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Collaborative Research: Defying Dissolution: Unraveling the Enigma of North Pacific Deep-Sea Scleractinian Reefs in Undersaturated Water

合作研究：抵抗溶解：解开北太平洋深海石珊瑚礁在不饱和水中的谜团

基本信息

批准号：
1851378
负责人：
Erin Roark
金额：
$ 85.34万
依托单位：
Texas A&M University
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Continuing Grant
财政年份：
2019
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2019-09-15 至 2024-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1851378&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Collaborative Research Defying Dissolution Unraveling

项目摘要

Like their shallow-water counterparts, deep-sea corals provide structure and habitat that support a diverse community of invertebrates and commercially important fish species. However, as ocean acidification impacts the water chemistry of the surface and deep ocean, the future of deep-sea reefs is highly uncertain because ocean acidification makes it more difficult for corals to build the three-dimensional structure that these ecosystems depend on. The naturally harsh water chemistry conditions of the North Pacific are being exacerbated by ocean acidification therefore it was previously thought that deep-sea coral reef development could not occur in the region. Despite these expectations, reefs were recently discovered in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and the Emperor Seamount Chain (ESC), with 4 of 7 sites in waters that are corrosive to, or likely to dissolve, the coral skeletons that make up deep-sea reefs. With the discovery of these reefs, we have an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the potential impact of ocean acidification on these important ecosystems because, in contrast to previous studies, there is a gradient of water chemistry across our study sites, all at the same depth. This study will address basic questions regarding reef development in the deep sea, including: Can deep-sea coral reefs develop in water that is corrosive to coral skeletons? What is the fate of reefs that developed under supportive water chemistry conditions once they experience corrosive water? How long can reefs persist in corrosive water? Through addressing these questions, this study will provide critical insights into deep-sea reef formation, persistence, distribution, and the effects of ocean acidification on deep-sea coral communities. The investigators have a track record of partnerships with NOAA?s Deep-Sea Coral Research and Technology Program, and with the agencies actively making management decisions in this region for seamount deep-sea coral communities including the North Pacific Fisheries Commission and the International Seabed Authority. Results will be broadly circulated to the scientific community through publications, coral collections contributed to museums, and public databases. This project will contribute to developing a diverse and competitive STEM workforce through training of an underrepresented postdoctoral scientist, three graduate students, and undergraduate researchers. A partnership with WhaleTimes, Inc. will include ROV telepresence for the Creep into the Deep Program, K-12 School Visits, and e-books. Despite expectations that deep-sea scleractinian reefs could not exist under the harsh carbonate chemistry conditions of the North Pacific, reefs were recently discovered in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and the Emperor Seamount Chain (ESC), with 4 of 7 sites in waters undersaturated with respect to aragonite. The discovery of these reefs, with more than half the sites in undersaturated water, provides an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the potential impact of ocean acidification on these important ecosystems. It is becoming critical to gain a better understanding of the role of aragonite saturation in the distribution of deep-sea scleractinian reefs because it has been documented that the aragonite saturation horizon (ASH) is shoaling throughout the world oceans due to ocean acidification. More deep-sea reefs will experience undersaturation in the near future as aragonite saturation declines and the ASH shoals, making the future of deep-sea reefs and the ecologically and economically valuable ecosystems they support highly uncertain. Building on the discovery of deep-sea coral reefs in the NWHI and ESC, the overarching question of this project is: How is it that deep-sea scleractinian coral reefs can occur in undersaturated water, well below the hypothesized reef development limit Although individual corals may be capable of calcifying in undersaturated water, it is unlikely that a three-dimensional reef structure could develop since deep-sea calcification rates are slow and most of the reef matrix is dead skeleton susceptible to dissolution. Therefore the hypotheses to be tested are: 1) These deep-sea reefs developed in saturated water and are now in undersaturated water because the ASH has shoaled; 2) The reefs in undersaturated water are now net dissolving; and 3) Environmental parameters other than aragonite saturation are driving reef distribution. To test these three hypotheses, we plan two research cruises to characterize the reefs and environmental parameters of nine seamounts across an aragonite saturation gradient where reefs exist above and below the ASH. Coral and water samples will be collected, an ROV will conduct video transect surveys, and experimental dissolution blocks and in situ instrumentation will be deployed at the reef sites to investigate: carbonate chemistry variability on diel (in situ instruments) to centennial (skeletal boron isotopes as a pH proxy) scales, calcification and dissolution rates, and reef ecology. Further, species distribution modeling will be used to examine the environmental factors that determine the distribution of these deep-sea reefs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

