The overall objective of the proposed research is to analyze samples taken during the four naames research cruises to help understand several key questions pertaining to the phytoplankton bloom in the…

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shared Services Center awarded a $249,593.50 grant to Rutgers, The State University for research related to the North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES) project. The research aims to analyze samples from the NAAMES research cruises to understand the phytoplankton bloom in the North Atlantic and its impact on atmospheric aerosols, virus activity, and carbon flux. The research plan aligns with the objectives of the broader NAAMES project. This grant does not have a set-aside designation and will be performed at Rutgers' location in New Brunswick, New Jersey. As a public land-grant research university, Rutgers has extensive experience conducting research and providing services to various U.S. federal government agencies across diverse domains.

The overall objective of the proposed research is to analyze samples taken during the four naames research cruises to help understand several key questions pertaining to the phytoplankton bloom in the north atlantic and its impact on atmospheric aerosols as related to virus activity in the ocean and the roles of ocean dynamics, light and temperature. Bidle proposes to investigate four hypotheses: (1) the seasonality of the stress and death of resident phytoplankton cells critically drives loss terms, (2) virus infection is a critical driver of phytoplankton mortality in the north atlantic, (3) the nature and impact of virus infection is critically structured by sub?mesoscale physics and light, and (4) virus infection, stress and death serve to critically impact aerosol and atmospheric composition and facilitate carbon efflux from ocean to atmosphere. These hypotheses will be studied using well established laboratory techniques, comparison to complementary data from other naames CO?investigators and collaboration with these CO?investigators to contextualize the data. DR. Bidle will work closely with key members of the naames science team. He will participate in naames telecons and the 2019 science team meeting. The objectives of DR. Bidle s research plan are well aligned with the objectives of the naames project (see below) and are critical to understanding the phytoplankton bloom in the north atlantic.