EXECUTE A BALANCED SCIENCE PROGRAM BASED ON DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC GUIDANCE FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE, ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES, AND DIRECTION FROM CONGRESS. PARTICIPATE AS A KEY PARTNER AND ENABLER IN THE AGENC
THE VASTS PROGRAM WILL USE THE FUNDS TO CONTINUE TO CREATE UPDATED INNOVATIVE CONTENT AND EDUCATIONAL METHODS THAT LEVERAGE THE PROGRAMS MEASURED GROWTH TO MAXIMIZE STUDENT IMPACT. NASA FUNDING WOULD ALSO SUPPORT CONTENT DELIVERY THROUGH TRAINING AN
NASA STRATEGIC GOAL 4: ENHANCE CAPABILITIES AND OPERATIONS TO CATALYZE CURRENT AND FUTURE MISSION SUCCESS. NASA INVESTMENTS IN STEM ENGAGEMENT ARE FOCUSED ON BUILDING A FUTURE STEM WORKFORCE, THROUGH PROGRAM ELEMENTS DESIGNED TO BOLSTER CAPACITY AND TO ATTRACT, ENGAGE AND ENABLE STUDENTS TO MOVE TOWARD STEM CAREERS THROUGH NASA-UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES.
THE TERM "BLUE CARBON" WAS COINED TO EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS DOMINATED BY VASCULAR PLANTS IN THE C CYCLE. ECOSYSTEMS DOMINATED BY SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION (SAV FRESHWATER PLANTS AND SEAGRASSES) SEQUESTER C THROUGH LIVING BIOMASS, BURIAL OF ORGANIC C IN PERMANENTLY FLOODED SEDIMENTS AND BY MICROBIAL DISSIMILATORY SULFATE REDUCTION (MDSR) THAT GENERATES PYRITE AND ALKALINITY AND TRAPS RESPIRED C IN THE STABLE OCEANIC HCO3- POOL AND OUT THE ATMOSPHERE FOR >1000 YRS. HOWEVER, RATES OF C SEQUESTRATION IN SAV MEADOWS VARY BY >200X ACROSS THE GLOBE. NONETHELESS, STANDING BIOMASS REPRESENTS A CONSERVATIVE LOWER BOUND FOR ESTIMATING BLUE CARBON, AND WE CAN NOW MAKE THOSE MEASUREMENTS FROM SPACE AT TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL SCALES THAT OFFER TO IMPROVE OUR ABILITY TO ACCURATELY MONITOR THE BLUE CARBON DYNAMICS OF SAV ECOSYSTEMS. WE WILL MONITOR SAV DISTRIBUTION/ABUNDANCE FROM REMOTE SENSING AND LINK THOSE QUANTITIES TO BLUE CARBON BURIAL. OUR STUDY WILL FOCUS ON SAV IN THE CHESAPEAKE REGION THAT INHABIT A STRONG SALINITY GRADIENT FROM THE FRESHWATER MEADOWS OF WILD CELERY IN SUSQUEHANNA FLATS TO THE LUSH EELGRASS MEADOWS IN THE FULLY OCEANIC COASTAL LAGOONS OF THE DELMARVA PENINSULA. ORGANIC C PRESERVATION SHOULD BE HIGHEST IN THE FRESHWATER SEDIMENTS AND DECLINE WITH INCREASING SALINITY BECAUSE OF MDSR. HOWEVER, PYRITE ABUNDANCE AND ALKALINITYDERIVED C TRAPPING SHOULD BECOME MORE IMPORTANT AS SALINITY INCREASES DOWN THE BAY AND INTO THE COASTAL LAGOONS BECAUSE MDSR REQUIRES SO4-2 THAT IS 250-FOLD MORE ABUNDANT IN SEAWATER THAN IN FRESHWATER.
THE THEME OF THIS PROPOSAL IS THE LABORATORY SPECTROSCOPY OF MOLECULES OF IMPORTANCE IN COOL ASTRONOMICAL OBJECTS, INCLUDING LOW MASS STARS, EXOPLANETS, BROWN DWARFS, M-TYPE STARS, S-TYPE STARS AND CARBON STARS.
AEROSOLS PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROCESSES IN THE EARTH S ATMOSPHERE. THEY HAVE STRONG IMPACT ON CLIMATE BY ABSORBING AND SCATTERING BOTH INCOMING AND OUTGOING RADIATION
OUR STUDY LOCATION WILL FOCUS ON THE ALASKA COASTLINE, INCLUDING COASTAL LAGOONS THAT ARE PART OF THE NEW LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH SITE (BEAUFORT LAGOON ECOSYSTEMS).