| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
|
| Initial Amendment Date: | September 15, 2009 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | September 15, 2009 |
| Award Number: | 0928139 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
David Garrison
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences GEO Directorate For Geosciences |
| Start Date: | October 1, 2009 |
| End Date: | September 30, 2013 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $141,636.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $141,636.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
|
| History of Investigator: |
|
| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
8124 HIGHWAY 56 CHAUVIN LA US 70344-2110 (985)851-2812 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
|
| Primary Place of Performance: |
8124 HIGHWAY 56 CHAUVIN LA US 70344-2110 |
| Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: |
|
| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
|
| Parent UEI: |
|
| NSF Program(s): | BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY |
| Primary Program Source: |
|
| Program Reference Code(s): |
|
| Program Element Code(s): |
|
| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
A range of observations suggest that zooplankton act as gatekeepers for material leaving the euphotic zone. This study will investigate the interactions of zooplankton with other particles using a suite of autonomous and tethered instruments in conjunction with finescale water sampling. The SOLOPC (Sounding Oceanographic Observer with Laser Optical Plankton Counter) will be the autonomous instrument and provide hourly profiles of zooplankton and other particles. Previous sampling with the SOLPC indicated a diel cycle of production and abundance of particles in the euphotic zone and their sinking and consumption, presumably by zooplankton observed at the base of the particle abundance maximum. The SOLOPC senses particles, including zooplankton and aggregates, and measures their equivalent spherical diameters which can be used to compute particle size spectra. However, it is difficult to use the SOLOPC to distinguish among particle types, such as copepods, larvaceans, and aggregates, particularly if they are small. The research will include an intensive field study that will take place in Monterey Bay and use adaptive sampling to observe near SOLOPCs with a new, AUV-borne imaging system, ship-based CTD and MOCNESS sampling, and MBARI's ROV Ventana. The investigators will alter a SOLOPC to be stationary relative to an isopycnal and use the particle counts that it accumulates to calculate a flux spectrum. They will combine the flux and concentration spectra to estimate particle sinking velocities as a function of particle diameter. Zooplankton feeding in the water column will be estimated by analyzing the gut fluorescence of animals caught in zooplankton nets and by counting the distribution of fecal pellets in water samples. Results will enhance the understanding of the role of the zooplankton as gatekeepers in the vertical flux of particles and, hence, the biological pump. The study will also provide new insight into factors that affect zooplankton behavior and ecology.
Broader impacts will include mentoring of a graduate student and a postdoctoral researcher, strong collaborations among diverse institutions, instrument development and technology transfer, broad dissemination of results, and contribution to society by better understanding of processes key to the carbon cycle. A PhD student at SIO and postdoctoral investigator at TAMU will be mentored by Checkley and Jackson, respectively. Collaborating institutions include SIO, TAMU, LUMCON, MBARI, BIO, and Université de Paris VI. The SOLOPC, modified to measure flux as a well as profile, and REFLICS are intended for acquisition and use by other researchers worldwide. Results will be presented at national and international meetings and published in the peer-reviewed literature. The understanding we gain of role of the zooplankton as gatekeepers of the vertical flux will contribute valuably to understanding of the biological pump and the carbon cycle.
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
