Gradient Exchange Mass Spectrometry (GEMS) for Quantifying a Suite of Dissolved Gas Fluxes

用于量化一组溶解气体通量的梯度交换质谱 (GEMS)

• 批准号: 2023069
• 负责人: Matthew Long
• 金额: $ 83.92万
• 依托单位: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2023069&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Gradient; Exchange; Mass; Spectrometry; GEMS

Coastal ecosystems are highly active regions of cycling of vital elements, but due to their proximity to human populations, are often significantly impacted by human-induced stresses. The pressure of human activities, directly through pollution or indirectly through temperature and carbon dioxide levels, has created severe water health quality issues worldwide, including nutrient pollution, low oxygen levels and ocean acidification. Here, recent advances in measuring vertical water transport and the vertical distribution of gases dissolved in seawater are combined in a new technological platform to measure the rates of these vital nutrient and element cycles. This Gradient Exchange Mass Spectrometry (GEMS) system uses measurements of the gradient, or vertical distribution, of water mixing and transport, with mass spectrometry measurements of dissolved gases to measure the exchange of vital elements under natural conditions. Deployment of the GEMS system in two coastal locations, one heavily impacted by human activity, and one relatively pristine, will allow real-time assessments of, and comparisons between, natural and polluted coastal ecosystems. The GEMS technology developed through this proposal represents a transformative tool for refining a wide suite of element exchanges that has an unparalleled potential in long-term deployment and application to a variety of important elemental cycles (for example Oxygen, Carbon, Sulfur and Nitrogen). This integrated perspective on multiple, simultaneous processes (e.g. primary production, respiration, nutrient cycling, sulfur cycling, methanogenesis, etc.) is expected to yield novel and significant insights on the dynamics, drivers and interactions of these processes that are unparalleled by any other technique or technology. A major goal of this project is the training of young scientists including two early career scientists and undergraduate students. Undergraduate students will gain technological development and field experience through programs including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Summer Student Fellowship and the diversity-focused Woods Hole Partnership in Education Program. The local monitoring and outreach group, the Buzzards Bay Coalition (BBC), have identified element and nutrient cycles as a major knowledge gap in their understanding of the bay’s health and water quality. This research will examine natural seagrass environments with that of a degraded system and provide specific metrics, data, and results that can be used by the BBC in their education and outreach programs as well as their frequent interactions and advocacy with coastal managers and local governments. Finally, the data communication integrated in the GEMS system allows for a unique opportunity to share our results in real-time via a web interface. This web interface will provide graphical plots of the GEMS data, that continuously update, and be hosted on both the BBC and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution websites to reach a wider audience.The sediment-water interface is a region of large physical, biological and chemical gradients, resulting from the dynamic biogeochemical cycling of critical elements between the sediment and the overlying water. Measuring these physical and chemical gradients in the benthic boundary layer allows for the determination of exchange rates of solutes; rates which are fundamental for determining global biogeochemical cycling. This research proposes an innovative technology for the quantification of exchange rates of a suite of biogeochemically relevant volatiles by developing the Gradient Exchange Mass Spectrometry (GEMS) technique. Through targeted improvement of components used in a prototype system and assembly of a second generation system, this project will culminate in a robust, high-endurance, biogeochemical sensing system allowing unprecedented examination of benthic flux dynamics. This system combines two cutting-edge techniques, turbulent boundary layer gradient exchange and the multiple-tracer capabilities of in situ mass spectrometry, thereby allowing undisturbed observation of natural systems while simultaneously quantifying exchange rates of oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen sulfide, and dinitrogen. All components of the proposed GEMS have been independently validated and applied in marine systems, though never in combination. The PIs’ collective experience with turbulent boundary layer exchange and in situ mass spectrometry uniquely poises this collaborative effort to be transformative in the quantification of exchange processes across the benthic-water interface.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

沿海生态系统是重要元素循环的高度活跃区域，但由于它们靠近人类种群，常常受到人类活动造成的压力的显着影响，这些压力直接通过污染或通过温度和二氧化碳水平间接产生。在全球范围内造成了严重的水健康质量问题，包括营养物污染、低氧水平和海洋酸化。在这里，测量垂直水输送和溶解在海水中的气体的垂直分布的最新进展被结合在一个新技术平台中，以测量这些速率。重要的营养素和元素循环。梯度交换质谱 (GEMS) 系统利用水混合和传输的梯度或垂直分布测量以及溶解气体的质谱测量来测量自然条件下重要元素的交换。 GEMS 系统在两个沿海地区的部署。受人类活动严重影响和相对原始的地点将允许对自然和受污染的沿海生态系统进行实时评估和比较，通过该提案开发的 GEMS 技术代表了一种用于完善广泛的变革工具。元素交换套件在长期部署和应用于各种重要元素循环（例如氧、碳、硫和氮）方面具有无与伦比的潜力，这种对多个同步过程（例如初级生产、呼吸、养分循环、硫循环、产甲烷作用等）有望对这些过程的动力学、驱动因素和相互作用产生新颖且重要的见解，这是任何其他技术或技术所无法比拟的。该项目的主要目标是培训年轻科学家，包括两名早期职业科学家和本科生，他们将通过伍兹霍尔海洋研究所暑期学生奖学金和注重多样性的伍兹霍尔教育合作伙伴关系等项目获得技术开发和现场经验。当地监测和外展小组秃鹰湾联盟（BBC）已将元素和营养循环确定为他们了解海湾健康和水质的主要知识差距。退化的系统和提供具体的指标、数据和结果，可供 BBC 在其教育和推广计划以及与沿海管理者和地方政府的频繁互动和宣传中使用。最后，GEMS 系统中集成的数据通信可实现独特的功能。通过网络界面实时分享我们的结果的机会该网络界面将提供 GEMS 数据的图形，这些数据不断更新并托管在 BBC 和伍兹霍尔海洋研究所网站上，以覆盖更广泛的受众。沉积物-水界面是一个大的物理区域，生物和化学梯度，由沉积物和上覆水之间的关键元素的动态生物地球化学循环产生，测量底栖边界层中的这些物理和化学梯度可以确定溶质的交换率，这是全球的基本决定因素；这项研究提出了一种通过有针对性的改进技术开发梯度交换质谱（GEMS）技术来量化一系列生物地球化学相关挥发物的交换率的创新技术。通过原型系统中使用的组件和第二代系统的组装，该项目将最终形成一个强大的、高耐用性的生物地球化学传感系统，该系统可以对底栖通量动力学进行前所未有的检查，该系统结合了两种尖端技术：湍流边界层。梯度交换和原位质谱的多示踪能力，从而可以不受干扰地观察自然系统，同时量化氧气、二氧化碳、甲烷、硫化氢和氮气的交换率。拟议的 GEMS 的所有组成部分均已在海洋系统中进行了独立验证和应用，但 PI 在湍流边界层交换和原位质谱方面的集体经验从未结合起来，使这种合作努力在交换过程的量化方面产生变革。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。