Carbon Flux Explorer Development

碳通量探测器（Carbon Flux Explorer，CFE）是一个完全自主和免费的机器人系统，旨在通过铱卫星链路实时测量和中继海洋上千米不同深度的颗粒有机碳（POC）和颗粒无机碳（PIC）通量的小时/日变化，时间范围从季节到年。CFE是海洋学拉格朗日观测器（SOLO）浮标（在斯克里普斯开发）和LBNL/加州大学伯克利分校的成功整合？光学沉积物捕集器（OST）。2007年6月，第一个原型CFE在800米的海上成功测试了两天。拟议的新工作将完善和挑战CFE设计，在沿海和加州当前沃茨连续更长的部署，以评估和解决真实的世界问题，如生物污损和动物入侵。与此同时，工程改进将改善功率预算并解决多个次要系统问题。将全面建立机载图像处理/数据简化软件。校准样品（POC和PIC通量）将与CFE测试同时获得，CFE测试使用在类似深度操作的浮标系留孪生OST系统。在该项目结束时，三个完全开发的碳通量探测器（CFE）将在亚北极北太平洋的开阔海洋中部署（并在可能的情况下回收）至少3 - 6个月。通过海洋生物碳泵进行的碳沉积对大气CO2的调节至关重要。由于目前的观测方法（系泊/船舶）的局限性，碳输出（或沉积）在空间和时间上的观测都很差，因此在碳循环模拟中的理解和参数化都很差。在世界各地部署CFE？的海洋有可能导致对碳沉积的生物学/地球化学的全新见解。更广泛的影响： 拟议活动可能给社会带来的惠益是重要的。这些活动将有助于提高对未来碳循环预测的信心。研究结果可能是帮助社会应对气候变化造成的潜在经济和环境危害后果的关键。通过教育，拟议的活动和开发的技术将使广大公众更容易利用海洋。提高公众对海洋的认识将有助于保护海洋环境。拟议活动提供的实时观测将有助于实现这种了解，并减少人们对海洋遥远性的认识。拟议的活动将促进与海洋有关的科学教学和教育。开发中的技术将有助于活跃课堂上的海洋，从教科书知识转向实时互动。拟议的活动将使学生能够与全球环境建立更多的联系。如果社会要克服人类目前面临的环境问题，这项技术将有助于以所需的方式教育公众。

The PIs request funding to complete the development of the Carbon Flux Explorer (CFE), a fully autonomous and free robotic system designed to measure and relay in real time via Iridium satellite link the hourly/diurnal variations of particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) flux at various depths in the upper kilometer of the ocean for seasons to year-long time scales. CFEs are the successful integration of the Sounding Oceanographic Lagrangian Observer (SOLO) float (developed at Scripps) and LBNL/UC Berkeley?s imaging Optical Sediment Trap (OST). The first prototype CFE was successfully tested at sea for 2 days to 800 m in June 2007. The proposed new work will refine and challenge the CFE design with successively longer deployments in coastal and California Current waters to evaluate and address real world issues such as biofouling and animal invasions. At the same time, engineering refinements will improve power budget and solve multiple minor system issues. On-board image processing/data reduction software will be fully established. Calibration samples (POC and PIC flux) will be obtained concurrently with CFE testing using a buoy tethered twinned OST system operating at similar depths. At the end of this project, three fully developed Carbon Flux Explorers (CFEs) will be deployed (and recovered if possible) in the open ocean for at least 3-6 months in the subarctic N Pacific.Carbon sedimentation via the bio-carbon pump of the ocean is important to the regulation of atmospheric CO2. Due to limitations of current observational methodology (moorings/ships), carbon export (or sedimentation) is poorly observed in space and time and therefore is poorly understood and parameterized in carbon cycle simulations. CFE deployments in the world?s ocean have the potential to lead to fundamentally new insights into the biology/biogeochemistry of carbon sedimentation. Broader Impacts: The potential benefits to society due to the proposed activities are important. These actives will help improve confidence in future carbon cycle predictions. The results could maybe a key to helping society deal with the potentially economically and environmentally hazardous consequences due to climate change. Through education, the proposed activities and technologies developed will make the ocean more accessible to the public in general. An improved understanding of the ocean by the public will help protect the ocean's environment. The real-time observations offered by the proposed activities will help bring about such an understanding and diminish the perceived remoteness of the ocean. The proposed activities will advance ocean related scientific teaching and education. The technology in development will help enliven the ocean in the classroom, moving from textbook knowledge to real-time interactions. The proposed activities will allow students to become more connected to the global environment. The technology will help educate the public in manner needed if society is to overcome the environmental problems humanity currently faces.