In Situ Camera Systems for Measuring the Abundance, Flux andSinking Speed of Marine Snow Aggregates

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This ocean sciences instrumentation development project will be undertaken by Dr. Vernon Asper, a post-doctoral assistant professor at the Center for Marine Science at the University of Southern Mississippi. The project's goal is to develop an integrated camera system to assess the flux, abundance, and sinking speed of marine snow aggregates in the open ocean. The system will include dual cameras, customized electronics, CTD, a transmissometer, and a specially designed settling chamber. The system is designed to improve upon an earlier prototype system. It will provide scientific information that cannot readily be obtained by existing methods. The project is in response to a long-term requirement of marine chemists and biological oceanographers to measure the abundance, distribution, and settling rates of microscopic particles in the ocean. The information is needed to better understand their role in the marine ecosystem and in sedimentation processes. The extremely frail nature of these ubiquitous particles makes these measurements very difficult to obtain, and an in-situ camera system is the most reliable way to obtain high quality data. The proposal includes plans to test and use the proposed instrumentation on funded research projects and to make it available to other scientists.