| The deep ocean is an analysts dream. Vast untapped reservoirs of data, comprising a myriad of chemical, geologic, biological data are there, but are kept out of the reach of most who seek it by the forces of nature. It is a demanding environment that can test even the most robust engineering designs. When deploying and instrument, one must reconcile conditions that are characterized by extreme pressures, low temperatures and high concentrations of corrosive salts. These extreme operating conditions of the deep sea make it difficult to analyze any dynamic chemical processes in-situ. The unique chemical processes at work in hydrothermal vent are of great interdisciplinary interest. In the present report, I report on the development, modification, calibration, deployment and first applications of Co-axial Fiber Optic Chemical Sensing Excitation-Emission Matrix Fluorometer (CFOCS-EEMF) to study diffuse flow and black smoker hydrothermal vent structures. The primary foci of this report include; (a) lowering detection limits through co-axial fiber optic probe development, (b) Increasing sample interrogation time in turbid media through the reduction of scatter effects via the use of a horn sampling chamber, (c) Development of a linear spectral dispersive element for Uv-visable wavelengths, (d) Employing the use of an open design platform for the construction of a field portable instrument, (e) the application of excitation-emission matrix fluorometry to environmental monitoring.; The Author wishes to dedicate this work to Jerry & Elizabeth Jordan. Without the constant support of my parents, this academic exercise would have been terminated years earlier than the time it was found to necessary to have gained any knowledge that made it truly academic. The author also wished to dedicate this work to Pamela Marie, James Matthew & Jeremiah Malcolm Jordan for their love and support while their dad gave valuable family time to the active discovery of science and himself. |
