Award Abstract # 1635893
NSFOCE-BSF: Collaborative Research: The Role and Mechanisms of Nuclei-induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation in the Coastal Carbon Cycle: A First In-depth Study

NSF Org: OCE
Division Of Ocean Sciences
Recipient: TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date: August 29, 2016
Latest Amendment Date: August 29, 2016
Award Number: 1635893
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Henrietta Edmonds
hedmonds@nsf.gov
 (703)292-7427
OCE
 Division Of Ocean Sciences
GEO
 Directorate For Geosciences
Start Date: October 1, 2016
End Date: September 30, 2020 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $46,970.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $46,970.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2016 = $46,970.00
History of Investigator:
  • Timothy Dellapenna (Principal Investigator)
    dellapet@tamug.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: Texas A&M University
400 HARVEY MITCHELL PKY S STE 30
COLLEGE STATION
TX  US  77845-4375
(979)862-6777
Sponsor Congressional District: 10
Primary Place of Performance: Texas A&M University at Galveston
1001 Texas Clipper Road
Galveston
TX  US  77553-1675
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
14
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): JF6XLNB4CDJ5
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): Chemical Oceanography
Primary Program Source: 01001617DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 1389, 7592
Program Element Code(s): 1670
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.050

ABSTRACT

The formation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in seawater is a fundamental pathway in the marine carbon cycle. Calcium carbonate formation may occur through biological production (calcification by organisms building shells or skeletal material) or through non-biological (abiotic, or chemical) processes. Although most surface seawater in both open and coastal waters is supersaturated in calcium carbonate, several factors inhibit the abiotic production of calcium carbonate. Therefore the current paradigm is that most calcium carbonate formation in seawater is biological. However, laboratory experiments have demonstrated that addition of solid-phase particles to supersaturated seawater promotes nuclei-induced CaCO3 precipitation (NICP) by providing "seeds" for precipitation. NICP has been demonstrated in the Little Bahama Banks during events of re-suspension of CaCO3-rich sediments. Until very recently, essentially no evidence has shown that NICP occurs in typical marine systems where suspended particles have relatively low CaCO3 content. A recent study by the Israeli partners in this project provides evidence that NICP may play a significant role in the carbon budget in the Red Sea, as a result of an influx of particulate material caused by flash floods and potentially airborne dusts. Such a finding suggests that NICP may be an important CaCO3 formation pathway that has been mostly ignored in the ocean carbon cycle. The goal of this project is to conduct the first comprehensive, in-depth study to evaluate the significance of NICP in the oceans. The project is an international collaboration between U.S. and Israeli scientists, jointly funded by NSF and the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation. A postdoctoral researcher whose Ph.D. work forms the foundation for this study will be supported through this project. An Israeli masters-level student and one U.S. minority undergraduate intern will be advised and trained in this project.

The project will use an integrated approach to assess different mechanisms that may result in NICP, including riverine sediment input, land-derived particle influx via flash floods, bottom sediment resuspension, and atmospheric dust input. Field investigations will be done in a suite of coastal environments: the northern Red Sea, the Mississippi and Sabine River plumes and Galveston Bay in the northern Gulf of Mexico, each of which receive significant quantities of non-carbonate rich sediments. The investigators will also conduct controlled laboratory experiments to verify and extend field observations. If NICP is shown to be significant, this finding could promote a reexamination of important parts of the carbon cycle and the response of the ocean carbon system to ongoing perturbations.

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

Impacts

The marine carbon cycle is one of the most fundamental biogeochemical pathways on earth and is linked to many other elemental cycles. As such, the processes and mechanisms of this cycle have far reaching implications on the biosphere and climate systems, and consequently have been thoroughly studied over decades. However, the potential importance of NICP as a CaCO3 formation pathway has received very little attention, with previous studies limited to experiments in the laboratory and carbonate-rich environments (e.g., CaCO3 sediments).  At present, the role of NICP in the marine carbon cycle is unknown. In addressing this knowledge gap, this project will have a number of impacts: 1) This is the first study to examine the mechanisms and significance of in-situ NICP in non-carbonate rich coastal environments and will therefore fill a knowledge gap in our understanding of the carbon cycle. 2) The study uses a comprehensive approach, including field observation, in situ mesocosm experiments, lab-controlled experiments, and modeling, to gain in-depth understanding of the factors controlling NICP, and the impact of NICP, in different environments with different sediment sources. 3) The project results directly contribute to the US Coastal Carbon Synthesis activities by providing a carbon flux estimate of a previously ignored process in the Gulf of Mexico.

This interdisciplinary project brings together investigators from three institutions in two countries, with expertise in carbonate chemistry and sensor development (Wang, WHOI), sediment dynamics and modeling (Churchill, WHOI), CaCO3 biogeochemistry (Wurgaft, postdoc of this project), coastal marine sedimentology (Dellapenna, Texas A&M University), and sediment diagenesis and isotope geochemistry (Lazar, HUJI).

Carbonate minerals constitute an important source for paleo-oceanographic data. Therefore, if NICP is proven significant in various coastal environments, the project results will be important for both contemporary marine carbon cycle research and paleo-oceanography studies.  Since the role of NICP in the oceanic carbon cycle has never been studied in common oceanic settings, we expect this study to stimulate extensive future research on NICP, which would extend beyond chemical oceanography to other disciplines of oceanographic and geochemical research, such as paleo-oceanography and sediment diagenesis.

The collaboration among scientists from HUJI, WHOI and Texas A&M University has strengthened scientific collaboration and exchange between these research institutions. This project allows each institution access to sampling sites with different sediment sources and processes (the GoA and the nGoM) as well as to a wider range of analytical equipment and sensors, thus broadening research scope and reducing overall cost.

This project has integrated research with education and promoted teaching and training of new scientists through the following activities: (1) Dr. Eyal Wurgaft, whose PhD study formed the foundation of this study, worked as a co-PI/postdoc on the project.  He gained the leadership and independence through this project, which will prepare him to become a world-class carbonate chemist. (2) We engaged two undergraduate students, including a minority REU fellow, through the WHOI summer education fellowship. (3) Diverse group of undergraduates from TAMUG have participated in the cruise to the nGoM as part of Dellapenna’s Modern Oceanographic Methods Field course as well as his Geological Oceanography and Coastal Processes courses. (4) Project findings are being incorporated into courses taught by project PIs and postdoc. Lazar is adding this project’s findings to the syllabus of “Introduction to Geochemistry” and “Chemical Oceanography” courses at HUJI.

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Last Modified: 05/21/2021
Modified by: Timothy M Dellapenna

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