RAPID: The fate of methane during the Southern California Gas leak: Characterization of microbial consumption in soil, atmospheric transport, and ecosystem-level impacts.

RAPID：南加州天然气泄漏期间甲烷的命运：土壤中微生物消耗、大气传输和生态系统影响的特征。

• 批准号: 1632329
• 负责人: Victoria Orphan
• 金额: $ 18.59万
• 依托单位: California Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-05-15 至 2018-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1632329&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; fate; methane; during; Southern

NSF RAPID funding is provided to study the microbial consumption of methane in soil during and following the 2015-2016 Southern California Natural Gas Leak. The gas leak was the largest such event in US history. Methane is flammable gas. Increasing concentrations of methane in the atmosphere can have a potent "greenhouse" effect. This NSF RAPID award will support the characterization, identity and activity of methane-consuming microorganisms in the soil in response to the gas leak, to better understand ecosystem-level impacts of the disaster. Atmospheric measurements of leaking methane will be compared to measurements of soil microorganisms near the site of the gas leak, as well as tracing the flow of methane-derived carbon through the soil ecosystem over time. The data collected in this time course study will assist with future modeling of the contribution of soil-associated microorganisms to global methane cycling. Understanding the fate of methane released from this extreme event has benefits to both the scientific research community and to public safety.Soil carbon derived from methane is hypothesized to measurably increase as a result of the gas leak. The known microorganisms that consume methane for energy and carbon occur within distinct phylogenetic lineages, and the soil microbial community (as well as overall carbon flow) is expected to measurably shift as a result of this leak. Specific components of the research to measure such changes include: (1) Detailed monitoring of methane and ethane emissions including air and soil concentrations, during and following the leak. Methods employed to monitor methane levels will include surface instrumentation, spectrometry measurements from air in collaboration with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology faculty, satellite observations, and field measurements. (2) Regular and frequent targeted sampling of soils during and following the period of active natural gas emission. (3) Identification and characterization of the soil microbial response to methane enrichment. (4) Assessment of changes in the soil microbial community and microeukaryotes associated with input of methane-derived carbon. Laboratory methods for these latter components include microbial community profiling with high throughput sequencing, RNA-based activity assays; DNA-based stable isotope probing with 13CH4 to trace methane derived carbon into the local microbial community, and rate measurements of methane metabolism in laboratory-based chamber incubations of collected soils. Sites surrounding the leak event and background areas will be sampled over a regular time course to track population dynamics during and following the gas leak. Results will be shared among collaborating scientists and rapidly disseminated through scheduled public talks, conference proceedings, and publications. In addition to the research goals, the project will include training opportunities for an undergraduate and a graduate student.

NSF RAPID 资金用于研究 2015-2016 年南加州天然气泄漏期间及之后土壤中微生物对甲烷的消耗。此次天然气泄漏是美国历史上最大规模的此类事件。 甲烷是易燃气体。 大气中甲烷浓度的增加会产生强大的“温室”效应。 NSF RAPID 奖项将支持土壤中因气体泄漏而消耗甲烷的微生物的特征、身份和活动，以更好地了解灾难对生态系统层面的影响。泄漏甲烷的大气测量结果将与气体泄漏地点附近土壤微生物的测量结果进行比较，并追踪甲烷衍生的碳随时间在土壤生态系统中的流动。 本次研究收集的数据将有助于未来模拟土壤相关微生物对全球甲烷循环的贡献。了解这一极端事件释放的甲烷的命运对科学研究界和公共安全都有好处。据推测，由于气体泄漏，源自甲烷的土壤碳将显着增加。消耗甲烷获取能量和碳的已知微生物存在于不同的系统发育谱系中，并且土壤微生物群落（以及总体碳流）预计会因这次泄漏而发生明显变化。 衡量此类变化的研究的具体组成部分包括：（1）在泄漏期间和泄漏后详细监测甲烷和乙烷排放，包括空气和土壤浓度。用于监测甲烷水平的方法包括表面仪器、与美国宇航局喷气推进实验室和加州理工学院合作进行的空气光谱测量、卫星观测和现场测量。 （2）在天然气活跃排放期间和之后定期、频繁地进行土壤有针对性的采样。 (3)土壤微生物对甲烷富集响应的识别和表征。 (4)评估与甲烷衍生碳输入相关的土壤微生物群落和微真核生物的变化。后面这些成分的实验室方法包括利用高通量测序、基于 RNA 的活性测定进行微生物群落分析；使用 13CH4 进行基于 DNA 的稳定同位素探测，以追踪当地微生物群落中源自甲烷的碳，并在收集的土壤的实验室培养室中对甲烷代谢进行速率测量。将定期对泄漏事件周围的地点和背景区域进行采样，以跟踪气体泄漏期间和之后的人口动态。结果将在合作科学家之间共享，并通过预定的公开演讲、会议记录和出版物迅速传播。除了研究目标外，该项目还将包括为本科生和研究生提供培训机会。