A Fast, Portable, Fiber Optic Spectrofluorometer for Eddy Correlation Flux Measurement in the Aquatic Environment

Abstract:

The measurement of chemical fluxes between natural waters and their benthic sediments by most existing methods, such as benthic chambers and sediment core incubations, is slow, cumbersome, and often inaccurate. One promising new method for determining benthic fluxes is eddy correlation (EC), a minimally invasive, in situ technique based on high-speed velocity and concentration measurements. Widespread application of EC to a large range of chemicals of interest is currently limited, however, by the availability of rapid, high-resolution chemical sensors capable of precisely measuring concentrations at a point location and at sufficient speed (several Hz).

A proof of concept spectrofluorometry instrument has been created that is capable of high-frequency concentration measurements of naturally fluorescent substances. Designed with the EC application in mind, the system utilizes optical fibers to transmit excitation and emission light, enabling in situ measurements at high spatial resolution. Emitted fluorescence light is passed through a tunable monochromator before reaching a photomultiplier tube; photons are quantified by a custom miniaturized, low-power photon counting circuit board. Preliminary results indicate that individual measurements made at 100 Hz of a 10 ppm humic acid solution were precise within 10%, thus yielding a precision of the order of +/- 1% in a second.

Used in an EC system, this instrument will enable flux measurements of substances such as naturally occurring fluorescent dissolved organic material (FDOM). Measurement of fluxes of FDOM is significant in its own right, and also will allow the indirect measurement of the numerous other chemical fluxes that are associated with FDOM by using tracer techniques. The use of a tunable monochromator not only allows flexibility in detection wavelength, but also enables full wavelength scans of the emission spectrum, making the spectrofluorometer a dual-function device capable of both characterizing the chemistry of the water (e.g. characterizing the FDOM present, or identifying additional compounds), and measuring fluorescence at selected wavelengths for EC and other applications.