The benthic zone is located at the lowest level of oceans, lakes, ponds, and rivers and includes surface sediment, water above the sediments, and sub-surface sediment layers. It begins at the shore and extends along the bottom of the water up to 9,000 feet. Sediment provides nutrients to many organisms that are important for various commercial applications. Benthic fluxes represent the exchange of geochemical analytes/nutrients between the sediment and the overlying water column, and characterization includes measuring a wide range of analytes/materials. However, current analysis methods have questionable accuracy and are expensive to perform.

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University are developing new technology for use in shallow water for long-term, repeated incubations of sediments to obtain flux data. The device comprises a single chamber with a lid and a cylinder that mechanically pivots around a center point on a rotating platform. It can be deployed using a small marine vessel to the desired subsea location without a crane and obtains multiple benthic incubations over days to weeks.

FAU seeks partners to advance this technology into the marketplace through licensing or development partnerships.