Scientists who study ocean acidification must confront a fundamental problem: it is hard to measure exactly by how much the ocean’s pH is changing. Today’s sensors don’t work well at depth or over long periods of time, and they are too expensive to deploy widely. That is where the US$2-million Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health X Prize comes in.
The 22-month competition will award two $1-million prizes, one to the best low-cost sensor and one to the most accurate. The competition’s organizers decided to award two prizes because the two goals present different engineering challenges. Registration opens on 1 January 2014.
via nature.com
Image: NOAA photo library
