Collaborative Research: RUI: Development and application of a method using coralline algae to reconstruct past changes in pH and impacts on calcification

合作研究：RUI：利用珊瑚藻重建过去 pH 值变化和对钙化影响的方法的开发和应用

• 批准号: 1459827
• 负责人: Branwen Williams
• 金额: $ 24.12万
• 依托单位: Claremont McKenna College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-04-01 至 2019-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1459827&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; RUI; Development; application

The impacts of recent and future human-caused increases in atmospheric CO2 on the acidity (pH) of shallow cold-water marine environments (a process known as "ocean acidification"), and on the organisms that inhabit them, are poorly understood. This is due, in part, to the difficulty in reconstructing past changes in ocean chemistry in these remote environments. This research seeks to develop and apply a technique to reconstruct past seawater pH from boron isotope signatures in long-lived crustose coralline alga that are widespread throughout shallow, cold-water marine environments. In addition, the research will evaluate the impact of changing seawater pH on the growth rate of these ecologically important organisms, which are thought to be particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification because of the high magnesium content of their skeleton. Overall, this project will advance understanding of ocean acidification in shallow, cold-water environments, and provide key information to evaluate the impact that changes in ocean pH have had on organisms inhabiting these environments. The outcomes of this work will provide important information to policy makers and legislators seeking to mitigate the negative effects of rising atmospheric CO2 on these fragile, high-latitude marine ecosystems. Funding supports a graduate student, numerous undergraduate researchers, and a new collaboration between two early career faculty members. Outreach includes mentoring high school students from groups underrepresented in the sciences through the Scripps College Academy and production of an educational film on the biological impacts of ocean acidification. The research team will strengthen international ties through collaboration with Canadian and UK scientists, while helping maintain US-based scientists at the forefront of this important sub-field of ocean acidification research. The work plan includes three main parts: (1) developing the first laboratory-derived and field-verified calibration of the delta11B-proxy of paleoseawater pH for coralline algae, (2) generating the first high-resolution, multi-centennial dataset of high-latitude seawater pH before (ca. 1365 to 1760 AD; i.e., "baseline") and after (ca. 1760 AD to present; i.e., "anthropogenic signal") the Industrial Revolution, and (3) evaluating the impact of anthropogenic ocean acidification on the linear extension, density, and ultrastructure of skeletons produced by an ecologically important, habitat-forming coralline red alga. The associated objectives are: (1) to provide a new tool for reconstructing paleo-seawater pH, (2) to generate historical records of ocean acidification that would elucidate the rate and magnitude of high-latitude ocean acidification that could be used to verify predictive models, and (3) to establish empirical relationships between ocean acidification and coralline algal calcification that would inform predictions of future impacts of ocean acidification on high-latitude marine calcifiers.

大气二氧化碳最近和未来引起的大气二氧化碳对浅水海洋环境（称为“海洋酸化”的过程）以及对居住的生物的酸度（pH）的影响。这部分归因于在这些偏远环境中重建过去海洋化学变化的困难。这项研究旨在开发和运用一种技术，以在长寿命的coralline珊瑚藻中重建过去的海水pH值，这些碱性藻类在整个浅水，冷水海洋环境中广泛存在。此外，该研究将评估改变海水pH的影响对这些生态重要的生物的生长速度的影响，由于其骨骼的镁含量很高，因此人们认为这些生物尤其容易受到海洋酸化的影响。总体而言，该项目将提高对浅水环境中海洋酸化的理解，并提供关键信息，以评估pH变化对居住在这些环境中的生物的影响。这项工作的结果将为寻求减轻大气二氧化碳对这些脆弱，高纬度海洋生态系统的负面影响的政策制定者和立法者提供重要信息。资金支持研究生，众多本科研究人员以及两位早期职业教师之间的新合作。外展活动包括通过斯克里普斯学院（Scripps College Academy）在科学中人数不足的小组的指导高中生，以及制作一部有关海洋酸化生物学影响的教育电影。研究团队将通过与加拿大和英国科学家的合作来加强国际联系，同时帮助将美国的科学家保持在这一重要的海洋酸化研究的最前沿。该工作计划包括三个主要部分：（1）开发对珊瑚藻类的古索水pH的三角洲ph的第一个实验室衍生和现场验证的校准，（2）生成第一个高分辨率的，多中心的高分辨率数据集，在（Ca. 1365至1760 Ad Ad Adle of Adle; ca. 1760 Ad； ca ca ca ca. 1760 Ad;即“人为信号”）工业革命，以及（3）评估人为海洋酸化对由生态重要的，栖息地形成的Coralline Coralline Red Alga产生的骨骼的线性延伸，密度和超微结构的影响。相关目的是：（1）提供一种新工具来重建古 - 盐水pH，（2）以产生海洋酸化的历史记录，以阐明可用于验证预测模型的高纬度海洋酸化的速率和幅度，（3）可以在海洋酸化和coralline algal calngiepiation之间建立经验性的信息，从而使海洋酸化量很高。