ECE researchers Jason J Amsden, Rafael Bento Serpa, and Jeffrey T Glass, along with Nicolas Cassar from Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment are developing an underwater mass spectrometer that can detect dissolved methane and other gases in the ocean. The mass spectrometer is needed to help understand what happens when frozen methane hydrates at the seafloor begin to melt.
Recently, the team ruggedized and packaged the instrument for real-world use and validated it at depths down to 125 meters aboard the UNOLS vessel R/V Hugh Sharp. After 15 years of iterating, this marks the first field deployment of one of their mass spectrometers.
