A team of industrial, academic, and nonprofit institutions that was among the top finishers of the recent ocean acidification XPrize is donating its winnings to a University of Washington lab that helps track ocean conditions worldwide.

The donation, made Oct. 13 during an event at the UW College of the Environment and announced by Honeywell, will allow the UW and the international Argo program to begin broadening observations to include ocean acidification.

The donation is winnings from the Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPrize, a global challenge to develop cheap, accurate and efficient tests for seawater acidity. Members of the UW’s Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean helped to administer the 22-month contest, which included tests in February at the Seattle Aquarium. The consortium had previously announced plans to donate its $250,000 winnings.