Collaborative Research: Benthic Observatory and Technology Testbed On the Mid Shelf -- Understanding Processes

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P.I. Savidge, William (Skid) Proposal #: 0536326PROJECT TITLE: Benthic Observatory and Technology Testbed On the Mid Shelf-Understanding ProcessesProject SummaryThe PIs propose to augment an existing observatory array to investigate benthic exchange in sandy sediments. The existing observational array will be augmented with an assortment of sensors designed to measure fluid forces and physical and geochemical responses near, at, and below the seabed. Some sensors represent existing technology, some represent relatively new technology in development, and others will be developed, tested, and deployed as part of this project (subseabed thermistor and redox sensor arrays, benthic chlorophyll fluorescence imaging). Present instrumentation includes meteorological packages, ADCPs, surface and bottom CTDs, fluorometers and PAR sensors. The observatory instrumentation will be used to characterize the seabed response to physical forces acting across a spectrum of time scales. The frequency, intensity, and timing of energetic events will be detected within the water column, and their manifestation within the BBL will be followed. BBL instrumentation will measure thresholds of bed motion and characterize near-bed suspended loads, and will be used to estimate pressure fields and advective fluxes at the interface. In situ geochemical sensors will be used to characterize rates of advection of properties within the sediment and connect those properties to both physical forcing above the interface and biological forcing driven by seasonal and diurnal cues. The combination of instrumentation and observational strategies will produce a holistic portrait of the causes and consequences of benthic exchange processes in permeable sediments.