The state of the art technologies for in situ measurements at sediment-water interface

Abstract

Sediment-water interface is a conjunction of two elemental cycles, from water to sediment, and sediment to water. This place plays significant role on carbon storage, remineralization and respirations by benthic organisms as well as bacterial activities. Recently, new chemical sensors and deep-sea technologies have been improved by interdisciplinary collaborations, and in situ measurements at sediment-water interface are getting increasing especially in European scientists. This review focuses on the sensor technologies for in situ measurements of oxygen dynamics. Basics and applications of microelectrode techniques, planar oxygen optodes and eddy correlation systems are introduced to explore and understand the nature of sediment-water interface, which is an "untouchable zone" because of existences of chemical and biological complexities in a small space.