与浅水珊瑚一样，深海珊瑚提供结构和栖息地，支持各种无脊椎动物和商业上重要的鱼类物种。然而，随着海洋酸化影响表层和深海的水化学，深海珊瑚礁的未来是高度不确定的，因为海洋酸化使珊瑚更难以建立这些生态系统所依赖的三维结构。北太平洋自然严酷的水化学条件正在因海洋酸化而恶化，因此以前认为深海-该区域不可能出现海洋珊瑚礁的发展。尽管有这些预期，但最近在夏威夷西北群岛（NWHI）和皇帝海山链（ESC）发现了珊瑚礁，沃茨中的7个地点中有4个对构成深海珊瑚礁的珊瑚骨架具有腐蚀性或可能溶解。随着这些珊瑚礁的发现，我们有一个前所未有的机会来调查海洋酸化对这些重要生态系统的潜在影响，因为与以前的研究相比，我们的研究地点的水化学梯度都在同一深度。这项研究将解决有关深海珊瑚礁发育的基本问题，包括：深海珊瑚礁能否在对珊瑚骨骼有腐蚀性的水中发育？一旦经历腐蚀性水，在支持性水化学条件下发育的珊瑚礁的命运是什么？珊瑚礁能在腐蚀性的水中存活多久？通过解决这些问题，这项研究将为深海珊瑚礁的形成、持久性、分布以及海洋酸化对深海珊瑚群落的影响提供重要见解。调查人员有与NOAA合作的记录吗？该组织还与北太平洋渔业委员会和国际海底管理局等积极在该区域为海山深海珊瑚群落作出管理决定的机构合作。研究结果将通过出版物、捐赠给博物馆的珊瑚收藏品和公共数据库向科学界广泛传播。该项目将通过培训一名代表性不足的博士后科学家，三名研究生和本科生研究人员，促进发展多元化和有竞争力的STEM劳动力。与WhaleTimes，Inc.合作将包括用于潜入深海计划的ROV远程呈现、K-12学校参观和电子书。尽管人们曾预期在北太平洋严酷的碳酸盐化学条件下不可能存在深海石珊瑚礁，但最近在夏威夷西北群岛和皇帝海山链发现了珊瑚礁，7个地点中有4个地点位于文石不饱和的沃茨。这些珊瑚礁的发现，超过一半的网站在不饱和水中，提供了一个前所未有的机会，调查海洋酸化对这些重要生态系统的潜在影响。它是变得至关重要的，以获得更好地了解文石饱和度在深海石珊瑚礁的分布中的作用，因为它已被记录，文石饱和层（ASH）变浅，由于海洋酸化在世界各地的海洋。在不久的将来，随着文石饱和度的下降和阿什浅滩的消失，更多的深海珊瑚礁将出现饱和度不足的情况，使深海珊瑚礁及其所支持的具有生态和经济价值的生态系统的未来变得非常不确定。在西北大西洋和东南大西洋发现深海珊瑚礁的基础上，该项目的首要问题是：深海石珊瑚礁是如何出现在不饱和水中的，远低于假设的珊瑚礁发育极限。尽管个别珊瑚可能能够在不饱和水中钙化，不太可能形成三维珊瑚礁结构，因为深海的钙化速度很慢，而且大多数珊瑚礁基质是容易溶解的死骨架。因此，要测试的假设是：1）这些深海礁在饱和水中发展，现在在欠饱和水中，因为灰变浅; 2）在欠饱和水中的礁现在净溶解;和3）环境参数以外的文石饱和度是驱动礁分布。为了检验这三个假设，我们计划进行两次研究航行，以确定文石饱和度梯度范围内9座海山的珊瑚礁和环境参数的特征，这些海山的珊瑚礁存在于灰岩之上和之下。将收集珊瑚和水样本，一个调查员将进行视频横断面调查，并将在珊瑚礁现场部署实验性溶解块和现场仪器，以调查：从昼夜（现场仪器）到百年（骨骼硼同位素作为pH值代用品）尺度的碳酸盐化学变化、钙化和溶解速率以及珊瑚礁生态。此外，物种分布模型将用于检查决定这些深海珊瑚礁分布的环境因素。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。