Watecco is a unique device capable to determine the health of phytoplankton (the tiny algae that are the most abundant plants in the Oceans, lakes and rivers), by measuring the efficiency by which they harvest light energy and through the process of photosynthesis store part of the light they trapped into high energy products. These products provide the energy needed to sustain the life processes of the algae themselves, including the entire aquatic food chain that feeds on them directly or indirectly. Any decrease in the efficiency of algal photosynthesis may lead to instability and collapse of entire ecosystems, and their intimately linked finfish and shellfish fisheries.
Watecco can be lowered from a vessel, bridge or pier, and report the light and distribution of photosynthesis in the water profile, providing at the same time the key information on the efficiency of the process, that depends on the "well being" of the algae. These features make Watecco a unique tool to monitor the deleterious effects of Global Climate Chance, which causes ocean warming and seawater acidification acerbated by anthropogenic eutrophication and pollution.
Watecco, is also uniquely suited to optimize algal based biotechnological ventures, where algae are grown on large scale in open lagoons or enclosed photobioreators. Algae are mass-cultured for health food, feed in aquaculture, biodiesel, pigments, poly-unsaturated-fatty-acids and wastewater treatment.
The device is based on the photoacoustic effect whereby light absorbed by the algal cell is split between energy stored as sugars, lipids, and more algal cells, and a part dissipated as heat into the surrounding water, and sensed as a pressure wave by an immersed hydrophone. The algae, in the natural water body, or in the culture, are exposed to brief light flashes, and the total energy in each flash is determined by inactivating algal photosynthesis by a strong continuous light. In such conditions, all light energy is converted to heat. In the dark part of the light energy in each flash is stored as products of photosynthesis. The ratio between the energy stored and that wasted as dissipated heat is the magic light utilization efficiency, or formally, the quantum yield of photosynthesis. That parameter defines the yield of product that can be obtained from a given area in a year Watecco allows early warning of any subtle decline in the health and performance of algae nature or in manmade systems allowing fast corrective intervention.
