Program Update – February 2012

OOI Program UpdateThe Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) this month continued to make important contract awards brining online instruments for the infrastructure as construction and test work continues across the program.

This month the OOI selected Satlantic, LP., of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, to provide Dissolved Nitrates (NUTNR) Instruments for the OOI. Under the $900,000 contract, Satlantic will provide up to 28 NUTNR instruments.

Satlantic is an advanced ocean technology company that develops optical sensors for aquatic research and water quality monitoring. Satlantic’s SUNA Deep and ISUS instruments will be provided for the requirements of the OOI.

SUNA Deep provides real time, chemical-free nitrate calculations in deep ocean environments using Satlantic’s advanced UV absorption technology. Satlantic’s ISUS nitrate sensor is a real time, chemical free sensor designed to overcome the traditional challenges associated with reagent-based nitrate analysis in aquatic environments. The ISUS technology uses advanced UV absorption technology to provide accurate nitrate concentration measurements in real-time.

In another contract award, Sunburst Sensors, LLC, of Missoula, Montana, was selected to provide pH (PHSEN) and Partial Pressure of Carbon Dioxide in Water Instruments (PC02W) for the OOI.  Under the $2.5 million contract, Sunburst will provide up to 77 PHSEN and 35 PC02W instruments. Sunburst Sensors designs and manufactures instruments that measure inorganic carbon parameters pC02, pH and total alkalinity. Sunburst’s Submersible Autonomous Moored Instrument (SAMI) measures and logs levels of dissolved chemicals in sea and fresh water.

For more information on these and other contract awards visit the Contract Awards Section of the OOI website.

Also at the end of the month the OOI program participated in the 2012 Ocean Sciences conference at Salt Lake City, Utah, with a variety of sessions, posters and information sharing opportunities. In addition to scheduled scientific sessions, the OOI Team held special discussions on three days to provide interested attendees with an update on the OOI and how they can become involved.  Presentations and posters from the Ocean Sciences meeting soon will be available on the OOI Website

For more information on the OOI please visit the OOI Website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.