Abstract
A new seafloor lander module, the Gas Monitoring Module (GMM), has been developed for continuous and long-term measurements of methane concentration in seawater at the benthic boundary layer, as a result of marine environmental geology and technology synergy. The module is designed to host a series of sensors controlled and managed by a data acquisition and control system able to perform first-level data quality checks. The prototype includes semiconductor methane sensors, an H2S sensor and a CTD for temperature, salinity, pressure recording, as well as interfaces for additional sensors. The GMM can be linked to submarine cables for real-time data transmission to onshore operators and is suitable for long-term monitoring of natural gas emissions from seafloor or leakages from pipelines and boreholes.
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Acknowledgments
The ASSEM project is funded by the European Commission (contract EVK3-2001-00038).
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Marinaro, G., Etiope, G., Gasparoni, F. et al. GMM—a gas monitoring module for long-term detection of methane leakage from the seafloor. Env Geol 46, 1053–1058 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-004-1092-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-004-1092-2