IRFP: Air-sea Fluxes of Oxygenated Volatile Organic Compounds for Improving Transfer Velocity Parameterizations and Constraining Oceanic Budgets

国际研究奖学金计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外进行9到24个月的研究。该项目的奖项提供了联合研究的机会，并提供了使用国外独特或互补的设施、专业知识和实验条件的机会。该奖项将资助杨明喜博士与普利茅斯海洋实验室(PML)的Phillip Nightingale博士和英国诺里奇东安格利亚大学(UEA)的Peter Liss教授合作的为期24个月的研究奖学金。含氧挥发性有机化合物(OVOC)，如醇、醛和酮，会影响大气的自净能力。海洋在OVOCS全球预算中的作用在很大程度上仍未得到探索，这主要是由于缺乏适当的分析能力而缺乏观测。有限的证据表明，海洋是大气甲醇的汇，既可以是丙酮的源，也可以是丙酮的汇。这些化合物的地表水分布在空间和时间上可能有相当大的变异性，这表明迫切需要更频繁的实地观测。PML和UEA最近开发了可以测量空气和海水中一系列OVOCs的仪器(火焰电离检测器-气相色谱(FID-GC))和膜进气-质子转移反应质谱仪(PTR-MS)。理论上，PTR-MS具有快速采样能力和快速响应能力，适合于直接测量有机挥发性有机物在空气和水之间的通量。这项研究利用这些新仪器不仅增加了非常有限的海水和海洋空气中OVOCs浓度的数据库，而且还试图测量它们的海-气通量，并确定海洋是这些化合物的源还是汇。比较了在稳定的沿海平台上OVOCs的通量与二氧化碳(CO2)通量的并发通量，以及从一艘开放的海洋研究邮轮上测得的通量与散装通量模型的估计。这项研究建议描述海洋对与空气质量直接相关的有机化合物的作用，并提高我们对具有气候重要性的气体，特别是二氧化碳的海气交换的理解。到目前为止，海洋缓冲了我们的大气，使其免受更高水平的二氧化碳和更严重的变暖的影响。缓解气候变化的政策将影响到每个人的福祉，这取决于了解二氧化碳从大气传输到海洋的速度有多快。最后，除了拓宽首席研究人员的研究视角和促进未来的合作外，该项目还为培训学生和开展外部宣传提供了潜在的机会。

1064405YangThe International Research Fellowship Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct nine to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad. This award will support a twenty-four-month research fellowship by Dr. Mingxi Yang to work with Dr. Phillip Nightingale at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) in Plymouth and Professor Peter Liss at University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich, the United Kingdom. Oxygenated Volatile Organic Compounds (OVOCs), such as alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones, affect the self-cleansing capacity of the atmosphere. The role of the ocean in global budgets of OVOCS remains largely unexplored, mostly due to a paucity of observations in the absence of suitable analytical capabilities. Limited evidence suggests that the ocean is a sink for atmospheric methanol and can act as either a source or a sink for acetone. There is likely to be considerable variability in space and time in the surface water distributions of these compounds, indicating an urgent need for more frequent field observations. PML and UEA have recently developed instrumentations (Flame Ionization Detector - Gas Chromatography (FID-GC)) and Membrane Inlet - Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS)) that can measure a range of OVOCs in air and seawater. With fast sampling capability and rapid response, the PTR-MS is theoretically suitable for measuring the fluxes of OVOCs between air and water directly. This research utilizes these new instrumentations to not only increase the very limited database of seawater and marine air concentrations of OVOCs, but also attempt to measure their air-sea fluxes and determine whether the ocean acts as a source or sink for these compounds. Fluxes of OVOCs with concurrent carbon dioxide (CO2) flux at a stable costal platform are compared, as are measurements from an open ocean research cruise with estimates from a bulk flux model. This research proposes to characterize the role of the ocean for organic compounds directly relevant to air quality, and also improve our understanding in the air-sea exchange of climatically important gases, especially CO2. The ocean has thus far buffered our atmosphere from even higher levels of CO2 and greater warming. Policies on climate change mitigation, which would affect the well being of everybody, hinge on knowing how fast CO2 is transported from the atmosphere to the ocean. Finally, in addition to broadening the research perspective of the principal investigator and foster future collaborations, this project provides potential opportunities for training of a student and external outreach.