Abstract
Monitoring the biochemistry of aquatic ecosystems is critical to understanding the biogeochemical cycling induced by microorganisms. They play a vital role in climate-gaseous drivers associated with natural ecosystems, such as methane emission in wetlands and peatlands; gas cycling and fixation: methane, sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen; water quality assessment and remediation; monitoring oxygen saturation due to contamination and algal proliferation; and many more. Microorganisms interact with these environments inducing diurnal and seasonal changes that have been, to date, poorly characterized. To aid with the long-term in-situ monitoring of natural aquatic ecosystems, we designed a Sub-liquid and Atmospheric Measurement (SAM) instrument. This floating platform can autonomously measure various sub-liquid and atmospheric parameters over a long time. This paper describes the design of SAM and illustrates how its long-term operation can produce critical information to complement other standard laboratory-based microbiological studies.