Volume 5, Number 4     July/August 1997

  Small Business/SBIR

More Precise Ocean Study with Innovative Tools

FAMILY OF SUBMERSIBLE OPTICAL INSTRUments used around the world to study the productivity of the world's oceans were developed by Biospherical Instruments, Inc. of San Diego, California, with support of two NASA Small Business Innovation Research contracts managed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

The natural fluorometer measures the concentration of microscopic marine plants or phytoplankton, the primary food source for sea animals. The self-contained, reflectance spectral radiometer calibrates satellite ocean color data for measuring ocean phytoplankton biomass.

Chlorophyll in phytoplankton emits a natural fluorescence during photosynthesis. The natural fluorometer estimates phytoplankton's growth using intensity of fluorescence when phytoplankton is exposed to sunlight. The portable natural fluorometer measures depth, sunlight, temperature and pressure of a particular location on site and is cheaper than earlier methods of measuring photosynthetic productivity which required sample removal for laboratory testing.

Biospherical Instruments also has developed a natural fluorometer that can be left unattended at a specific location for a long time. This instrument helps measure the environmental impact of coastal installations, including offshore platforms, coastal power plants and recreational harbors. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power also has used the instrument to monitor plankton concentrations in its municipal reservoir, reducing costs and improving water quality with more accurate administration of drinking water treatment.

Biospherical Instruments developed the reflectance spectral radiometer to support NASA's SeaWifs Project. Subtle changes in ocean color signify various types and quantities of phytoplankton. Satellites collect this color data over wide areas of ocean. Data collection from a submersible radiometer and other instruments, referred to as ground truthing, helps calibrate the satellite observations.

Phytoplankton growth is an important factor in the exchange of gases between the atmosphere and the world's oceans. For example, volume of marine life is important to the atmosphere's carbon dioxide content. Carbon dioxide factors into the "greenhouse effect" or global warming attributed to increases in concentration of this gas in the atmosphere.

University of Southern California, JPL, Lamont-Doherty Geophysical Observatory and the University of Hawaii researchers are among those from many countries who have used these instruments to study oceans and inland bodies of water. This type of research is expected to increase because of the growing recognition of the importance of oceans in determining weather patterns and atmospheric composition.

For more information about this technology, contact Patricia McGuire at Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Call 818/354-1258. E-mail: Patricia.A.McGuire@jpl.nasa.gov

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