Biogeochemical cycling in the critical coastal zone: Developing novel methods to make reliable measurements of geochemical fluxes in permeable sedimen

尽管海洋的这一部分很重要，但对沿海沉积物中营养物质和其他溶质的消费、生产和转化的环境控制仍然知之甚少。这种不确定性是由于沿海沉积物的上厘米到分米的直接测量很少，这些沉积物往往具有非常陡峭的地球化学梯度。由于缺乏对许多生物地球化学物种的现场传感器，直接测量以前是不可能的。然而，新的芯片上实验室传感器提供了分析能力，最终解决了地球化学过程，并在沿海沉积物理解方面提供了亟需的一步改变。该项目将开发和测试首次使用芯片上实验室传感器来量化可渗透沉积物中的营养梯度和通量的新方法，并将改变我们对沿海地区关键生物地球化学过程的理解。

Despite the importance of this part of the ocean, the environmental controls on the consumption, production and conversion of nutrients and other solutes in coastal, often sandy (permeable), sediments remain poorly understood. This uncertainty arises from a paucity of direct measurements in the upper centimetre-decimetre of coastal sediments, which often feature very steep geochemical gradients. Direct measurements have not been possible previously due to a lack of in-situ sensors for many biogeochemical species. However, new Lab-on-Chip sensors provide analytical capabilities to finally resolve geochemical processes and provide a much-needed step change in coastal sediment understanding. This project will develop and test novel methods using for the first time Lab-on-Chip sensors to quantify nutrient gradients and fluxes in permeable sediments and will transform our understanding of critical biogeochemical processes across coastal zones.