MRI: Development of Instrumentation to Control Seawater Composition for Ocean Acidification Research

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The PI requests MRI funding to develop an instrument that is capable of providing a high degree of control over the temperature, the CO2 levels, and the oxygen levels in seawater that is being used to grow organisms for ocean acidification experiments. Furthermore, the proposed system will be able to vary these parameters dynamically, allowing investigators not only to study perturbed steady-state conditions, but also to control the variability of these parameters so as to be able to mimic natural conditions more closely.Broader ImpactsThe broader impacts of this work are very great. As documented in the proposal there are numerous top-quality scientists that already signed up to use this system in their work. These folks can now focus on their biological experimentation with the assurance that the marine chemistry of the experimental system is properly controlled and described. A lot of very important results in many fields (phytoplankton, benthic inverts, pelagics, etc.) are likely to come out of this system. The proposal also entrains undergraduates in the design process of the aquarium system via a capstone engineering design course and through summer internships, and will likely involve a graduate student throughout its development. Undergraduate students will be involved in the design and testing of various components, particularly the gas mixing systems and/or the gas equilibration system using membrane contactors. This will be done at no cost to the proposal by integrating the design of some of the components into a 2-quarter undergraduate Mechanical Engineering capstone design course and by involving summer interns through the Marine Physical Laboratory Intern Program. Publication of the design and specifications of the proposed instrumentation in a peer-reviewed journal is a very strong component of the proposal.