U.S.- Australia Cooperative Research: Benthic Flux Measurements off the Northwest Coast of Australia

该奖项将使南加州大学的William M.Berelson博士和伍兹霍尔海洋研究所的Daniel C.McCorkle博士能够与澳大利亚矿产资源、地质和地球物理局的David T.Heggie博士合作，在澳大利亚西北海岸外的印度洋上进行澳大利亚R.V.Rig地震号上的一次研究巡航。这项研究将包括与石油碳氢化合物勘探有关的地球化学研究，以及关于沉积物中碳循环和轻烃的现代工艺研究，以及与石油源岩建造有关的古海洋学研究。必须了解底栖边界在调节全球海洋循环中对碳、氧、氮和二氧化硅等元素的作用，因为这些元素影响海洋的生产力，并可能受到人类活动的影响。这项研究将增加深海通量测量的稀疏数据集，并增加生产性大陆边缘营养物质底栖交换测量的不断增长的数据库。参与邮轮的几个小组的综合专业知识和资源将使沉淀物、岩心水和孵化室化学的研究能够同时进行，边缘在相同的样品上。

This award will enable Dr. William M. Berelson (University of Southern California) and Dr. Daniel C. McCorkle (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) to collaborate with Dr. David T. Heggie (Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology & Geophysics) during a research cruise aboard the Australian R.V. Rig Seismic in the Indian Ocean off the northwest coast of Australia. The research will entail geochemical studies related to exploration for petroleum hydrocarbons, supplemented with modern process studies on carbon cycling and light hydrocarbons in sediments, together with paleoceanographic studies related to petroleum source-rock formations. It is important to understand the role the benthic boundary plays in mediating global ocean cycles for elements such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and silica because these elements influence the productivity of the oceans and can be affected by anthropogenic activity. This study will add to the sparse data set for deep ocean flux measurements and add to a growing data base of nutrient benthic exchange measurements on productive continental margins. The combined expertise and resources of the several groups participating in the cruise will enable study of sediment, core water, and incubation chamber chemistry to take place at the same time, margin on the same samples.