RAPID: Effect of Oil Spill on Organic Carbon Partitioning and Transformation in the Water Column in the Northern Gulf

利用这一快速反应研究赠款提供的资金，南密西西比大学的研究人员将研究墨西哥湾北方的“深水地平线”漏油事件-这是一次具有全国意义的漏油事件-以研究原油成分的归宿、迁移和转化及其与海洋有机物的相互作用，从基线到整个时间序列的最大影响。他们的工作假设是，原油成分是同位素轻（碳-13）和不同的光学性质（紫外可见光和荧光发射激发矩阵[EEM]）从天然海洋有机物质，从而允许使用稳定同位素和荧光技术的定量了解其命运，运输和转换在墨西哥湾北方。 他们将在墨西哥湾北方的密西西比湾的一个监测站收集从基线条件到最大影响的海水样本。 EEM荧光，稳定同位素，和流场流分馏技术将被采用。 测量将包括溶解无机碳（DIC），溶解有机碳（DOC）和颗粒有机碳（POC）及其稳定的碳同位素组成（C-13），光学性质，包括紫外-可见吸收率，吸附系数，光谱斜率和EEM，DOM的组成和尺寸谱，叶绿素a，以及其他常见的环境参数，如盐度，温度，溶解氧，和营养物质。这项研究的结果预计将提供新的见解，如何从石油泄漏的有机物与海洋有机物的相互作用，影响海洋碳收支，海洋地球化学过程和海洋生态系统作为一个整体。结合针对墨西哥湾北方这一前所未有的石油泄漏事件而计划和正在进行的研究，这项研究将有助于了解泄漏石油的命运、运输和转化及其与沿海环境水体中天然海洋有机物的相互作用。 研究人员将与其他受资助的项目合作共享数据。该项目将支持一名研究生，他们将获得快速反应研究以及与墨西哥湾沿岸地区其他研究团队互动的宝贵经验。

With funding through this Grant for Rapid Response Research (RAPID), researchers at the University of Southern Mississippi will examine the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico -- an oil spill of national significance -- to study the fate, transport and transformation of crude oil components and their interactions with marine organic matter from baseline to maximum impact in a complete time series. Their working hypothesis is that the crude oil components are isotopically light (in terms of carbon-13) and distinct in optical properties (UV-vis and fluorescence emission-excitation matrices [EEM]) from natural marine organic matter, thus allowing the use of stable isotopes and fluorescence techniques for quantitative understanding of their fate, transport, and transformations in the northern Gulf of Mexico. They will collect seawater samples at a station in the Mississippi Bight in the northern Gulf of Mexico from base line conditions to maximum impact. EEM fluorescence, stable isotopes, and flow field-flow fractionation techniques will be employed. Measurements will include dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and particulate organic carbon (POC) and their stable carbon isotopic composition (C-13), optical properties, including UV-vis absorbance, adsorption coefficient, spectral slope, and EEMs, composition and size spectrum of DOM, chlorophyll-a, and other common environmental parameters, such as salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and nutrients. Results of this study are expected to provide new insights into how organic matter from oil spills interacts with marine organic matter affecting the ocean carbon budget, biogeochemical processes, and marine ecosystems as a whole. Broader Impacts Combined with planned and ongoing research in response to this unprecedented oil spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico, this research will contribute to the understanding of the fate, transport and transformation of spilled oils and their interactions with natural marine organic matter in the water column in the coastal environment. The investigators will collaborate with other funded projects for data sharing. The project will support one graduate student, who will gain valuable experience in rapid response research as well as in interacting with other research teams in the Gulf Coast region.