Ocean biogeochemical cycles are going through profound changes due to human activity. Oxygen content is decreasing, and the ocean is getting more acidic from absorbing excess human emitted CO₂ (ocean acidification). The surface ocean is warming and becoming more stratified, potentially reducing nutrients that are available for phytoplankton growth. These changes have the potential to fundamentally alter ocean function, and impact societies that rely on a healthy ocean. However, our ability to understand and monitor these biogeochemical cycles, and predict how they will change, is limited by our ability to measure key parameters at the necessary spatial and temporal resolutions. This “undersampling” problem has plagued oceanographers from the inception of the field.

The main focus of the Ocean Biogeochemical Sensing team revolves around this central question: How do we make enough observations of the ocean to effectively understand how it works and how it is changing? Our approach is to develop and implement biogeochemical sensing technology to address this problem, which crosses all disciplines of oceanography. We take a multi-pronged approach that includes developing new or improving existing sensing technology, developing robust calibration protocols to ensure interoperable data across multiple platforms, and utilizing these emerging technologies to better understand ocean biogeochemical processes. Our team works closely with the Chemical Sensor Team