MRI Development: Imaging FlowCytobot on Autonomous Vehicles for Plankton Research and Harmful Algal Bloom Mitigation

Imaging FlowCytobot （IFCB）用于识别和监测10 ~ 200微米的浮游生物，这些浮游生物在沿海水华（包括有害藻华，HABs）中尤为重要，在海洋生态系统中起着至关重要的作用。IFCB结合了流式细胞术和视频技术来自动捕获微生物的图像。现有的IFCB仪器可以在无人看管的情况下在海洋中部署6-9个月，并已用于产生固定位置的浮游生物时间序列，其细节前所未有。因为这些研究是在一个流动的海洋中进行的，所以它们总是受到关于一个斑块和动态系统的空间变异性的问题的影响。该项目将推进IFCB技术，开发一种自动车辆版本的仪器（IFCB- av），可以部署在不同的车辆上，实现长时间和空间覆盖的高分辨率浮游生物研究。由于目前在适当空间尺度上观察浮游植物的技术存在差距，获得共享使用的IFCB-AVs（带车辆）将促进广泛的水生研究领域的知识。将直接受益于IFCB-AV的研究课题包括气候变化对美国沿海水域和北极浮游生物群落结构的影响，支持关键渔业的大陆架断裂生态系统变化的原因，季节性浮游植物繁殖的调节，以及墨西哥湾和缅因湾有害藻华的早期检测。IFCB-AV技术应用的更广泛影响将从基础研究问题扩展到基于科学的社会相关问题管理和决策支持。现有的IFCB时间序列技术已被证明对减缓有害藻华事件有效，IFCB- av将加强对这些问题的影响，以及对其他环境管理应用的影响，例如以知识为基础的综合生态系统评估，以支持渔业问题。拟议的活动将改善培训基础设施和研究人员的发展。随着IFCB-AV系统的共同使用，不同的受训人员将参与研究设计、现场操作和部署结果分析。该项目还将通过加强与海洋生态系统空间变异性的尺度和影响有关的内容，影响课堂教学。IFCB-AV将被开发用于多种车辆，以适应不同的研究目标。设计、建造和评估的迭代过程将被采用。使用传统的横向IFCB进行的实验室测试（如部署在小型车辆上所需）将指导长期部署所需的设计和操作修改。在水中（拖曳）部署模式是首选，以兼容各种车辆，并简化仪器温度控制和水采样。如果这种方法被证明有问题，仪器将被重新设计，以获得通过关键分析区域的垂直水流，但其余组件采用模块化布局。在这种情况下，仪器将安装在一个与一系列车辆外壳兼容的扁平盒子内。

Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB) was developed to identify and monitor plankton in the size range 10 ~ 200 microns, which can be especially important in coastal blooms (including harmful algal blooms, HABs) and play critical roles in marine ecosystems. IFCB uses a combination of flow cytometric and video technology to automatically capture images of microscopic organisms. Existing IFCB instruments can be deployed unattended in the ocean for 6-9 month duration and have been used to produce fixed location plankton time series with unprecedented detail. Because these studies take place in a fluid ocean, they are always subject to questions about spatial variability in a patchy and dynamic system. This project will advance IFCB technology to develop an autonomous vehicle-ready version of the instrument (IFCB-AV) that can be deployed on diverse vehicles to enable high resolution plankton studies with both long duration and spatial coverage. Because of the current gap in technology for observing phytoplankton at appropriate spatial scales, access to shared-use IFCB-AVs (with vehicles) will advance knowledge in a wide range of aquatic research areas. Research topics that will directly benefit from IFCB-AV include effects of climate change on plankton community structure in US coastal waters and the Arctic, causes of variability in shelf break ecosystems that support critical fisheries, regulation of seasonal phytoplankton blooms, and early detection of harmful algal blooms in the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of Maine. The broader impacts of applications of IFCB-AV technology will span from basic research problems to science-based support for management and decision making in societally relevant problems. The existing IFCB time series technology has already proven effective for mitigation of HAB events, and IFCB-AV will enhance impact for these problems, as well as to other environmental management applications, such as knowledge-based Integrated Ecosystem Assessments in support of problems in fisheries. The proposed activities will improve training infrastructure and development of the research workforce. As shared use of the IFCB-AV system proceeds, diverse trainees will be involved in study design, field operation, and analysis of results from deployments. The project will also influence classroom instruction by enhancing content related to scales and impacts of spatial variability in marine ecosystems. IFCB-AV will be developed for use with multiple vehicles to suit different research goals. An iterative process for design, construction, and evaluation will be employed. Laboratory-based tests with a conventional IFCB oriented horizontally (as required for deployment on small vehicles) will guide design and operational modifications needed for long-duration deployments. An in-water (towed) deployment mode is preferred for compatibility with a wide range of vehicles and to simplify instrument temperature control and water sampling. If this approach proves problematic, the instrument will be redesigned to obtain vertical water flow through the critical analysis region but with modular layout of the remaining components. In this case the instrument will fit within a flat box compatible with a range of vehicle hulls.