MRI: RAPID: Development: Spectrally resolved, ultrafast and simultaneous measurements of methane and carbon dioxide in sea waters with femtosecond supercontinuum fiber laser

由于海水丰富，是影响气候的主要因素，因此监测海水中的甲烷和温室气体（CO2）含量对于正确评估地球上的全球过程具有重要意义。特别是，海水中的甲烷含量反映了甲烷生成的总体趋势，但它也指示了局部破坏性事件，如石油泄漏、火山爆发和羽流。因此，对这些气体浓度的精确测量可以为监测这些动态过程提供有价值的信息，甚至可以预测它们的发生，并量化石油泄漏的数量。PI要求MRI RAPID资助开发一种新型的，灵敏的，近红外波长区域的甲烷气体传感器。它将具有处理海水中不同深度甲烷浓度的巨大变化所需的高灵敏度和宽动态范围。它将被设计成坚固耐用和便携。这种传感器还可以用于检测泄漏到大气中的微量甲烷，这对于防止可能导致爆炸的甲烷积聚非常重要。更广泛的影响这项研究有潜力开发一种新的气体浓度测量仪器，具有广泛的应用前景。它包括培训参与的博士后助理和研究生，获得对海湾地区水生生物重要的新数据，并通过出版物和参加会议传播结果。

The monitoring of sea water content of methane and green house gas (CO2) is of great importance for correct assessment of global processes on the Earth, since due to its abundance the sea water is a major factor affecting climate. In particular, the methane content in sea water reflects general trends of methanogenesis, but it also is indicative of the local disruptive events, such as oil spills, volcanic eruptions, and plumes. Therefore, accurate measurements of the concentration of such gases can provide valuable information for monitoring these dynamical processes, even predictions of their occurrences, and quantify the amount of oil spilledThe PI requests MRI RAPID funding to develop a novel, sensitive, methane gas sensor in the near IR wavelength region. It will have the high sensitivity and a broad dynamic range required to address a large variation of the methane concentration at different depths in seawater. It will be designed to be rugged and portable. Such a sensor can be also used to detect minute amounts of methane leaking to the atmosphere, which is important for preventing possible unwanted accumulation of methane, which can result in an explosion.Broader ImpactsThis research has the potential to develop of a new instrument for gas concentration measurements with a wide range of possible applications. It includes training of participating postdoctoral associate and a graduate student, obtaining new data important for aquatic life in the gulf region and dissemination of the results through publications and participation in conferences.