RII Track-4: Formation, Photolysis, and Bioaccumulation of Dissolved Hydrocarbons from Chemically-Herded and Burned Crude Oil at High Latitudes

泄漏到海洋环境中的石油在暴露在阳光下时会经历一个光降解过程。光化学降解油是高度复杂的，对海洋生物造成危害。随着北极圈以北的冰以前所未有的速度融化，北极地区的石油钻探预计将增加，这增加了在偏远寒冷地区发生重大石油泄漏的可能性。表面收集剂或“化学牧人”最近引起了人们的关注，因为它能够使浮油变厚，从而允许在冰相关区域进行原位燃烧，以去除90%以上的油污。然而，对于这一过程中产生的溶解残留物的形成，溶解残留物在阳光下如何转化，以及对易感海洋生物可能产生的影响，人们知之甚少。这个项目将促进我们对燃烧后石油如何转化为水溶性形式的理解；它将评估这些残留物在北极水域风化过程中的化学特性和生物吸收。该项目将涉及新奥尔良大学和国家高磁场实验室的残留物提取和分析。研究结果将指导未来的溢油响应和应急计划。在北极和亚北极地区，关于海上点排放后含油水的处理方案，碳氢化合物衍生的溶解有机质的纵向溶解速率，特别是那些来自氧化的溶解有机质的纵向溶解速率仍未得到充分研究。光周期的极端季节性波动通过光溶解使这一过程进一步复杂化，并可能对易感海洋生物（如贻贝、Mytilus trossulus）的生物积累潜力产生广泛影响。表面收集剂（化学牧人）最近因其在原位燃烧之前稠化石油的能力而受到欢迎，该过程能够从表面去除90%的石油。然而，人们对这一过程中产生的溶解残留物的形成以及这些溶解残留物的化学性质知之甚少。该项目将使用两种新兴技术来评估这些因素，荧光激发发射光谱（EEMs）与平行析因分析（PARAFAC）和傅立叶变换离子回旋加速器质谱（FT-ICR MS）。实验规模的模拟将在阿拉斯加安克雷奇大学进行，使用ANS原油、两种牧民配方（OP-40和ThickSlick）和从阿拉斯加复活湾收集的贻贝。残留物提取和eem分析在新奥尔良大学进行，FT-ICR质谱分析在国家高磁场实验室进行。这项研究将资助PI Tomco和一名研究生助理前往洛杉矶新奥尔良和佛罗里达州塔拉哈西。这将导致PI所在机构更广泛地整合先进的光谱和光谱技术，并提高机构竞争外部研究支持的能力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

Oil spilled into the marine environment undergoes a process of photodegradation when exposed to sunlight. Photochemically-degraded oil is highly complex and poses a hazard to marine organisms. As the circumpolar north loses ice at an unprecedented rate, oil drilling in the Arctic is forecasted to increase, raising the possibility of a major oil spill in a remote cold region. Surface collection agents, or "chemical herders" have gained attention recently for the ability to thicken slicks to allow in-situ burning in ice-associated areas for over 90% oil mass removal. However, little is known about the formation of dissolved residues stemming from this process, how dissolved residues are transformed in the presence of sunlight, and what impacts may occur on susceptible marine organisms. This project will advance our understanding of how oil is transformed into a water-soluble form following combustion; it will assess the chemical character and biological uptake of the residues as they weather in Arctic waters. The project will involve residue extraction and analysis at the University of New Orleans and National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. The results will guide future oil spill response and contingency planning.The longitudinal dissolution rates governing hydrocarbon-derived dissolved organic matter, especially those deriving from oxygenation, remain understudied in the Arctic and Subarctic domains with regard to treatment options of oiled water following a maritime point release. Extreme seasonal swings in photoperiods further complicate this process via photodissolution and may have broad impacts on bioaccumulation potential in susceptible marine organisms such as mussels, Mytilus trossulus. Surface collection agents (chemical herders) have gained popularity recently for the ability to thicken oil prior to in-situ burning, a process that is capable of removing 90% of oil from the surface. However, little is known about the formation of dissolved residues stemming from this process and the chemical character as these dissolved residues weather. This project will assess these factors using two new emerging technologies, fluorescence excitation emission spectra (EEMs) coupled with Parallel Factorial Analysis (PARAFAC) and Fourier Transformation Ion Cyclotron Mass Spectrometery (FT-ICR MS). Bench-scale simulations will be conducted at the University of Alaska Anchorage with ANS Crude oil, two herder formulations (OP-40 and ThickSlick), and mussels collected from Resurrection Bay, Alaska. Residues are extracted and EEMs analyzed at the University of New Orleans, with FT-ICR MS analyses conducted at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. This study will fund PI Tomco and one graduate student assistant to travel to New Orleans, LA and Tallahassee, FL. This will lead to broader integration of advanced spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques at the PI's home institution and increase institutional capacity to compete for external research support.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.