CO2 Sensor System for Long-Term Ocean Monitoring

目前的预测表明，在2036年至2060年之间的某个时间，地球大气中二氧化碳的分压将是工业化前的两倍，导致全球气温上升20 - 30摄氏度。海洋吸收人为二氧化碳的定量能力以及这种吸收对全球气候的影响存在很大的不确定性。提出了一种小型、低功耗、低成本的分析仪器，具有灵敏度、耐用性和长期稳定性，可以在一年或更长时间内连续测量海洋表面上下的二氧化碳浓度，而无需校准或修理。在第一阶段，制造了原型CO2传感器，并测试了其响应100 x 10-12g CO2的能力。在实验室测试中，原型传感器能够在氧气和氮气存在的情况下测量到100 ppm的二氧化碳水平。每个传感器的功耗为250 uW。在第二阶段，高性能传感器将被整合到一个原型二氧化碳监测仪器系统中，该系统适用于现有的海洋监测和遥测系统。样机的性能将在实验室和海洋环境中进行量化。

Current projections indicate that the partial pressure of CO2 in earth's atmosphere will be double the level of the preindustrial era somewhere between the years 2036 and 2060 resulting in a 20C - 30C increase in global temperature. There is a large uncertainty concerning the quantitative ability of the oceans to absorb anthropogenic CO2 and the influence the uptake will have on global climate. A small, low power, low cost, analytical instrument is proposed with the sensitivity, durability, and long term stability to make continuous measurements of the CO2 concentration above and below the oceanic surface for periods of one year or longer without calibration or repair. During Phase I, prototype CO2 sensors were fabricated and tested with the capability of responding to 100 x 10-12g of CO2. In laboratory tests, the prototype sensor was able to measure CO2 levels to 100 ppm in the presence of oxygen and nitrogen gases. Power consumption was measured at 250 uW per sensor. During Phase II, high performance sensors will be incorporated into a prototype CO2 monitoring instrument system suitable for deployment with existing ocean monitoring and telemetry systems. Performance of the prototype will be quantified in the laboratory and ocean environment.