Collaborative Research: RUI: Cycling of dissolved organic matter in blue carbon ecosystems

蓝碳是指储存在海草、草甸和沼泽等海岸系统中的碳。这些海洋植物通过制造、储存和释放碳，在碳循环中发挥着重要作用。这些植物将碳以溶解的有机物的形式释放到水中。溶解的有机物是由具有复杂结构的非常大的含碳分子组成的。它是当植物物质，如树叶分解时形成的。这些溶解的分子是全球碳循环的一部分，但我们对不同类型的溶解有机物或它如何随时间变化知之甚少。这项研究将研究帕迪拉湾的盐沼和鳗鱼草床如何产生、改变和储存溶解的有机物。帕迪拉湾是华盛顿州沿海水域的一个大海湾。将测量从盐沼和海湾流出的溶解有机物的数量和类型在不同季节从涨潮到退潮的变化。这项研究将帮助科学家了解蓝碳系统在沿海水域碳循环中的作用和重要性。拟议的活动纳入了评估DOM来源和盐沼、泥滩和鳗草床碳循环的系统和过程方法。将结合光谱、稳定同位素(C-13)、溶解有机碳、水质和水动力测量，研究地表水、沉积物孔隙水和植物渗滤液，以评估它们对DOM循环的贡献。主要目标是检查从盐沼输出到帕迪拉湾河口的DOM的组成、光化学和生物转化以及数量。次要目标是评估河口的鳗草床和泥滩如何改变碳流。帕迪拉湾有几个退化的盐沼将被恢复，DOM也将在这些系统中进行研究，为未来监测沼泽恢复不同阶段的碳流变化提供基线。这项研究将帮助研究人员更好地预测气候变化和人为对海岸生态系统的影响，以及改善海岸带的管理和湿地恢复。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Blue carbon refers to carbon stored in coastal systems like sea grass meadows and marshes. These ocean plants play an important role in carbon cycling by making, storing and releasing carbon. These plants release carbon as dissolved organic matter into the water. Dissolved organic matter is made of very large carbon-containing molecules with complex structures. It is formed when plant matter, like leaves, breaks down. These dissolved molecules are a part of the global carbon cycle, but we do not know very much about the different types of dissolved organic matter or how it changes over time. This research will study how salt marshes and eel grass beds in Padilla Bay create, alter and store dissolved organic matter. Padilla Bay is a large bay in the coastal waters of Washington state. Measurements will be made of how the amount and type of dissolved organic matter flowing out of the salt marshes and Bay change from high tide to low tide and in different seasons. This research will help scientists understand the role and importance of blue carbon systems in carbon cycling in coastal waters.The proposed activities incorporate a system and process approach to evaluating DOM sources and cycling in salt marshes, mudflats, and eelgrass beds. Surface waters, sediment pore waters and plant leachates will be studied to assess their contributions to DOM cycling using a combination of spectroscopic, stable isotope (C-13), dissolved organic carbon, water quality and hydrodynamic measurements. The primary goal is to examine the composition, photochemical and biological transformations, and amount of DOM exported from a salt marsh into the Padilla Bay estuary. Secondary goals are to assess how carbon flow is modified by eelgrass beds and mudflats in the estuary. Padilla Bay has several degraded salt marshes slated for restoration, and DOM will also be studied in these systems, providing a baseline for monitoring carbon flow changes at different stages of marsh restoration in the future. This study will help researchers make better predictions about changes in climate and anthropogenic influences on coastal ecosystems, as well as improve management of the coastal zone and wetland restoration.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.