Monitoring instrumentation suite
We use a suite of instruments to perform long time-series monitoring of the sea floor at Station M, off shore of the California Coast (34.5°N, 123° W). Most of the instruments used at Sta. M are autonomous, working independently at depth (4000m) without outside control for nearly a year at a time. The lab has increasingly worked toward developing instruments that collect data during extended deployments lasting up to a year.
Station M instrumentation suite (not to scale).
For an update on the results of long-term monitoring at Station M, see the open access paper:
US government approves $11 million grant for “eyes on the ocean” off Central and Northern California
Nov 30, 2016 - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently approved a five-year, $11 million grant to the Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS). On December 5-6, 2016, CeNCOOS will hold its annual meeting to discuss recent discoveries and future plans for monitoring the coast using funds from their new federal grant.
Lagrangian sediment traps
Sediment traps are used to collect sinking organic matter as it descends toward the seafloor. Most sediment traps are moored in one location, but Lagrangian sediment traps drift with the currents.
Time-lapse camera mooring
The time-lapse camera consists of a Benthos 377 camera mounted on a titanium frame at an angle of 31 degrees from horizontal with the lens approximately two meters above the seafloor. Up to 3,500 images can be collected in 4.6 months.
Benthic Rover
The Benthic Rover autonomously transits the seafloor taking measurements of sediment community oxygen consumption, which the lab uses to calculate organic carbon demand.
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.
Science
- Upper-ocean systems
- Midwater research
- Seafloor processes
- Areas of study
- Past research
- Research publications
