RaDiUS Database Project Description  (updated Aug. 2005)

 

 

Short Title:

Autonomous strategies for measurement of global ocean carbon

Award Number:

LBNLG203

RaDiUS ID:

44811010133

FY in RaDiUS database:

2003

Level 1:

Dept of Energy

Level 2:

Science

Level 3:

Biological and environmental research

Level 4:

Climate change research - Atmospheric chemistry and carbon cycle

Budget Authority (in $K):

$34,546K

Total Awards:

54

Award Type:

Extramural/Contracts/

Start Date:

Sep-2000

End Date:

Sep-2004

Access/Distribution Restriction:

Distribution Unlimited - Unrestricted Access

Restriction Reason:

 

CRADA Partner:

 

Place of Performance:

 

Place of Performance: State:

 

Performer Name:

LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY

Performer Type:

Oth

Performer City:

BERKELEY

Performer State:

CA

Performer Country:

 

Performer Cong. District:

9

Performer Contact Name:

Restricted

Performer Contact Phone:

Restricted

Performer Parent:

 

Total Award Amount (in $K):

 

Average Annual Funding (in $K):

$156.6

Average Monthly Funding (in $K):

 

FY Total Amount (in $K):

$189.3

FY Federal Amount (in $K):

$189.3

FY Non-Federal Amount (in $K):

 

SBIR Award:

N

Clinical Trial:

N

Requester:

 

Award Description:

TITLE: Autonomous strategies for measurement of global ocean carbon :: LONG DESCR: The long-term enhancement of carbon storage in the oceans by iron fertilization of marine productivity depends on the export, remineralization and return of the macro-nutrients, micronutrients and carbon fixed by biology at the surface. Yet little is known about the fate of the elements in the water column at depths between 100 and 1000 m (known as the "forbidden zone' for particle flux studies). Because of the dependence on ships for upper ocean carbon flux measurment and the difficulties of obtaining large quantities of particulate matter, few data are available on carbon flux and remineralization behaviour within this depth zone. The central hypothesis addressed by our proposal is: Particle flux and remineralization scales vary with oceanic circulation and biological regimes, and that the particle flux and remineralization scales in biologically dynamics waters (outside of the warm water environments used to calibrate the Martin relationship) are significantly different from the common-used Martin profiles. We propose the development of a prototype autonomous optical sediment trap system designed to record the high frequency (hours to days) variations of organic and inor-ganic carbon flux and remineralization within the upper 1.5 kilometers of the ocean over seasonal timescales. Such devices would be inexpensive enough to be deployed in sufficient numbers to follow the aftermath of ocean fertilization experiments and to provide here-to-fore unavailable data on the variability of upper ocean carbon flux in remote and biologically dynamic ocean regions. These data are required for better ocean GCM simulations of the ocean's carbon cycle and for the evaluation of ocean fertilization as a carbon sequestration option. :: KEYWORDS: Oceans Sciences ::