Collaborative Research: Development of Autonomous Underwater Instruments to Sense Zooplankton and Their Environment Using a Laser Optical Plankton Counter

0321167查克利0320739杰克逊这项授予斯克里普斯海洋学研究所（加州大学圣地亚哥分校）和得克萨斯A M大学的合作重大研究仪器奖&为SOLOPC的开发提供了资金，一种结合了现有SOLO浮标剖面仪技术和激光光学浮游生物计数器（LOPC）的自主剖面浮标提供一种评估海洋浮游动物分布以及海洋物理特性和环流的手段。初步目标是开发一种仪器，在长达一年的时间内制作50-100个剖面图，在此期间，仪器将在地面上通过卫星传送位置和剖面图数据，并最终回收。 较长期的目标是开发相对便宜的、消耗性的仪器，适用于海盆规模的研究。 开发工作建立在几代剖面浮标的基础上，包括ALACE和SOLO，它们通过卫星进行剖面、漂移和传输物理海洋学和定位数据，以自动绘制海流和海洋物理特性。 这里的额外数据与浮游动物的大小与LOPC将增加与荧光计测量叶绿素a以及。 实地评价和测试以几种方式纳入三年开发工作。 漂浮参数的初步评估将在斯克里普斯研究所的小船上进行海上测试。 更完整的测试将涉及20天的联合国海洋和海洋法办事处船只时间（Sproul、New Horizon），根据用水样和拖网收集的船上数据验证SOLOPC数据，最后测试将包括在CALCOFI在南加州外巡航期间部署，浮子与研究船同时通过南加州站的标准网格。 该仪器奖由NSF海洋科学部支持。 斯克里普斯海洋学研究所提供非联邦基金的费用分摊支助。

0321167 Checkley0320739 JacksonThis collaborative Major Research Instrumentation award to Scripps Institution of Oceanography (University of California at San Diego) and Texas A&M University provides funds for development of the SOLOPC, an autonomous profiling float that combines existing SOLO float profiler technology with a laser optic plankton counter (LOPC) to provide a means of assessing oceanic zooplankton distribution in addition to physical ocean properties and circulation. The initial objective is to develop an instrument that will produce 50-100 profiles over a period up to one year, during which it will transmit position and profile data via satellite when at the surface, and ultimately be recovered. The longer-term objective is to develop relatively inexpensive, expendable instruments, suitable for ocean basin-scale studies. The development effort builds on several generations of profiling floats, including ALACE and SOLO, which profile, drift and transmit physical oceanographic and position data via satellites to autonomously profile currents and physical properties of the ocean. The additional data here on zooplankton size with the LOPC will be augmented with a fluorometer for measuring chlorophyll a as well. Field evaluation and testing is incorporated in the three-year development effort in several ways. Initial evaluation of float parameters will be tested offshore from Scripps Institution in small boats. More complete testing will involve 20 days of UNOLS vessel time (Sproul, New Horizon), validating SOLOPC data against shipboard data collected with water samples and net tows, and the final testing will include deployment during a CALCOFI cruise off Southern California, with the floats transiting the standard grid of Southern California stations simultaneously with the research vessel. This instrumentation award is supported by the Division of Ocean Sciences at NSF. Scripps Institution of Oceanography provides cost sharing support from non-federal funds.***