New Wave Media

September 9, 2022

Innovative Approach to Measure the Geochemistry of Pore Water In Situ

(Photo: NOC)

(Photo: NOC)

Scientists have tested a new approach to help improve knowledge of the deepest parts of the ocean.

The National Oceanography Centre’s (NOC) Dr. Anna Lichtschlag and Dr. Allison Schaap are working in partnership with researchers from the center of excellence for ultra-deep sea research: the Danish Center for Hadal Research (HADAL) to jointly improve understanding the processes governing organic carbon degradation in deep-sea trenches.

To understand the driving biogeochemical processes in hadal sediments is of global importance, as carbon recycling in sediments can have critical implications for oxygen and nutrient availability and ocean chemistry, impacting life both in the oceans and on land.

To achieve this goal, the team are developing a new approach which can be used to perform near-real time, automated analysis of the geochemistry of the pore waters of sediments. To first test the new approach in a local setting, the team recently undertook the trials of the adapted sensors in the estuary of the River Itchen, on the U.K. South coast.

Dr. Lichtschlag, the NOC’s Principal Investigator for the Hadal sensors project, said, “Our successful sensor deployment has shown that this new approach can resolves spatial and temporal fluctuations in pore water chemistry, which are not readily analysed with any other method.”

This new technique could easily be expanded to measure a wide range of other biogeochemical parameters and to many other environments, enabling new understanding of the variable and complex biogeochemical process in sediments.

In this edition MTR explores the drivers for subsea exploration in 2025 and beyond
Read the Magazine Sponsored by

The Mother of Monster Waves, a Quarter Century Later

Marine Technology Magazine Cover Mar 2025 -

Marine Technology Reporter is the world's largest audited subsea industry publication serving the offshore energy, subsea defense and scientific communities.

Subscribe
Marine Technology ENews subscription

Marine Technology ENews is the subsea industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email three times per week

Subscribe for MTR E-news