Iron Depositor - Best Build

Innovative mechanism used to release iron into the ocean to stimulate growth of phytoplankton, which in response, will result in lower levels of CO2 in the ocean.

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Inspiration

We are a group of student that loves the ocean and the outdoors. Over the past couple hundred year, mankind has contributed to an uptick in CO2 emissions which also has affected the oceans of the world. As a result, oceans have experienced an increase in its acidity and temperature which affects the marine ecosystem. With this in mind, we began working on our device.

What it does

Our device, the iron depositor, is made out of recyclable materials, while being integrated with an electro-mechanical Arduino setup. While operating, the device will capture the temperature of the ocean water and when the temperature goes above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, a small deposit of iron minerals will be deposited into the ocean. The purpose of the iron deposit is that it helps with the preservation of the marine ecosystem. Additionally, iron will help stimulate the growth of phytoplankton which take in CO2 and release oxygen into the ocean. As a result, the device will help over time to reduce CO2 levels, increase O2 levels, and preserve the marine ecosystem as we know it.

How we built it

With our mind of conservation and preservation the ocean environment impact, the device is made of all recyclable materials to minimize our carbon footprint. The heart of device is the Arduino-powered kit that regulates the deployment of an iron deposit on a real-time temperature measurements of the ocean surface water.

Challenges we ran into

The encountered many challenges and project setbacks. We faced many technical challenges related to the reliability and accuracy of our device's temperature sensor and the deployment mechanism. We also faced issues with the reliability of the device design to see if the device will be able to float above the surface of the ocean. Overcoming these setbacks required extensive research and team collaboration.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We reached several milestones and accomplishments for our "Iron Depositor" project. One accomplish is that we built a working prototype. This achievement let our group turn the project from a concept to practical and innovative solution. Another accomplishment is that we developed a user-friendly website to see the network of "Iron Depositor" devices to monitor the location and iron reserve levels. The implementation of google maps helped us accomplish the precise device location in the remote ocean in our interactive site. In addition, we were able to get an accurate data collection of the real-time temperature readings of the ocean surface water.

What we learned

Throughout the course of the creation of the device, many lessons were learned by our team. First, our team further developed many soft-skills such as leadership, collaboration, and critical thinking. From a technical standpoint, the team became more proficient in using Arduino technology with regards to the electrical, mechanical, and software aspects of it. In addition, we each were able to validate our own strengths. For example, our software engineers became more proficient with web development using HTML,CSS, and JavaScript while our engineers became more proficient with using CAD as well as understanding the details of an electro-mechanical system.

What's next for Iron Depositor

Our project will continue to be further developed. We hope to continue to find ways to increase the efficiency of the prototype as well as make the outward appearance aesthetically pleasing. We plan to conduct more testing and data collection in order to deploy our devices into various ocean environments. The extensive data collecting will help us to observe the device's effectiveness under varying oceanic conditions to minimize the ecological impact. In addition, we hope to partner up with various ocean research groups to maximize our environmental impact.

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