Collaborative Research: Development of an instrument for the continual analysis of dissolved methane in surface waters with minimal user interface

Measuring and mapping methane (CH4) concentrations in ocean surface waters helps track ecosystem health and the global carbon cycle. Understanding methane dynamics in oceans and lakes is also important for energy policy, oil and gas monitoring, and knowledge of the ocean's biological and geochemical processes. The goal of this project is to design, develop, and deploy a user-friendly instrument for continuous analysis of dissolved methane in surface waters from underway research vessels. In addition, “Science on Deck series” outreach will bring the research to a broader community and inspire youth. The project also offers a robust model for workforce development through its collaboration between a research scientist, a marine technician, and a graduate student. Understanding methane dynamics in surface oceans and lakes is critical for constraining methane emission gradients from coastal regions to the atmosphere, discovering new biogeochemical processes of regional and global significance, mapping natural and anthropogenic methane distributions of relevance to offshore oil and gas exploration, and contributing to national security because nuclear warships emit methane into surrounding waters. The investigators plan to develop a simplified, user-friendly, fully automated, fast-response instrument with integrated calibration for methane concentration analysis in surface waters that can be deployed on any research vessel without the need for a dedicated methane expert to operate and maintain this system. If successful and widely adopted, this instrument will help advance understanding of methane production and consumption pathways in the surface ocean. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.