This National Science Foundation project grant of $399,720 awarded on July 1, 2022 will fund research into the distribution and cycling of carboxyl-rich alicyclic molecules (CRAM) in the ocean. Led by Texas A&M University under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050), the research aims to measure the variable distribution of CRAM across oceans and determine the dominant mechanisms of CRAM production and removal. The project will leverage existing ocean sample collections and conduct new field work through the Bermuda Atlantic Time-Series Study and Hawaii Ocean Time-series to combine field measurements with experimental approaches examining microbial and photochemical reactions influencing CRAM levels. Insights gained will further understanding of organic carbon cycling in oceans and the role of dissolved organic matter in mediating iron and other trace element cycles, fulfilling the program's goal of expanding fundamental geoscience knowledge through basic research support.