models. To accomplish their goal, the researchers plan to compile all available noble gas observations prior to constraining gas cycling via simulations performed using three state-of-the-art ocean circulation estimates based on the Community Earth System Model, the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Coupled Climate Model, and the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean data assimilated model. From this modeling effort, the researchers will be able to interpret upper ocean oxygen measurements from autonomous sensors, constrain deep ocean denitrification, and evaluate the solubility pump which is needed to assess the anthropogenic uptake of carbon dioxide. As regards broader impacts, the scientists will create a version of the transport matrix method for use in graduate student courses. The database of noble gas observations along with data standards and metadata will be made available to the science community, as well as the transport matrices from the Community Earth System Model and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Couple Climate Model 2.1. One postdoc from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will be supported by this project. It is anticipated that an undergraduate students will be involved in the study and supported via the WHOI Summer Fellowship Program.