NEREUS/Odysses II: A Self-Contained Underwater Mass-Spectrometer System Aboard the Kemonaut Odyssey II Class AUV

NEREUS (novel, efficient, rapid evaluation of underwater spec- tra) ) is a self-contained underwater mass-spectrometer system ca- pable of continuous measurements of gases and vapors dissolved in the water column. Rapid in-situ measurement minimizes or eliminates artifacts that are often a problem when collecting and storing samples for analysis of volatile constituents, and provides higher spatial and temporal resolution of chemical patterns than is possible with conventional techniques.
NEREUS is designed to operate either independently on a moor- ing or winch line, or aboard an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), such as the Sea Grant Odyssey class submersible, Ke- monaut. Underwater mass spectrometers such as NEREUS have many important applications to practical problems, such as pollu- tion monitoring, as well as to fundamental Earth systems research.
NEREUS has been supported by MIT Sea Grant and in cooperation with the MIT Sea Grant AUV Lab.