CO2 Fluxes: Why pelagic WP1 Richard Sims jumps ship to join the benthic WP2 team on DY030?

Deploying the Near Surface Ocean Profiler (NSOP): Image Credit: Richard Sims

The existence or not of near surface gradients is of importance when attempting to calculate air sea fluxes, as measurements from a research ships underway system at 5-7m depth may not be representative of the oceans interface. Gradients may be created by physical gradients like temperature or chemical gradients induced by biology (plankton).

Richard Sims

Richard Sims is a PhD student at PML. His research is focused on measuring near surface (10m) trace gas gradients in shelf seas.  In order to obtain a good vertical resolution for his measurements of temperature, salinity, depth and fluorescence, he developed the Near Surface Ocean Profiler (NSOP), a free floating buoy which rides the swell and floats away from the local disturbances caused by the ship. Water is pumped back to the ship where it is passed through a membrane equilibrator for CO₂ analysis. Richard hopes to use his measurements to characterise gradients across the entire shelf. 

Near Surface Ocean Profiler (NSOP): Image Credit: Richard Sims

Near Surface Ocean Profiler (NSOP): Image Credit: Richard Sims