| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| 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: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
Office Research Administration Greenville NC US 27858-1821 (252)328-9530 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
Office Research Administration Greenville NC US 27858-1821 |
| Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Chemical Oceanography |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
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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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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
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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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