RAPID: Application of ISIIS to a multi-instrumented experiment on lateral mixing and dispersion on the inner shelf

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Intellectual MeritThis RAPID project will augment an extensive field experiment aimed at identifying and quantifying lateral mixing and dispersion on the inner (coastal) shelf. In their funded experiment, Monismith, Stacey, Powell, and McManus (Project title: Collaborative Research - Lateral mixing and dispersion on the inner shelf) are focusing on the physical vertical and horizontal mixing processes that drive horizontal transport in the surface and benthic mixed layers, and the midwater, highly stratified layer, where thin layers of biological material can accumulate. Through a combination of moored, autonomous and towed instrumentation, their experimental design is focused on the fine vertical (cm-m) and horizontal (m-100's m) scales through measurements of vertical and horizontal velocities, temperature, salinity and density fields, as well as optical (and acoustic) properties aimed at identifying plankton distributions (both phyto- and zooplankton). While the primary focus on their work is physical, the PIs have an explicit interest in the biological ramifications of the development and horizontal dispersal associated with the various layers of the inner shelf. This RAPID award supports added capacity to the experiment from the perspective of the biological communities likely to be impacted by the mixing and dispersal properties under study. By adding sampling with our In Situ Ichthyoplankton Imaging System (ISIIS), the planktonic community will be visually resolved to key taxonomic levels due to the very high optical resolution capabilities of ISIIS. Never before has there been such an opportunity for coupling very fine-scale physical mechanistic measurements with comparable biological measurements. Moreover, the sampling capabilities of ISIIS will allow the fine-scale scale focus of this work also to be placed into a submesoscale (~ 10-15 km) spatial scale perspective.Broader ImpactsBroader impacts of this RAPID project consist of image analysis and digital archiving that will generate a permanent, digital recording of planktonic specimens with their associated environmental data. Availability of such a resource of data will increase the capacity to share information among the scientific community. Images collected during the course of this study will be available to the science and education community through access to the a database held at the UM CSS (via communication with the lead PI and a Website (ftp) link) to be developed. With respect to educational value, the PIs will train one doctoral graduate student with a focus on interdisciplinary research: integrating marine science, computer science, and engineering. Other graduate and undergraduate students will have the opportunity to utilize ISIIS data for specific research projects relevant to biological oceanography in association with the PI's lab.