Award Abstract # 1047736
RAPID: Marine-to-Land Fluxes of Dissolved and Particulate Carbon Derived from the Deepwater Horizon Surface Slick During the 2010 Hurricane Season

NSF Org: OCE
Division Of Ocean Sciences
Recipient: EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date: June 18, 2010
Latest Amendment Date: June 18, 2010
Award Number: 1047736
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Donald L. Rice
OCE
 Division Of Ocean Sciences
GEO
 Directorate For Geosciences
Start Date: July 1, 2010
End Date: June 30, 2012 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $43,497.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $43,497.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2010 = $43,497.00
History of Investigator:
  • Siddhartha Mitra (Principal Investigator)
    mitras@ecu.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: East Carolina University
Office Research Administration
Greenville
NC  US  27858-1821
(252)328-9530
Sponsor Congressional District: 01
Primary Place of Performance: East Carolina University
Office Research Administration
Greenville
NC  US  27858-1821
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
01
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): Chemical Oceanography
Primary Program Source: 0110 NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 1389, 5987, 7914, EGCH
Program Element Code(s): 1670
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.050

ABSTRACT

Previous studies have suggested that tropical storms may introduce marine organic matter onto land via precipitation. In the context of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred in the northern Gulf of Mexico in April, 2010, it is natural to focus attention on the potential for storms in this region to transport and deposit some portion of the pollutant oil inland. As of June 10, 2010, a conservative estimate of the surface slick in the Gulf is 45,000 square kilometers. While attention is currently focused overwhelmingly on impacts in the open marine and coastal environments, little -- if any -- attention has been given to examining the potential for tropical storms and hurricanes to move oil spill contaminants far inland.

With funding through this Grant for Rapid Response Research (RAPID) researchers at East Carolina University will take a first look at the conveyance of components of the Deepwater Horizon to short-range and longer-range inland sites via the sea storm - rainfall route. Post-storm rainfall samples will be collected at one coastal site (Lake Pontchartrain) and at one or more inland sites for analysis for aliphatic hydrocarbon (finger-printed to the material from the oil spill) and carbon isotopic composition. This will be the first study of its kind.

Broader Impacts: Besides the obvious relevance to advancing our understanding of the near- and far-field environmental and human health impacts of the Deepwater Horizon spill, this simple study will also inform scientists, environmental managers, and policy makers working dealing with similar environmental catastrophes in the future and at other places. A first-year female graduate student will also participate in this project.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Mitra, S; Kimmel, DG; Snyder, J; Scalise, K; McGlaughon, BD; Roman, MR; Jahn, GL; Pierson, JJ; Brandt, SB; Montoya, JP; Rosenbauer, RJ; Lorenson, TD; Wong, FL; Campbell, PL "Macondo-1 well oil-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in mesozooplankton from the northern Gulf of Mexico" GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS , v.39 , 2012 View record at Web of Science 10.1029/2011GL04950

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.

The objective of our study was to quantify the marine-to-land atmospheric transport of organic matter associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and how that transport would be enhanced by the 2010 hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico.  There was only one hurricane which passed over the Deepwater Horizon oil slick in 2010, Tropical Storm Bonnie. The results of our study showed in a novel manner that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill coupled with the passage of Tropical Storm Bonnie over the spill, may have considerably enhanced the loading of oil-spill derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to the atmosphere of the Gulf Coast via the marine-to-land transport vector. For example, in contrast to what was observed prior to the passage of Tropical Storm Bonnie, afterwards, the loading of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to windows increased to amounts on par with windows in inner city Baltimore. Many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are toxic or carcinogenic so this is an important finding. Our study also showed that windows can be used as a cost-effective monitor for air quality in coastal areas. As offshore oil exploration continues to boom globally, hurricanes, seasonally-driven winds, or sea breezes can lead to increased exposure of oil-derived toxic and carcinogenic compounds to residents in coastal areas.

The following video includes the research objectives of the project and also highlights some of the sampling methods used in this study:

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/environment-news/nsf-oil-hurricanes-mitra-vin/

 

The research products from this project are noted below (*Mitra's graduate students, **Mitra's undergraduate students)

Mitra, S., Kimmel, D.G., Snyder, J.**, Scalise, K.*, McGlaughon, B.D., Roman, M., Jahn, G.L., Pierson, J.J., Brandt, S.B., Montoya, J.P., Campbell, P.L., Rosenbauer, R.J., Lorenson, T.D., Wong, F.D. 2012. Macondo-1 well oil-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in mesozooplankton from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Geophysical Research Letters, VOL. 39, L01605, doi:10.1029/2011GL049505. FEATURED IN SCIENCE DAILY (March 20, 2012).

Mitra, S., Wozniak, A.S., Miller, R., Hatcher, P.G., Buonassissi, C., Brown, M. Atlantic hurricanes as a source of marine dissolved organic matter onto land. Submitted to Nature  Geoscience.

Scalise, K.*, Mitra, S., Druffel, E.R.M, Griffin, S.E., Watson, J. Marine-to-land transport of atmospheric hydrocarbons from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill enhanced via Tropical Storm Bonnie (2010). Submitted to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA.


Last Modified: 07/31/2012
Modified by: Siddhartha Mitra

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