Photosynthesis and Calcification by Blooms of the           Coccolithophore Emiliania Huxleyi in the Gulf of Maine
{'Code': '06040301', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'GEO', 'LongName': 'Directorate For Geosciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'OCE', 'LongName': 'Division Of Ocean Sciences'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Phillip R. Taylor', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
Satellite images of the sea surface taken by both the Coastal                   Zone Color Scanner and the AVHRR show widespread occurrence of                  coccolithophore blooms, especially in the Gulf of Maine and the                 North Atlantic Ocean.  The coccolithophore Emiliani huxleyi is                  probably the dominant organism in these blooms, and it is the                   most abundant calcite producing organism on earth.  In order to                 establish the  role of these organisms in global carbon                         production, it is necessary to know rates of primary production                 of organic material and calcite.  The Gulf of Maine provides an                 environment in which  blooms can be located by AVHRR and their                  production dynamics studied.  Field studies will determine                      natural rates of photosynthesis and calcification in the blooms.                Laboratory studies on isolates from the blooms will establish the               effects of light, nitrate and iron on coccolithogenesis, and the                balance between calcification and photosynthesis.  These blooms                 are a potential source of both organic and inorganic carbon to                  the deep-sea, and a unique pathway for carbon in the                            biogeochemical cycles of the world's ocean.                                     %%%                                                                                                                                                             Satellite pictures of the sea surface often show areas of                       enhanced reflection due to small, single celled organisms known                 as coccolithophores.  The calcite plates on the surface of these                algal cells have been extensively studied by physiologists                      intested in calcification processes.  Because the plates can be                 shed by the organisms, and the organisms themselves can sink in                 the sea, they provide a means by which both organic and inorganic               carbon is transferred from the sea surface to greater depths.                   These organisms are found virtually everywhere in the world's                   ocean, but are especially abundant in the Gulf of Maine and North               Atlantic Ocean, at times forming large concentrations or blooms.                When this occurs, the plates themselves may alter the way light                 is transmitted in the sea, and the organisms may grow faster or                 slower accordingly.  This study will reveal to us the rates at                  which calcification takes place via these organisms in the sea                  and the associated rates at which primary organic production                    takes place.  Laboratory studies will reveal the interaction of                 light, nutrients and iron on growth and calcification in these                  organisms so that we can interpret satellite photos with                        increased understanding of processes taking place in the sea.
{'FirstName': 'William', 'LastName': 'Balch', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'M', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'William M Balch', 'EmailAddress': 'bbalch@bigelow.org', 'NSF_ID': '000090512', 'StartDate': '05/01/1989', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'University of Miami', 'CityName': 'CORAL GABLES', 'ZipCode': '331462509', 'PhoneNumber': '3054214089', 'StreetAddress': '1251 MEMORIAL DR', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Florida', 'StateCode': 'FL', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '27', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'FL27', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'KXN7HGCF6K91', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': 'VNZZYCJ55TC4'}
{'Name': None, 'CityName': None, 'StateCode': None, 'ZipCode': None, 'StreetAddress': None, 'CountryCode': None, 'CountryName': None, 'StateName': None, 'CountryFlag': None, 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': None, 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_PERF': '""'}
{'Code': '1650', 'Text': 'BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY'}
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1989&All=true', 'xml': '8900189.xml'}