Future of oceanographic sampling

Question 1

What are the limitations of ship based sampling?

Answer 1

• limited spatial and temporal resolution
• restricted by ship’s capabilities (water depth, ice etc)
• expensive and time consuming
• cannot sample ‘small’ features

Question 2

What are the benefits of manned submersibles/ROVs?

Answer 2

They allow precise sampling of small scale sampling & have rel large payloads

Question 3

What are the features of AUVs?

Answer 3

• deployed from a ship
• pre-programmed dive sequences
• carry a wide variety of instruments (flow cytometers, ADCPs, chemical sensors etc.)
• newest versions can operate down to 6km depth & under ice shelves

Question 4

What are some examples of AUVs?

Answer 4

• AUTOSUB 6000
• Autosub long range
• The Sentry
• REMUS 6000

Question 5

What are some features of argo floats?

Answer 5

• global array of ~3700 free-drifting profiling floats that measure the temp and salinity of the upper 2000m of the ocean
• allows continuous monitoring of the upper ocean, with data relayed and made publicly available within hours after collection

Question 6

What are some features of gliders?

Answer 6

• can be deployed from ship or from shore
• can control buoyancy to move up and down
• cover long distances to provide temp, salinity & other data like oxygen, fluorescence, nutrients, echosounder for detecting zooplankton & pelagic fish
• data sent to home lab
• missions last from days to months

Question 7

What are the advantages of gliders?

Answer 7

• can operate independently from a ship
• high temporal and spatial coverage
• ‘plug and play’ payload
• data can be relayed to shore remotely (no need to be retrieved)

Question 8

What are the limitations of gliders?

Answer 8

• capability for repeat surveys compromised in areas of strong tidal currents
• ability to collect seafloor photos compromised if turbidity high (e.g. near coastal headlands, high plankton biomass)
• possible entanglement with fishing gear, other marine debris, collision with shipping traffic or offshore structures
• battery life

Question 9

What are the types of in situ chemical analyses?

Answer 9

• Sensors (no reagents, no moving parts)

- Lab-on-chip (higher precision and accuracy, consume reagents, often high power consumption, moving parts- reliability)

Question 10

What provides information into the temporal and spatial variability of temp & salinity in the upper 2000m of the oceans?

Answer 10

Argo floats

Question 11

What samplers can be deployed from a ship or from shore?

Answer 11

Gliders