Current and Potential Uses of a Custom-made in Situ Raman Spectrometer for Deep-sea Applications

Lots of marine research programs require versatile instruments which should be able to provide with high accurate in situ measurements for detecting targeted molecules. Identification methods based on the spectroscopic signature of these compounds are probably the one of most suitable criteria. Raman scattering is known to be a very selective method widely used in laboratories. During the last decades, Raman spectroscopy was not exclusively remained within the perimeter of laboratory analyses, as the development of portable instruments have offered new opportunities for on-field measurements, especially for underwater applications such as gas or mineral analyses. Furthermore, not too long ago this was considered unsuitable for the detection of dissolved analytes within the water column; now thanks to the SERS technique, it is possible to carry out such an in situ measurement.