Announcing the NEW SBS 83 In-Air Oxygen Sensor

We are so excited to announce the launch of our SBS 83 Optical Oxygen Sensor, which is set to become the standard for Navis floats as part of the GO-BGC program, which is meant to build a network of chemical and biological sensors to monitor global ocean health. This program is funded by the US National Science Foundation.

The SBS 83 uses field data from surfacing floats to allow customers to precisely adjust the sensor periodically, maintaining the program’s dissolved oxygen accuracy over the float lifetime. As a key parameter for understanding biogeochemical properties that provide insight on ocean health, oxygen has been a required measurement for floats within the global Biogeochemical (BGC) Argo fleet, which is widely used across oceanographic platforms. In collaboration with our partners from around the globe, we developed this new sensor to continue to provide efficient and accurate data collection over the lifetime of the float.

Key benefits:

• In-air oxygen measurements enable post processing corrections to sensor drift in the field
• Equipped with a profiling range from the surface to 2000-db.
• Ensures that when marketed as a package, the Sea-Bird Scientific Navis BGC float meets all requirements for the NSF-funded GO-BGC program.

Unlike previous optical dissolved oxygen sensors used for in-air measurements on floats, the SBS 83 sensor is integrated to the CTD flow path through a plenum. This protects the sensing elements from damaging environmental exposure from the sun, wind and waves, and ensures measurement alignment and high accuracy through the water column by measuring the same water for the Temperature, Conductivity, and pH sensors. The SBS specially designed plenum allows the sensing surface to drain seawater efficiently and quickly for in-air measurements, allowing for field calibration of the oxygen sensor through post processing.

The SBE 63, the SBS 83’s predecessor, will still be available for purchase for customers interested in floats.

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