Gathering important oceanographic data – from a round-the-world racing yacht

Southampton ocean scientist Dr Max Grand is planning to test his newly developed ocean sensor in some of the most challenging environments on the planet. His idea is to attach it to a round-the-world yacht taking part in the next Vendée Globe single handed race and skippered by his friend Nicolas Boidevézi. This will be a unique opportunity to understand more about dissolved phosphates in the ocean by collecting data four times a day from seawater samples across the globe, which are then analysed on site and the information transmitted back to the National Oceanography Centre (NOC).

Max is a chemical oceanographer who came to the University of Southampton after studying for a PhD in Hawaii. He is interested in learning more about the chemical, biological and physical factors that regulate the distribution of essential nutrients such as phosphates used for marine phytoplankton in oceans around the world. His research activities also include the development of pioneering miniaturised chemical analytical systems that can make automatic measurements for extended periods in remote ocean regions.

At Southampton, Max works in collaboration with NOC’s Ocean Technology and Engineering Group, where he is working on an automated phosphate analyser based on the so-called Lab-on-Chip technology; technology that allows laboratory operations to be carried out using extremely small volumes of sample and reagents. Max’s work is funded through the European Union’s SenseOCEAN project, a consortium of European universities and businesses working towards the development of the next generation of ocean sensors.