There is a need for deep ocean sensors that can help determine the role of methane in the global carbon cycle. We have developed a sensor using laser absorption spectroscopy with membrane-free water sampling for in-situ analysis at depth. The device is designed to be deployed on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and will stream methane concentration and isotope ratio measurements to a host ship in real-time.
Key Takeaways:
1. A new type of measurement tool has been developed for in-situ gas analysis at depth
2. The specific methane sensor developed has applicability to vent, greenhouse gas, and energy studies
3. There is an on-going multi-institutional effort to test, validate, and utilize the sensor, but with obvious additional challenges due to Covid-19
About the Speaker: Dr. Jason Kriesel is a Lead Scientist at OptoKnowledge leading the development of sensor technology for a range of applications. He has a Ph.D. in Physics from UC San Diego and was an National Research Council (NRC) Post Doc at NIST-Boulder.