RAPID: High-resolution sampling of plankton taxa, marine snow, and environmental variables across the north Atlantic subpolar gyre

该项目将利用一艘船只在高纬度穿越北大西洋的机会，对浮游动物、海洋“雪”（生物聚集体）和环境变量进行高分辨率取样，从苏格兰阿伯丁经冰岛以南的路线到格陵兰南部，然后向南穿越拉布拉多海和大浅滩到马萨诸塞州的伍兹霍尔。采样将使用视频浮游生物记录仪II（VPRII）进行。VPR能够对脆弱的浮游生物进行原位非破坏性采样，并通过快速拖曳部署（在进行中不断上升和下降），提供高垂直（顶部150米）和水平分辨率的健壮和脆弱的浮游生物和聚集体以及许多环境变量。VPRII目前已在世界各地的几个地点部署，但远北大西洋没有可比的数据集，这是一个具有强烈生态意义的地区。这一机会来自向伍兹霍尔海洋研究所交付的一艘新的研究船R/V Falkor。预算包括技术人员的时间，旅行到船上，和用品。事实上，由于运输时间是“免费”的，这使得这是一种非常具有成本效益的采样方式。该项目将收集一个主要数据集，供分析之用，可快速处理的数据（声学、水文、自动图像分析）将很快提供给社区。两个博士学生们将参加这次航行，增加他们在海洋学和高纬度海洋科学方面的培训。

This project will use the opportunity of a ship crossing the North Atlantic at high latitude to conduct a high-resolution sampling transect of mesozooplankton, marine "snow" (biogenic aggregates), and environmental variables from Aberdeen, Scotland to southern Greenland via a route south of Iceland, thence south across the Labrador Sea and the Grand Banks to Woods Hole, MA. Sampling will be done with the Video-Plankton Recorder II (VPRII). The VPR enables non-destructive sampling of fragile plankton in situ, and through rapid tow-yo deployments (continuous raising and lowering while under way), it provides high vertical (top 150 m) and horizontal resolution of robust as well as fragile plankton and aggregates and numerous environmental variables. The VPRII has now been deployed in several locations around the world, but there is no comparable data set for the far North Atlantic, an area of intense ecological interest. This opportunity arises from the delivery of a new research vessel, R/V Falkor, to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The budget covers technician time, travel to the ship, and supplies. The fact that ship time comes "free" because of the transit makes this an exceptionally cost-effective way to sample. This project will collect a major data set that will be available for analysis, and data that can be quickly processed (acoustic, hydrographic, automated image analysis) will be available to the community soon. Two Ph.D. students will participate in the cruise, adding to their training in oceanography and high latitude marine science.