MRI-RAPID: Acquisition of Spectroscopic Instrumentation for Oil Spill Research

PI请求MRI RAPID资助，为墨西哥湾漏油事故的工作购买光谱仪器。这种仪器将加强他们正在进行的溢油研究活动以及海洋和环境科学的研究生教育。PI得到了化学海洋学项目的快速资助，用于研究深水地平线石油泄漏（2010年4月）对墨西哥湾受影响地区关键微量金属分布的影响。特别令人感兴趣的是过渡金属V和Ni，它们与石油具有天然的地球化学联系。所要求的仪器包括两台空腔衰落光谱仪（CRDS），一台用于测定甲烷，另一台用于测定水的氧和氢同位素组成。由于Macondo井排放的物质中有很大一部分是甲烷，因此需要CRDS甲烷分析仪。CRDS水同位素分析仪将允许PI利用水的氧和氢同位素作为沿海水团示踪剂。这两种CRDS仪器都足够坚固，可以在现场使用。在现场使用它们将使PI能够根据获得的分析信息调整采样策略，并更好地了解墨西哥湾北部的水循环/混合以及石油的运输和转化。此外，PI的要求是紫外/可见分光光度计。分光光度计是测定天然有机物和油污染水体光学性质，定量测定油组分的命运、迁移和转化所需的基本工具。更广泛的影响这项研究有可能增加我们对重大石油泄漏对全球海洋生态系统的直接和间接地球化学后果的理解。学生的参与是这项工作的一个组成部分，因此研究生教育将得到加强。它还将加强墨西哥湾沿岸地区的合作研究机会。

The PI's request MRI RAPID funding to acquire spectroscopic instrumentation for work on the Gulf oil spill. This instrumentation will augment their on-going oil spill research activities and graduate education in marine and environmental sciences. The PI's have RAPID funding from the Chemical Oceanography program to study the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (April 2010) on the distribution of key trace metals in the impacted region of the Gulf of Mexico. Of particular interest are the transition metals V and Ni which have a natural geochemical association with petroleum.The requested instrumentation includes two cavity ring down spectrometers (CRDS), one for determination of methane and the other for determination of the oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of water. The CRDS methane analyzer is needed because a significant fraction of material discharged from the Macondo well is methane. The CRDS water isotope analyzer will allow the PI's to utilize oxygen and hydrogen isotopes of water as a coastal water mass tracer. Both CRDS instruments are robust enough to be used in the field. Using them in the field will allow the PI's to adjust their sampling strategies based on the analytical information obtained and to better understand water circulation/mixing and thus oil transport and transformation in the northern Gulf of Mexico. In addition, the PI's request a UV/visible spectrophotometer. The spectrophotometer is a basic tool needed for determining the optical properties of natural organic matter and oil-contaminated waters to quantify the fate, transport and transformation of oil components.Broader ImpactsThis research has the potential to increase our understanding of the direct and indirect geochemical consequences of a major oil spill on marine ecosystems throughout the world. Student participation is a component of this work and thus graduate education will be enhanced. It will also enhance collaborative research opportunities in the Gulf Coast region.