About the project
Oceans are critical to the changing climate, having absorbed a third of all anthropogenic carbon dioxide; hence monitoring ocean uptake is essential for understanding, modelling, and mitigating climate change. This project looks to develop and test novel sensors to do so, based on droplet microfluidic technology.
At least two measurements are required to accurately quantify dissolved carbon in seawater, one of which can be alkalinity, the focus of this project. Alkalinity represents the water’s ability to buffer against the acidification caused by carbon input. Existing alkalinity sensing technology is currently highly immature, but if alkalinity sensors could be developed to the stage where they are routinely widely used, we would be able to significantly increase the quantity and spatiotemporal coverage of measurements and hence increase understanding of CO2 uptake processes.
The supervisory team has a strong history of developing ocean sensors, including alkalinity sensors that can accurately measure alkalinity at depth (several km), over long periods (months). While these sensors are highly effective in most scenarios, they are poorly-suited to scenarios where alkalinity can change rapidly and by large amounts (e.g. estuaries, coral reefs, sea-grass meadows, and marine carbon dioxide removal sites) due to long measurement times and narrow measurement ranges. To address these challenges, we have recently used droplet microfluidic technology to create a new alkalinity sensor: Wide Range Alkalinity Spectrophotometric Sensor (WRASSe).
WRASSe has been demonstrated in the lab but is yet to be used in-the-field. The goal of this project is to explore how this novel technology can be employed to deliver insights on marine environments with wide ranging alkalinities, with results from real-world testing (e.g. monitoring alkalinity fluctuations in estuaries due to mixing of highly alkaline rivers with seawater) leading to iterative redesign and development of the sensor.
In addition to the University of Southampton supervisors, this project also includes Dr Allison Schaap as an external supervisor.
The School of Engineering is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.
