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，浓度接近与大气的平衡，具有已知的物理性质，并且是非生物的，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，每种气体都有独特的性质，使它们对不同的物理过程很敏感。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将使用稀有气体的逆和正演模型来提高我们对控制海洋中二氧化碳、氧气和氮等气体循环的物理过程的认识。具体来说，他们将解决以下三个过程：(1)参数化破碎波产生的气泡介导的海气通量；(2)确定深海生物介导的反硝化过程中溶解态氮的背景海洋积累；(3)利用三种海洋模型评价溶解度泵的强度。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环流和气候数据同化模型的三种最先进的海洋环流估计进行模拟，汇编所有可用的稀有气体观测结果。通过这项建模工作，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值，限制深海反硝化，并评估评估人为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运输矩阵方法，用于研究生课程。稀有气体观测数据库以及数据标准和元数据将提供给科学界，还将提供社区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的传输矩阵。伍兹霍尔海洋研究所（WHOI）博士后1名。预计将有一名本科生参与这项研究，并通过WHOI暑期奖学金计划获得支持。

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.