Doctoral Dissertation Research: Sunlight stimulates a spectrum of microbial CO2 production from permafrost carbon

博士论文研究：阳光刺激微生物从永久冻土碳中产生二氧化碳

基本信息

批准号：
2228992
负责人：
Rose Cory
金额：
$ 2.05万
依托单位：
Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2023
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2023-02-15 至 2024-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2228992&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Doctoral Dissertation Research Sunlight stimulates

项目摘要

We need to better understand and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to a 1.5 ºC increase. The thawing of organic carbon stored in Arctic permafrost soils ultimately creates carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas). Further, this process is predicted to amplify with additional global warming, however, to an unknown extent. Therefore, we need to quantify the extent to which carbon dioxide released from thawing permafrost will amplify global warming; this is one of the most urgent questions that Arctic scientists must answer. To address this, this project will make measurements to quantify how much carbon dioxide is produced when organic carbon from thawing permafrost soils flows into sunlit arctic surface waters. The project will also leverage an existing University of Michigan program called Earth Camp to engage high school students about environmental sciences through hands-on experiences and outdoor activities.As water moves through thawed soil it dissolves organic carbon. This dissolved organic carbon (DOC) then flows into streams, ponds, and lakes. Once in surface waters, both microbes and sunlight oxidize DOC to CO2. DOC exposed to sunlight is easier for microbes to oxidize to CO2 compared to the same DOC kept in the dark. However, the sunlight reaching surface waters spans a spectrum of wavelengths, from the high-energy ultraviolet (UV) to the lower-energy visible light. A critical unknown is which wavelengths of sunlight from the UV to the visible are most efficient at helping microbes to oxidize DOC to CO2. If visible light helps microbes oxidize more DOC to CO2 than currently assumed, the CO2 produced from this process could be double the current estimate because there is more visible light reaching surface waters than UV light. In addition, different wavelengths of sunlight may help microbes oxidize a fraction of DOC that, in the absence of sunlight, microbes would not be able to oxidize to CO2. This fraction of DOC that is difficult to oxidize may be some of the oldest carbon that has been frozen for thousands of years in permafrost soils. This project will test how efficiently sunlight helps microbes oxidize ancient permafrost DOC by measuring the amount and radiocarbon age of the CO2 produced from microbial oxidation of permafrost DOC exposed to UV and visible sunlight. Results from this project will enable predictions of the CO2 produced from ancient permafrost organic carbon thawed and exported to sunlit surface waters, which is critical knowledge needed to quantify arctic amplification of global warming.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.

我们需要更好地了解和减少温室气体排放，以实现《巴黎协定》将全球变暖限制在 1.5 摄氏度的目标。北极永久冻土土壤中储存的有机碳融化最终会产生二氧化碳（一种温室气体）。预计这一过程会随着全球变暖而加剧，但程度未知。因此，我们需要量化永久冻土融化释放的二氧化碳会在多大程度上加剧全球变暖；这是最紧迫的问题之一。为了解决这个问题，该项目将进行测量，以量化当融化的永久冻土土壤中的有机碳流入阳光照射的北极地表水域时产生的二氧化碳量。该项目还将利用密歇根大学现有的一个名为“地球营”的项目。通过实践经验和户外活动让高中生了解环境科学。当水流经解冻的土壤时，它会溶解有机碳（DOC），一旦进入地表水，就会流入溪流、池塘和湖泊。两个都微生物和阳光将 DOC 氧化为 CO2。与保存在黑暗中的相同 DOC 相比，暴露在阳光下的 DOC 更容易被微生物氧化为 CO2。然而，到达地表水的阳光跨越了一系列波长，从高能紫外线开始。一个关键的未知因素是，从紫外线到可见光，哪些波长的阳光最能有效地帮助微生物将 DOC 氧化为二氧化碳。由于微生物将更多的 DOC 氧化为 CO2，这一过程产生的 CO2 可能是当前估计的两倍，因为到达地表水的可见光比紫外线更多。此外，不同波长的阳光可能有助于微生物氧化一小部分 DOC。在没有阳光的情况下，微生物无法氧化成二氧化碳，这部分难以氧化的 DOC 可能是已经冻结了数千年的最古老的碳。该项目将通过测量暴露于紫外线和可见光阳光下的永久冻土 DOC 的微生物氧化所产生的 CO2 的量和放射性碳年龄来测试阳光如何有效地帮助微生物氧化古老的永久冻土 DOC。由古代永久冻土有机碳解冻产生并输出到阳光照射的地表水域，这是量化北极对全球变暖的放大作用所需的关键知识。该奖项反映了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，NSF 的法定使命被认为值得支持。