A new instrument for tracking suspended particles in the ocean

本研究致力于一种新型水上仪器--远洋激光层析成像仪(PLT)的设计与测试。PLT是一种微型、高分辨率的光学仪器，它将最新的高分辨率光学成像与最新的高性能图像处理、分析和3D体积可视化软件相结合，提供了一种新的方法来快速扫描水柱，然后分析和可视化显示开放海洋和湖泊中悬浮颗粒的空间分布的数据。这些颗粒在构建水生生态系统中起着关键作用。它们影响光的传递，控制动植物之间的相互作用，并调节营养物质的运输。此外，它们是将有机物(主要是碳)从近地表水域转移到深海和海底的关键因素。因此，了解颗粒物的丰度、组成和分布对于了解元素在水生系统中的生物地球化学循环和物理传输是至关重要的。这项研究将为了解颗粒动力学创造新的工具，这将有助于水生生态学、生物学、地球化学和地质学的研究，并允许追踪水中的人造污染物(即塑料)。这台新仪器将创建新一代小型、廉价的传感器，可供其他科学家轻松复制，并将通过出版和演示与科学界共享，并通过在斯克里普斯的公共探索中心白桦水族馆的工作与公众共享。PLT仪器旨在为水生科学家调查海洋和淡水环境提供一种小巧、轻便(5公斤)、廉价的工具。它利用最近开发的光学机械和电子元件以及最新的高性能计算算法来进行数据分析和3D可视化。PLT将为以前受到高成本、数据存储、低分辨率、小样本体积和机械限制的远洋研究提供一个工具，所有这些都需要笨重的仪器，随后很少从大型考察船上部署。这一新仪器将使水生科学家能够以前所未有的空间分辨率以常规方式从船只(从小船到自动驾驶车辆和大型船只)和在以前无法到达的地点(如浅水近岸或冰下)研究中上层颗粒物的分布。PLT将能够经受住海洋实地部署的严酷考验，在一个小而廉价的包中，能够被其他研究人员复制，并作为独立仪器和标准科学仪器套件的一部分进行部署。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This research focuses on the design and testing of a new aquatic instrument, the Pelagic Laser Tomographer (PLT). The PLT is a miniature, high-resolution optical instrument that combines the latest in high-resolution optical imaging with the latest high-performance image processing, analysis, and 3D volume visualization software to provide a new way to quickly scan the water column, then analyze and visualize data showing the distribution in space of suspended particles in the open ocean and lakes. These particles play a critical role in structuring aquatic ecosystems. They influence the transmission of light, control animal/plant interactions, and mediate the transport of nutrients. In addition, they are a key factor in moving organic matter (importantly carbon) from near surface waters into the deep sea and to the seafloor. Consequently, understanding the abundance, composition, and distribution of particles is essential to understanding the biogeochemical cycling and physical transport of elements through aquatic systems. This research will create new tools for understanding particle dynamics that will aid research in aquatic ecology, biology, geochemistry and geology and allow the tracking of man-made pollutants (i.e. plastics) in the water. The new instrument will initiate the creation of a new generation of small, inexpensive sensors easily replicable by other scientists and will be shared with the scientific community through publication and presentation, and with the public through work at the Birch Aquarium, the public exploration center at Scripps.The PLT instrument, is designed to be a small, light-weight (5 kg), and inexpensive tool for aquatic scientists investigating both marine and freshwater environments. It makes use of recently developed optomechanical and electronic components and the latest high-performance computing algorithms for data analysis and 3D visualization. The PLT will provide a tool for pelagic research that has previously been limited by high cost, data storage, low resolution, small sample volume and mechanical constraints, all necessitating bulky instrumentation and subsequently rare deployment from a large research vessel. This new instrument will allow aquatic scientists to study the distribution of pelagic particulates with unprecedented spatial resolution in a routine manner from vessels (from small boats to autonomous vehicles and large ships) and in locations previously unreachable (like the shallow nearshore or under the ice). The PLT will be capable of withstanding the rigors of oceanographic field deployments, within a small inexpensive package that is capable of being duplicated by other researchers and deployed both as a stand-alone instrument and as part of a suite of standard scientific instruments.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.