WHOI Funding and Awards --> Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Technology Innovation Awards --> 2004 Abstracts

Abstracts of 2004 Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Technology Innovation Awards

A Hyperspectral Holography Laboratory: Exploratory Research on Digital Holography and Optical Spectroscopy of Aquatic Organisms
Cabell S. Davis
Biology Department

A fundamental need in aquatic sciences is the ability to quickly and autonomously map species and their habitats with high-resolution in time and space. Sparse species-level data is the single most important factor limiting our ability to accurately model and understand population dynamics in the ocean. Current sampling methods cannot provide this kind of data. Recent advances in digital holography and optical spectroscopy have made it theoretically possible to image aquatic organisms in 3D with high-resolution at multiple wavelengths.

Development of a Molecular Capture System for the Real-Time Detection of the Coccolithophore Emiiania huxleyi with an Environmental Sample Processor (ESP)
Sheean T. Haley and Sonya T. Dyhrman
Biology Department

Emiliania huxcleyi, an abundant and widespread marine coccolithophore, can form large blooms in both coastal and open ocean regions. Capable of forming calcareous skeletons and generating a steady rain of calcium carbonate to the deep sea, E. huxleyi plays a role in regulating the global carbon cycle and ocean-atmospheric CO₂ exchange, such that the abundance and activities of E. huxleyi populations could have a significant impact on climate. Although dense, mesoscale blooms are detectable with remote-sensing, this technology is unable to monitor population dynamics at low densities. Estimates of E. huxleyi distribution and abundance are critical for parameterizing marine calcification and constraining global climate models. We are interested in developing a molecular capture system for measuring in situ E. huxleyi abundance. Our collaboration on the annotation of the E. huxleyi genome sequence puts our laboratory in an excellent position to design and validate a suitable molecular capture system that will interface with the Environmental Sample Processor (ESP). This instrument is an autonomous, remote sampling system capable of generating real-time data from subsurface applications. With a new means to enumerate E. huxleyi in the field we can not only satisfy a clear need within the scientific community, but also better identify the extent of E. huxleyi's impact on climate and on the ocean’s ability to buffer changing CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere.

Design for an Autonomous Expendable Instrument PCR Amplification of Preserved Ocean Flux Material
Mark Dennett
Biology Department
and
Steven Manganini
Geology & Geophysics Department

We propose to determine the proper preservative for molecular analysis of settling particles collected by sediment traps in order to enhance research that identifies specific taxonomic groups that contribute to the transfer of biogenic elements to the deep sea. Research dealing with the mechanisms that sequester carbon from the surface of the ocean to the interior depths has been paramount to understanding the carbon cycle. Much of this research has substantiated the idea that plankton community structure and species composition at the surface may determine how much and where carbon is sequestered into the ocean interior. Establishing techniques and procedures for the identification of the plankton community on a temporal and depth basis will be an important step in advancing this research. This proposal is particularly timely due to the recent deployment of a sediment trap mooring array at Station W off Woods Hole in the NW Atlantic.

A New Isotope Array for Linking Microbial Diversity and Function
Karen L. Casciotti
Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry Department
and
Graham Layne
Geology & Geophysics Department

Advanced molecular biological techniques are being adopted in oceanographic studies of microbial diversity and ecology, yet these techniques provide little information linking bacterial diversity and activity in the environment. The work proposed here seeks to close this important gap in our ability to link specific microbial lineages to important biogeochemical functions and to improve our understanding of oceanographic processes. We will develop a technique for combining oligonucleotide microarray technology with stable isotope probing by secondary ion mass spectrometry. This technology will enable direct identification, at the species level, of the active components of microbial communities assimilating stableisotopically labeled substrates. As a test case for this new technology we will focus on the important ecological function of nitrogen fixation and measure ¹⁵N₂ incorporation into RNA of pure cultures of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms. The application of this technology is not limited to the stated goals of this proposal. Once the technology of SIMS analysis of microarray spots is developed, it may be applied to other questions involving incorporation of stable isotopically labeled substrates.

