Description du projet
Un échantillonneur innovant pour la surveillance de l’eau
Le changement climatique et la pénurie d’eau requièrent une surveillance environnementale fiable, standardisée et hautement automatisée. Pour un suivi régulier de l’eau de pluie, du débit des rivières et du climat, il convient d’utiliser des capteurs de qualité. Toutefois, les services météorologiques, les bureaux d’hydrométrie, l’industrie chimique et les instituts de recherche ne disposent pas d’une technologie automatisée adéquate pour le prélèvement d’échantillons représentatifs destinés à être analysés en laboratoire. Les signatures isotopiques constituant des traceurs idéaux des processus du cycle de l’eau, l’analyse isotopique permanente des précipitations permet d’identifier les normes de circulation atmosphérique changeantes et l’origine des eaux souterraines. Le projet AIRWAVES financé par l’UE présente un échantillonneur autonome, robuste et portable conçu pour répondre aux exigences élevées en matière d’échantillonnage et de stockage pour l’analyse isotopique. Le dispositif consomme peu d’énergie et peut être accessible à distance.
Objectif
A new automated water sampling technology was developed under the ERC Consolidator Grant STEEPclim with the potential to revolutionize environmental monitoring worldwide. A changing climate and growing scarcity of water strongly increase the need of reliable standardized and highly automated environmental monitoring, thus creating a growing market for our innovative solution. Our first prototype successfully operated under field conditions. Now we seek funding to further develop this device and explore commercialization pathways. Today, rain water, river discharge and climate are monitored routinely with high temporal resolution using quality sensors, but no adequate automated technology for obtaining representative samples for laboratory grade analysis is available for weather services, hydromet offices, chemical industry or research institutions. So far taking, preserving and analyzing samples from natural waters is meticulous, labor intensive and expensive. Isotope signatures in water are ideal tracers of processes in the water cycle. Stable isotope analysis of precipitation can identify changing atmospheric circulation patterns and the origin of groundwater. They can also be used for the reconstruction of paleoclimate from ancient waters locked in geological archives. The analysis of fruits, food and drink products, of drugs, explosives and human remains is used to identify their regional provenance. For this purpose a robust understanding of the modern distribution of isotopes in space and time is indispensable. The autonomous and robust sampler introduced here is designed to fulfill the high demands on sampling and storage for isotope analysis. It is portable, has low power consumption and can be accessed remotely for maintenance and to adapt the sampling protocol strategy. The obtained water samples are not restricted to isotope analysis but can be used for any type of environmental water analysis.
Champ scientifique
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencespalaeontologypaleoclimatology
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticulturefruit growing
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesmeteorologyatmospheric circulation
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
ERC-POC - Proof of Concept GrantInstitution d’accueil
14473 POTSDAM
Allemagne