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Orca Basin Archaea
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2012
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Pelican
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Project Title: |
Addressing Uncertainties in Ancient Temperature Reconstructions: Analysis of Marine Thaumarchaota Genetics, Provenance and Lipid Distribution in Orca Basin, Gulf of Mexico |
Project Status: |
Submitted |
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Principal Investigator: |
Mark Pagani, Yale |
Project Institution: |
Yale |
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Project ID: |
103104 |
Version #: |
2 |
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Date Submitted: |
8/20/2011 12:41:00 PM |
Created By: |
Courtney Warren |
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Date Last Modified: |
6/3/2014 11:26:00 AM |
URI Serial #: |
None |
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Funding Agencies: |
OTHER - NONE - Funded
NSF/OCE/EDU - NONE - Funded |
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Summary of Field Work: |
Our collections will focus on the Orca Basin, a 2400m deep bathymetric depression in the continental slope of the north-central Gulf of Mexico. The lower 180m of the basin is characterized by anoxic, hypersaline brine that is separated from the overlying seawater by strong density stratification, dramatically lowering transport rates, trapping particulates, and limiting the resupply of oxygen to this zone (Larock et al., 1979). As a result, the salinity transition zone overlaps the oxic-anoxic transition, which promotes anaerobic degradation processes. Surface-water conditions are viewed as normal marine with a seasonally productive water column.
The Orca Basin provides an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the spatial distribution of both marine Crenarchaeota and GDGTs (compounds important to current paleotemperature proxies used in climate reconstructions), in addition to the role of Archaea within chemical transition zones. Exaggerated temperature and chemical transition zones within the Orca Basin (including a stable redox-boundary over 50m in thickness) allow for the potential to isolate marine Crenarchaeota within very specific chemical gradients (VanCappellen et al, 1998) and identify probable metabolic pathways active in the organisms producing GDGTs. Redox reactions are known to regulate global ocean cycles of carbon, metals and most major nutrient elements and their stable isotopes (cf. Froelich et al., 1979; Sørensen and Jørgensen, 1987). Oxidation of organic matter across redox transitions occurs via a sequence of microbially mediated reactions including oxic respiration, denitrification, metal oxide reduction, sulfate reduction and methanogenesis. Our ability to determine the effects of redox reactions on the geochemical signals of natural environments is often limited by the relatively small spatial scales over which reactions can take place. Typically, redox-boundaries in waters and sediments are not more that a few centimeters in thickness, thus limiting the ability to accurately evaluate the complexity within the system (Davison, 1985). These observations will directly inform the calibration of the TEX86 paleotemperature proxy.
Sediment cores will be collected using box and multi-coring devices. Cores will be cut and sectioned for subsampling on board. Curation of the sediment cores will include a detailed sedimentological description and photography, with archival halves of cores placed in permanent storage at a core facility. Core sites in the Gulf of Mexico include three distinct chemical depositional environments: the oxic redox-transition and anoxic portions of the basin, with exact coordinated yet to be determined. Samples of lipids for GDGT analysis and genetic material for 454 pyrosequencing will also be collected from specific depths.
Costs for the Orca Basin expedition represent a substantial portion of the requested funds, most of which will be used for ship and equipment rental. |
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Summary of Facility Requirements: |
Ship requirements include the ability to house ~4 researchers, perform box/multi-coring at depth, maintain a relatively stable position during collection of in-situ materials at depth. power a small -80 freezer for the storage of genetic samples. |
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Summary of other requirements and comments: |
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Type of Request: |
Primary Ship Use |
Request Status: |
Submitted |
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Request ID: |
1004877 |
Created By: |
Courtney Warren |
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Date Last Modified: |
9/18/2011 1:06:00 PM |
Date Submitted: |
8/20/2011 12:41:00 PM |
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Year: |
2012
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Ship/Facility: |
Pelican
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Optimum Start Date:
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4/2/2012 |
Dates to Avoid: |
All PIs have availability for preferred dates: April 2nd - 7th, 2012. If unavailable, another range of dates will need to be determined. |
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Earliest Start Date: |
3/31/2012 |
Multi-Ship Op: |
No |
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Latest Start Date: |
8/3/2011 |
Other Ship(s): |
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Operating Days Needed: |
Science Days |
Mob Days |
De-Mob Days |
Estimated Transit Days |
Total Days |
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5 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
Repeating Cruise?
(within same year) |
No |
Interval: |
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# of Cruises: |
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Description of Repeating cruise requirements: |
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Justification/Explanation for ship choice, dates,
conflicts, number of days & multi-ship operations: |
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Short Description of Op Area
for use in schedules: |
Orca Basin |
| Description of Op Area: |
Our collections will focus on the Orca Basin, a 2400m deep bathymetric depression in the continental slope of the north-central Gulf of Mexico. |
| Op Area Size/Dia.: |
~7 mile distance of sampling transect on-site |
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Lat/Long |
Marsden Grid |
Navy Op Area |
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Beginning
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26.946111° N
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91.345556° W
map
26° 56.76666' N
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91° 20.73336' W
map
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Ending
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Foreign Clearance Required? |
No |
Coastal States:
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 Important Info on Foreign Research Clearances
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Are you or any member in your science party bringing in any science equipment items which are regulated for export by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR)?
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No |
If yes, have you applied for the necessary permits through your export control office?
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No |
| Questions about ITAR/EAR regulations?
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Comments about foreign clearance requirements or
description of any other special permitting requirements
(e.g., MMPA, ESA, IHA, Marine Sanctuaries, etc.) |
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Requested Start Port |
Intermediate Port(s) |
Requested End Port |
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St. Petersburg, FL, USA |
None |
St. Petersburg, FL, USA |
Explanation/justification for requested
ports and dates of intermediate stops
or to list additional port stops |
Port is negotiable, St. Petersburg is the most convenient port for sample transport. |
Important Info on Working in Foreign Ports
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Chief Scientist: |
Mark Pagani, Yale |
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# in Science Party |
3 |
# of different science teams |
1 |
# Marine Technicians to be
provided by ship operator:
(include in science party total)
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2 |
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Explanation of Science Party Requirements and Technician Requirements |
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 Dynamic Positioning |  ADCP | Multibeam | Seismic |
| Dredging/Coring/Large Dia. Trawl Wire | Stern A-frame | Fiber Optic (.681) | 0.680 Coax Wire |
| SCUBA Diving | Radioisotope use - briefly describe | NO Radioisotope use/Natural level work | Other Operator Provided Inst. - Describe |
| 0 PI-Provided Vans - briefly describe | MOCNESS | | |
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Explain Instrumentation or Capability
requirements that could affect choice
of ship in scheduling. |
Ship should be able to support the electrical requirements of industrial scale water pumps (4), bench top cryofreezer (1), traditional refridgeration unit (1).
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Explain Major Ancillary Facilities
Requirements and list description
and provider for "other" systems. |
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