A Refractive Gradiometer for Microstructure Studies
Ray Schmitt
Physical Oceanography Department
and
Norm Farr
Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering Department

The index of refraction of seawater has long been used to make rough measurements of the salinity and density of seawater, but has proven difficult to utilize as the basis of a high precision sensor. Recent advances in optical technology derived from the rapidly expanding use of fiberoptics in the communications industry lead us to believe that breakthroughs in sea-going refractive index sensors are readily achievable. The effort proposed here will explore two new optical approaches for measuring the small-scale oceanic gradients of index of refraction for studies of microstructure and mixing. Such sensors will find application in profilers and towed bodies, and will provide new means of quantifying mixing rates in the ocean.

Developing Ocean Acoustic Technologies to Detect Seafloor Deformation Caused by Underwater Earthquakes and Other Geological Processes: Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Sonar (InSAS)
Jian Lin
Geology & Geophysics Department
and
Dezhang Chu
Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering Department

Recent advances in space geodesy are revolutionizing the field of continental geology and geodynamics. In contrast, progress in geodetic study of the oceanic lithosphere has been very slow because of significant technological challenges associated with precise navigation of oceanic platforms and corrections for variability in sound velocity in water column. We believe, however, that these technological difficulties can be overcome by adopting the rapidly advancing space geodetic and ocean acoustic technologies. Here we propose to develop a new ocean acoustic approach to detect seafloor deformation caused by underwater earthquakes and other geological processes using the Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Sonar (InSAS). This proposal requests seed money to accomplish two key tasks: 1) to develop the InSAS interferogram algorithms that are needed for developing this new technology, and 2) to determine quantitatively how the uncertainties in navigation and ocean acoustic parameters affect the accuracy and precision of the interferograms, considering the requirements of real geological applications. The new insights to be gained from this investigation are critical for identifying practical means to significantly improve resolution of InSAS technology. These initial results are also important for the success of seeking future funding from the NSF, ONR, USGS Earthquake Hazard Program, Southern California Earthquake Center and NOAA to conduct future field experiments in earthquake-prone coastal regions offshore of southern California and elsewhere. This program is part of a long-term effort to enhance WHOI's leadership in the emerging exciting field of seafloor geodesy and the NSF Ocean Observatory Initiative.

An Instrument for In Situ Pore Water and Sediment Sampling and Sediment Incubation: Proof of Concept and Design
William R. Martin
Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry Department

Given the important role that sediments play in coastal carbon and nutrient budgets, the recent realization that sandy sediments are sites of active diagenesis, and the current focus of many oceanographic efforts on the continental margins, now is the time to develop tools for the study of diagenesis in these environments. Currently available methods provide much useful information, but there is not yet a proven sampler for collecting undisturbed pore water profiles for a variety of solutes in sandy sediments. When this capability is coupled to the ability to incubate sediments in situ and collect the solid phase, the result is an instrument that is unique in its ability to both make estimates of sediment/seawater exchange and elucidate the mechanisms that determine sediment/seawater cycling of carbon and nutrients. We propose to build an instrument that will incorporate the essential components of an in situ sampler and to carry out tests that will demonstrate its ability to perform the desired tasks and allow us to choose components for a complete instrument and create a workable design for the instrument. The capability we will demonstrate with the work proposed here will greatly improve our position for applying for funds to build a simple profiling instrument as well as a profiling/incubating/ coring instrument.

Measuring Sea Level in the Coastal Ocean Using GPS Buoys
Gene Terray and Ruoying He
Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering Department
and
Steve Lentz
Physical Oceanography Department

We propose to explore the possibility of using buoys equipped with high precision GPS receivers to measure sea surface height (SSH) in the coastal ocean. Such measurements would provide offshore boundary conditions for numerical models of coastal ocean dynamics, and could be used to control model error via data assimilation, and to assess model performance. In a recent study, He et al. (2004) demonstrated that data assimilation of SSH measured by coastal tide gauges substantially improved the performance of a coastal ocean model. We expect that the availability of offshore GPS-derived estimates of SSH would provide a further significant increase in our ability to model coastal ocean circulation at high resolution.