©2020 Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office.Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation
©2020 Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office.Project outcomes
Collaborative Research: Do Cyanobacteria Drive Marine Hydrocarbon Biogeochemistry?
Christopher M Reddy, Principal Investigator
This project successively completed the proposed research to investigate the natural production of pentadecane by the ocean-dwelling bacteria, Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus. Pentadecane is a major component in crude oils and often the most abundant compound in diesel fuels. Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus are some of the largest producers of oxygen in the ocean, which in turn, can be ultimately inhaled by humans. Despite their widespread abundance and global impact, little was known about biological production of pentadecane and how the knowledge gained might be used to respond to oil spills. Hence, this project served a dual benefit to basic science and society. From a basic science perspective, we learned Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus produce huge quantities of pentadecane and another group of bacteria rapidly eat it. The societal relevance was the connection of the latter microbes to those who eat oil after spills
The cartoon attached captures what we learned from our collection and analysis of field samples from a 2017 research cruise aboard the R/V Neil Armstrong and laboratory-based studies.
Our major findings were:
Cyanobacteria produce pentadecane in the upper 600 feet of the ocean.
The knowledge gained from this work helped us inform industry and government officials, and provide accessible information to the media, policy makers, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We facilitated communication between academic scientists, researchers and regulators at the US EPA and US Coast Guard/NOAA, the government organizations responsible for responding to oil spills on land and in coastal waters, respectively. Establishing these working relationships for cross-exchange are timely and will lead to more effect responses when spills do occur.
Specific contributions relevant to society via published opinions, expert advice, and interactions with the media are below:
Opinion pieces
Expert advice:
Media interviews (when cited)
Last Modified: 06/03/2021
Modified by: Christopher M Reddy
| Dataset | Latest Version Date | Current State |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrocarbon concentrations, DIC isotopes, nutrients, and cyanobacteria counts from samples collected on R/V Neil Armstrong cruise AR16 in the western north Atlantic during May 2017 | 2020-10-16 | Final no updates expected |
Principal Investigator: Christopher M. Reddy (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)