OCE-RIG: Implementation of Advanced Underwater Optical Instrumentation for the Study of Marine Particle Dynamics in the Arctic Ocean

海洋中颗粒状有机质的产生、转化、下沉、水平运输、再矿化和沉积在整个地球系统碳和其他元素的循环中发挥着重要作用。对海洋颗粒进行采样和研究的传统海洋学战略往往涉及各种形式的直接收集。然而，这些方法在提供高空间和时间分辨率的粒子数据以及确定这些细小而精细的粒子的原位结构方面受到严重限制。由于这些原因，颗粒和浮游生物的原位成像正在迅速成为研究海洋颗粒动力学和海洋生物泵的重要工具，因为这些仪器能够对颗粒大小、浓度和形态进行高分辨率和非破坏性的评估。该项目将促进水下视觉剖面仪5(UVP)的初步测试、业务开发和使用，这是一种先进的原位成像系统。UVP在北冰洋的部署将产生一个新的数据集，用于探索影响该地区颗粒和碳循环的生物、化学和物理因素的性质。该奖项支持阿拉斯加大学费尔班克斯分校(UAF)的两名学生，一名硕士和一名本科生，参与与北冰洋粒子自行车相关的研究。PI和学生将使用现场成像设备来研究颗粒有机物的颗粒尺寸分布和下沉通量之间的联系。北冰洋颗粒物的循环还不是很清楚，这项研究将加强我们对这个正在经历快速环境变化的地区的颗粒动力学和碳循环的理解。这一奖项将提高UAF实验室的方法学能力，开始对北冰洋海洋颗粒动力学和碳循环的新研究，并吸引两名学生参与与北极相关的研究。

The production, transformation, sinking, horizontal transport, remineralization and deposition of particulate organic matter in the oceans play important roles in the cycling of carbon and other elements throughout the earth system. Traditional oceanographic strategies for the sampling and study of marine particles often involve various forms of direct collection. However, these approaches are severely limited in their ability to provide particle data at high spatial and temporal resolutions, and to determine the in situ structure of these small and delicate particles. For these reasons, in situ imaging of particles and plankton is rapidly becoming an important tool for the study of marine particle dynamics and the ocean's biological pump, as these instruments enable the high-resolution and non-destructive assessment of particle size, concentration, and morphology. This project will facilitate the initial testing, operational development, and utilization of the Underwater Vision Profiler 5 (UVP), an advanced in situ imaging system. Deployments of the UVP in the Arctic Ocean will generate a new dataset that will be used to explore the nature of the biological, chemical, and physical factors that influence the cycling of particles and carbon in this region. The award supports two students at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF), one Master's and one undergraduate, to participate in research related to particle cycling in the Arctic ocean. The PI and the students will use in situ imaging equipment to study the links between the particle size distribution and the sinking flux of particulate organic matter. The cycling of particulate matter in the Arctic Ocean is not well understood, and this research will enhance of our understanding of particle dynamics and carbon cycling in a region that is currently undergoing rapid environmental change.This award will advance the methodological capabilities of the UAF laboratory, begin a new research endeavor into the dynamics of marine particles and carbon cycling of the Arctic Ocean, and engage two students in research that is relevant to the Arctic.