Develpoment of a Second Generation Video Plankton Recorder for General Oceanographic Use

9820099戴维斯伍兹霍尔海洋研究所将承担第二代浮游生物录像机(VPR)系统的开发工作，该系统具有更好的性能和能力。最初的VPR原型是在过去八年中开发的，目的是量化浮游生物和水文在大范围(毫米到100公里)范围内的分布模式。还开发了一种新的图像处理/数据显示系统，可以自动识别浮游植物，并实时显示其在海上的分布情况。虽然VPR有潜力使生物海洋学家能够获得关于浮游生物和环境变量的实时高分辨率分布数据，但只有一个原型系统存在。这一努力将在关键领域进行改进，减少总体尺寸和重量，并使其更容易为广大海洋界所接受。要完成的任务包括：1)将拖体从减压鳍升级为水平和垂直动态可控的波浪体。这种新的设计将增强在不同深度的拖曳能力，同时减少电缆直径、绞车尺寸和成本，从而允许从小型沿海船只进行部署。2)从两台摄像机升级到一台像素密度高一个数量级的高分辨率数码相机；3)升级图像处理系统，以提高精度和易用性，并将图像处理所需的计算机从PC和Unix工作站减少到一台PC。通过使新的VPR系统通用、易用，并为广大海洋学界所用，该仪器将使生物海洋学家能够快速采样动态远洋环境，获得广泛尺度上的浮游类群和环境变量的分布数据。

9820099DavisThe Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will undertake development of a second generation Video Plankton Recorder (VPR) system with improved performance and capabilities. The original prototype VPR has been developed over the past eight years to quantify the distribution patterns of plankton and hydrography over broad range of scales (millimeters to 100s of kilometers). A new image processing/data display system that can automatically identify planktonic taxa and provide visualizations of their distributions at sea in real time has also been developed. While the VPR has potential for enabling biological oceanographers to obtain real-time high-resolution distribution data on plankton and environmental variables, only one prototype system exists. This effort will make improvements in key areas, reduce overall size and weight, and make it more accessible to the general oceanographic community. Tasks to be accomplished include: 1) upgrading the tow-body from a depressor fin to an undulating body that is dynamically controllable horizontally and vertically. This new design will enhance towing capabilities at variable depths while reducing cable diameter, winch size, and cost, and thus allow deployment from small coastal vessels. 2) upgrading from two video cameras to a single high-resolution digital camera having an order of magnitude greater pixel density, and 3) upgrading the image processing system to improve accuracy and ease of use and reduce the computers needed for image processing from a PC and unix workstation to a single PC.By making the new VPR system versatile,, easy to use, and accessible to the general oceanographic community, the instrument will allow biological oceanographers to rapidly sample the dynamic pelagic environment, obtaining distribution data on planktonic taxa and environmental variables over a broad range of scales.