Carbon Sinks and Ocean Acidification in Canadian Coastal Waters

加拿大沿海水域的碳汇和海洋酸化

• 批准号: RGPIN-2022-03851
• 负责人: Else, Brent
• 金额: $ 3.13万
• 依托单位: University of Calgary
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=754785
• 关键词: Carbon; Sinks; Ocean; Acidification; Canadian

Oceans absorb a significant amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. This slows the rate of climate change, but causes ocean acidification. Ocean acidification has negative impacts on certain marine organisms, including some economically important species of shellfish and crustaceans. The cycling of CO2 in seawater is complex, and often involves other greenhouse gases like methane (CH4). This project uses complementary tools and approaches focused on coastal community engagement to study all three aspects (CO2, CH4, and ocean acidification) in both Arctic and southern Canadian seas. In the Arctic, marine CO2 and CH4 cycles are poorly understood. Sea ice is thought to play an important role, but we lack the fundamental studies to properly include gas exchange in models of icy oceans. Rivers are also important, but it is uncertain how much CO2 and CH4 they deliver to the coastal ocean. This project will study gas exchange in the presence of sea ice using an innovative weather station we have built in collaboration with community partners on a small island near Cambridge Bay (Nunavut, Canada). By directly measuring CO2 exchange at this station, we can assess the sea ice and ocean conditions that drive gas transport. Using a community-based sampling approach, we will collect measurements of dissolved CO2 and CH4 beneath Arctic lakes, in rivers, and in estuaries. These studies will allow us to investigate the movement of greenhouse gases from freshwater systems to the ocean, and what happens once they arrive there. This project will also investigate ocean acidification on southern Canadian coasts. Although in a very different environment, this research is linked to our Arctic work through a common topic (CO2 absorption in seawater), common tools, and a common focus on coastal communities. We will work with aquaculture operators and other harvesters to test the ability of low-cost sensors to detect dangerous ocean acidification events. We will also develop new methods of sample collection that will enable "citizen scientists" to collect high quality ocean acidification data. By linking high quality measurements with mortality events observed by harvesters, we will investigate the emerging risks to aquaculture and wild fisheries in Canada. The impacts of this research will be: 1) improved budgets of greenhouse gas cycles in Arctic seas, a critical component of Canada's Paris Agreement obligations; 2) new methods for modeling gas exchange in the presence of sea ice that can be applied to the circumpolar Arctic and Antarctic; 3) new strategies for monitoring and mitigating the effects of ocean acidification. All aspects of this research program rely on coastal communities, and provide space for meaningful collaborations. The project is designed to learn from Indigenous (particularly Inuit) communities to find ways for natural science to advance community priorities and build local capacity for environmental monitoring and research.

海洋从大气中吸收大量的二氧化碳（CO2）。这减慢了气候变化的速度，但会导致海洋酸化。海洋酸化对某些海洋生物有负面影响，包括一些经济重要的贝类和甲壳类动物。海水中二氧化碳的循环很复杂，并且通常涉及其他温室气体（例如甲烷）（CH4）。该项目采用着针对沿海社区参与的互补工具和方法，以研究北极和加拿大南部海洋的所有三个方面（CO2，CH4和海洋酸化）。在北极，海洋二氧化碳和CH4周期知之甚少。人们认为海冰起着重要作用，但我们缺乏基本研究，无法在冰冷的海洋模型中正确地包括气体交换。河流也很重要，但尚不确定它们传递到沿海海洋的二氧化碳和CH4多少。该项目将使用我们与剑桥湾（加拿大努纳武特）的一个小岛的社区合作伙伴合作建造的创新气象站在海冰上研究天然气交换。通过直接测量该站点的二氧化碳交换，我们可以评估驱动气体传输的海冰和海洋状况。使用基于社区的抽样方法，我们将收集北极湖下，河流和河口下溶解的二氧化碳和CH4的测量。这些研究将使我们能够调查温室气体从淡水系统到海洋的运动，以及一旦到达那里的情况。该项目还将调查加拿大南部海岸的海洋酸化。尽管在一个截然不同的环境中，这项研究与我们的北极工作有关，通过一个共同的话题（海水中的二氧化碳吸收），常见工具以及对沿海社区的共同关注。我们将与水产养殖操作员和其他收割机合作测试低成本传感器检测危险的海洋酸化事件的能力。我们还将开发新的样本收集方法，使“公民科学家”能够收集高质量的海洋酸化数据。通过将高质量测量与收割者观察到的死亡事件联系起来，我们将调查加拿大水产养殖和野生渔业的新兴风险。这项研究的影响将是：1）提高北极海洋温室气周期的预算，这是加拿大巴黎协定义务的关键组成部分； 2）在存在海冰的情况下建模气体交换的新方法，该方法可应用于北极和南极的圆形北极和南极； 3）监测和减轻海洋酸化影响的新策略。该研究计划的所有方面都依赖沿海社区，并为有意义的合作提供了空间。该项目旨在向土著（尤其是因纽特人）社区学习，以找到自然科学提高社区优先事项并建立当地环境监测和研究能力的方法。