Oxygen dynamics in coral reefs revealed using in-situ incubation experiments and modelling approach

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25340004
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Environmental dynamic analysis
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Watanabe Atsushi 東京工業大学, 環境・社会理工学院, 助教 (00378001)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): Miyajima Toshihiro 東京大学, 大気海洋研究所, 助教 (20311631)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 酸素動態 / 安定同位体比 / サンゴ / 培養実験 / モデル解析 / 一次生産者

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Bubbles made by coral reef primary producers were examined using in-situ incubation　method.　Reef-building　corals　did　not　make　significant　amount　of　bubbles,　while　seagrasses made large amounts of bubbles. The bubbles made by seagrasses include not only oxygen but nitrogen and argon as well. From the triple oxygen istope measurements, signals from photosynthesis were still remained in the oxygen. We were not able to understand thee mechanism in which nitrogen and argon were incorporated in the bubbles. From the reef-scale oxygen dynamics model, we can evaluate bubble formation in coral reef environments.

Free Research Field

生物地球化学