RAPID: Capturing the Signature of a Strong El Nino Event in Galapagos Lake Sediment Records: the 2015/16 El Nino Opportunity

该奖项在快速反应研究（Rapid）概念的支持下，使用资金维持在Genovesa和Bainbridge火山口湖Galápagos的长期监测点，捕捉2015/2016年厄尔尼诺Niño-Southern振荡（ENSO）事件，并确定潜在的强厄尔尼诺Niño事件对Galápagos关键湖泊沉积物档案的影响。基诺维萨和班布里奇的沉积物记录提供了热带太平洋气候变化的长期记录，特别是与ENSO有关的变化。然而，关于气候变化对这些湖泊沉积影响的现有假设尚未经过实地测试。2009年，PI和她的研究合作者部署了气象站和湖内探头，以及简单的沉积物陷阱，以测试这些湖泊沉积的现有假设。从2009年12月至今，这些仪器几乎每天都有关于火山口湖气候和湖泊的连续数据，这段时间涵盖了五个完整的季节周期，包括弱厄尔尼诺Niño，中等厄尔尼诺Niño和持续的厄尔尼诺Niña条件。迄今为止的研究结果促使人们重新思考已发表的基于湖泊的气候重建解释。然而，实时监测并没有捕捉到强烈的厄尔尼诺Niño事件对这些湖泊的气候、湖泊学和沉积的影响。研究人员认为，因此至关重要的是，她能够分离出2015/16年强厄尔尼诺Niño对这些湖泊沉积的影响，以测试ENSO事件对沉积影响的相互竞争的假设。具体来说，这笔资金将用于支持一个由三名研究人员组成的团队在2015/2016年El Niño事件之前和之后两次前往Bainbridge和Genovesa火山口湖收集数据并重新部署长期监测仪器。这些数据将用于解决这些关键档案中关于沉积的两个关键研究问题：(1)强El Niño事件的特征是什么？(2)碳酸盐降水的主要驱动力是什么？潜在的更广泛的影响包括提供长期监测数据集，改善过去ENSO事件强度和频率的重建，这将有助于限制该地区观测到的变率范围。该项目将支持一名早期职业女性研究员，并为美国和厄瓜多尔的研究生提供教育和研究机会。

This award uses funds, under the auspices of the Rapid Response Research (RAPID)concept, to maintain long-term monitoring sites at Genovesa and Bainbridge crater lakes, Galápagos to capture the 2015/2016 El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event and identify the impact of a potentially strong El Niño events on key Galápagos lake sediment archives. The sediment records from Genovesa and Bainbridge have provided long records of past changes in tropical Pacific climate variability, particularly variability associated with the ENSO. However, existing hypotheses for the impact of climate variability on sedimentation in these lakes have not been field tested. In 2009, the PI and her research collaborators deployed weather stations and in-lake sondes, as well as simple sediment traps, to test existing hypotheses for sedimentation in these lakes. These instruments have produced nearly continuous daily data on the climate and limnology of the crater lakes from December 2009 to present, a period that covers more than five full seasonal cycles and includes a weak El Niño, a moderate El Niño, and sustained La Niña conditions. Research results to date have prompted a re-thinking of published interpretations of lake-based climate reconstructions. However, the real-time monitoring has not captured the impact of a strong El Niño event on the climate, limnology and sedimentation of these lakes. The researcher argues that it is therefore critical that she be able to isolate the impact of the strong 2015/16 El Niño on sedimentation in these lakes to test competing hypotheses for the impact of ENSO events on sedimentation.Specifically, the funds will be used to support two trips for a team of three researchers to collect data and redeploy long-term monitoring instruments at Bainbridge and Genovesa crater lakes prior to and following the 2015/2016 El Niño event. This data will be used to address two key research questions regarding sedimentation in these key archives: (1) What is the signature of strong El Niño events? and (2) What is the primary driver of carbonate precipitation?The potential broader impacts include providing a long-term monitoring dataset and improving reconstructions of the strength and frequency of ENSO events in the past, which will help constrain the range of variability observed in the region. This project will support an early-career female researcher and provide educational and research opportunities for U.S. and Ecuadorian graduate students.