Free vehicle grab respirometer (FVGR)
Oxygen consumption (a measure of biological activity) of the organisms living in the sediment is measured using a free vehicle grab respirometer.
Seagoing tools
High-frequency suction samplers
This midwater toolsled contains a High-Frequency Suction Sampler (HFSS).
SCUBA gear
Blue water diving is a highly specialized mode of scientific diving that lets researchers observe, experiment, and collect delicate midwater organisms in situ.
Detritus sampler
Detritus samplers are these clear plastic cylinders to collect fragile organisms such as jellyfish. These cylinders are attached to a mechanical arm that swings out from the body of a remotely operated vehicle.
CTD rosette
The CTD measures conductivity (which helps determine salinity), temperature, and depth.
Benthic respirometer system
Oxygen consumption (a measure of biological activity) of the organisms living in the sediment is measured using a benthic respirometer system (BRS). This instrument is used in situ (in place on the seafloor).
Wax-tipped corer
This device is used to collect volcanic glass fragments from the surface of a flow. It is made of about 250kg of steel and is launched over the stern of the ship on a wire. Fragments of rock that break off of the lava flow on impact are trapped in wax-tipped cones mounted around the crusher. The wax is melted in the lab to liberate the rock particles for analysis.
Vibracores
Vibracoring is a common technique used to obtain samples from water-saturated sediment. These corers work by attaching a motor that induces high frequency vibrations in the core liner that in turn liquefies the sediment directly around the core cutter, enabling it to pass through the sediment with little resistance.
Push cores
A push core looks like a clear plastic tube with a rubber handle on one end. Just as its name implies, the push core is pushed down into loose sediment using the ROV’s manipulator arm.
Sedimentation Event Sensor (SES)
The SES is a sediment trap that images the sample rather than collecting it, allowing for a temporal resolution of hours rather than days, and more detailed analysis of sediment components.
Sediment traps
Sediment traps collect the samples needed for the lab’s measure of particulate organic carbon. The sample is split into portions for microscopy, pigment analysis and carbon analysis.
Experimental wave-power buoy survives winter in Monterey Bay
Feb 4, 2015 – In early January 2015, a team of MBARI engineers, led by Andy Hamilton, set out to sea to recover an experimental buoy that creates electrical energy from ocean waves. This power buoy had been deployed six miles southwest of Moss Landing Harbor for 131 days, while engineers tested the system’s ability to handle storms.
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About MBARI
Research programs at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) encompass the entire ocean, from the surface waters to the deep seafloor, and from the coastal zone to the open sea. The need to understand the ocean in all its complexity and variability drives MBARI's research and development efforts.