Despite the global importance of the marine environment, the oceans remain temporally and spatially under sampled. Traditionally water samples have been collected and processed in a laboratory. These methods are unable to provide the temporal and spatial resolution that is required to understand the chemical and biological processes taking place within the oceans. They can also be subject to chemical changes, may not reflect the ambient conditions at the time of sample collection and can from suffer contamination due to handling techniques. In situ methods minimise these problems and can provide a much greater sampling rate and distribution.

SENSEnet is a EU funded multi-disciplinary network working on in situ sensor development for the marine environment. These sensors use a range of techniques from optical techniques (e.g. optical fibers, hyperspectral imaging, planar optodes, Raman spectroscopy) to wet chemical, electrochemical, eddy correlation and biosensor techniques. Measurements include nutrients (silicate, phosphate, nitrate), trace metals (Fe, Mn), carbonate, pCO2, pH, oxygen, sulphide species and pollutants. In addition, challenges common to all sensor development such as their integration onto multiple platforms and instruments (observatories, autonomous underwater vehicles, remotely operated vehicles) and biofouling are being addressed.

Abstracts are invited from scientists and engineers working in the field of marine in situ sensor development and their application.