A Mobile Instrument System for Measuring Dissolved Methane in Arctic Aquatic Environments

用于测量北极水生环境中溶解甲烷的移动仪器系统

• 批准号: RTI-2019-00691
• 负责人: Else, Brent
• 金额: $ 10.93万
• 依托单位: University of Calgary
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Research Tools and Instruments
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=650142
• 关键词: Mobile; Instrument; System; Measuring; Dissolved

*********Methane (CH4) is an important greenhouse gas. Although it is less abundant in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide (CO2), its climate impact per molecule is about 30 times higher. Like CO2, methane has natural and human sources, and accounting for both is important for accurate climate predictions. There is significant concern that as our climate warms, large reservoirs of natural methane may be released to the atmosphere, amplifying warming. The Arctic methane reservoir is massive, with significant quantities in permafrost soils, seafloor sediments, and in marine and freshwater environments. Since the Arctic is already experiencing rapid climate change, enhanced methane emission from these reservoirs is a threat to our climate system.******My research group mostly studies CO2 in the Arctic, but with a collaborating lab we recently made some measurements of dissolved CH4 near Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Our preliminary results are very exciting. We have discovered that over the winter, methane accumulates beneath the frozen surface of Greiner Lake – a large, shallow lake near Cambridge Bay. In the spring, as the lake ice breaks up, a large amount of that methane travels down Freshwater Creek to the ocean. In the marine environment, some of the methane is released to the atmosphere, but some is trapped beneath the sea ice for several weeks. In this NSERC-RTI grant application, we are applying for funds to purchase a versatile dissolved methane analyzer, mounted on an all-terrain vehicle equipped with snowmobile tracks. With this system, we will map the areas generating methane in Greiner Lake, follow its transit down Freshwater Creek, and map the plume that forms beneath the sea ice. Beneath the sea ice, we will look for evidence that microbes are consuming the methane. If CH4 is being removed beneath the sea ice, we will have discovered an important, and previously unknown part of the Arctic methane cycle. Without the purchase of this instrument system, we will be unable to test our hypotheses, and learn how important these processes are across the Arctic.******While allowing us to immediately answer this timely research question, the instrument will also open up new research areas for our team. We expect to use the system to study methane in other Arctic lakes, and to investigate other river systems and how they interact with the marine environment. In the summer, we will put the methane sensor on research ships to study dissolved CH4 in coastal waters across the Arctic. In the future, we will add other instruments to the platform, making it even more versatile. We anticipate near-constant use of the system by the graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and northern (i.e. Inuit) research assistants conducting the research. All of these highly qualified personnel will develop methane monitoring skills that are marketable across Canada, where detection of methane emissions from natural landscapes and industrial processes is becoming increasingly important.**

*********甲烷 (CH4) 是一种重要的温室气体。尽管它在我们大气中的含量不如二氧化碳 (CO2)，但其每个分子对气候的影响却高出约 30 倍。与二氧化碳一样，甲烷也有自然来源和人类来源，考虑到这两种来源对于准确的气候预测非常重要。人们非常担心，随着气候变暖，大量的天然甲烷可能会释放到大气中，从而加剧变暖。北极甲烷储量巨大，在永久冻土、海底沉积物以及海洋和淡水环境中都有大量甲烷。由于北极已经经历了快速的气候变化，这些水库甲烷排放量的增加对我们的气候系统构成了威胁。********我的研究小组主要研究北极的二氧化碳，但我们最近与一个合作实验室一起对努纳武特地区剑桥湾附近溶解的甲烷进行了一些测量。我们的初步结果非常令人兴奋。我们发现，在冬季，甲烷会在格莱纳湖（剑桥湾附近的一个大型浅湖）冰冻的表面下积聚。春天，当湖冰融化时，大量甲烷沿着淡水溪流入海洋。在海洋环境中，一些甲烷被释放到大气中，但另一些则被困在海冰下数周。在此 NSERC-RTI 拨款申请中，我们正在申请资金购买多功能溶解甲烷分析仪，该分析仪安装在配备雪地摩托履带的全地形车辆上。通过该系统，我们将绘制格雷纳湖中产生甲烷的区域，跟踪其沿淡水河的传输，并绘制海冰下形成的羽流。在海冰下面，我们将寻找微生物正在消耗甲烷的证据。如果 CH4 被清除到海冰下，我们将发现北极甲烷循环的一个重要且以前未知的部分。如果不购买这个仪器系统，我们将无法测试我们的假设，也无法了解这些过程在整个北极的重要性。*****在让我们立即回答这个及时的研究问题的同时，该仪器还将为我们的团队开辟新的研究领域。我们希望利用该系统研究其他北极湖泊中的甲烷，并调查其他河流系统及其与海洋环境的相互作用。今年夏天，我们将把甲烷传感器安装在科考船上，研究北极沿海水域溶解的甲烷。将来，我们将在该平台上添加其他工具，使其更加通用。我们预计进行研究的研究生、博士后和北方（即因纽特人）研究助理将几乎持续使用该系统。所有这些高素质人员将开发可在加拿大各地销售的甲烷监测技能，在加拿大，自然景观和工业过程中甲烷排放的检测变得越来越重要。 **