Development of Deep Ocean In situ Sensors
To bring the analytical laboratory to the sea floor, we develop sensors to measure carbon dioxide and methane in the deep ocean. We primarily use infrared laser spectroscopic techniques that have been developed for atmospheric sensing as the foundation of our sensors. Utilizing gas extraction technologies coupled to infrared spectrometers, we make dissolved gas measurements in extreme ocean environments: hydrothermal vents, submarine volcanoes, methane seeps, bubble plumes, for and brine pools. We use deep submergence technologies, especially remotely operated vehicles, for both instrument development testing and for analyzing these environments in situ. We are currently developing new, smaller sensor systems using alternative approaches.
Funding Agencies
The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, the National Science Ocean Technology and Interdisciplinary Coordination and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution funded this project.
Partners/Collaborators
This is a collaboration with S. D. Wankel and J. Kapit WHOI, P. Girguis Harvard University
Research Papers
- Clumped isotope measurements on nanomoles of CO2 using a hollow core fiber-based spectrometer.
- Spatial mapping of dissolved methane using an in-situ sensor in Puget Sound.
- The discovery of Borealis mud volcano: a natural sanctuary for threatened Arctic species.
- An underwater methane sensor based on laser spectroscopy in a hollow core optical fiber.
- Discovering Hydrothermalism from Afar: In Situ Methane Instrumentation and Change-Point Detection for Decision-Making
- In Situ Carbon Isotopic Exploration of an Active Submarine Volcano