Instruments

An instrument that measures the light intensity emitted from a sample. [Definition Source: NCI]
Photometers are used to measure iIlluminance, irradiance, light absorption, scattering of light, reflection of light, fluorescence, phosphorescence, and luminescence.
[May include luminometers]

Acquires satellite signals and tracks your location.

This term has been deprecated. Use instead: https://www.bco-dmo.org/instrument/560

Capable of being performed in numerous environments, push coring is just as it sounds. Push coring is simply pushing the core barrel (often an aluminum or polycarbonate tube) into the sediment by hand. A push core is useful in that it causes very little disturbance to the more delicate upper layers of a sub-aqueous sediment.

Description obtained from: http://web.whoi.edu/coastal-group/about/how-we-work/field-methods/coring/

Description excerpt from Hydroptic website
http://www.hydroptic.com/index.php/public/Page/product_item/ZOOSCAN

The ZooSCAN (CNRS patent) system makes use of scanner technology with custom lighting and a watertight scanning chamber into which liquid zooplankton samples can be placed. The scanner recovers a high-resolution, digitial image and the sample can be recovered without damage.  These digital images can then be investigated by computer processing. While the resolution of the digitized zooplankton images is lower than the image obtained using a binocular microscope this technique has proved to be more than adequate for large sample sets. Identification of species is done by automatic comparison of the image (vignette) of each individual animal in the scanned image with a library data set which may be built by the investigator for each individual survey or imported from a previous survey. The latest machine learning algorithm allows high recognition levels even if we recommend complementary manual sorting to achieve a high number of taxonomic groups.

Optical instruments and graduated poles used in surveying to determine the elevation of a location relative to a datum level.

A device designed to regulate the temperature of a vessel by bathing it in water held at the desired temperature. [Definition Source: NCI] 

The Chromium Controller by 10x Genomics uses advanced microfluidics to perform single-cell partitioning and barcoding. Powered by Next GEM technology, the Chromium Controller enables integrated analysis of single cells at massive scale. Chromium Single Cell products can capture molecular readouts of cell activity in multiple dimensions, including gene expression, cell surface proteins, immune clonotype, antigen specificity, and chromatin accessibility. (https://www.10xgenomics.com/instruments/chromium-controller).

An enclosed chamber designed to produce heat.

A device mounted on a ship that holds water samples under conditions of controlled temperature or controlled temperature and illumination.

A system of instruments/devices that provide irradiation of materials. Irradiation is an energy transfer process during which a material entity receives energy through radiation.

The Paroscientific 410K Pressure Transducer is an absolute pressure transducer with a Digiquartz pressure sensor and precision thermometer. Operates over a temperature range of 0-125 degC and a pressure range of 0-10000 psia with a typical accuracy of 0.01% and a resolution of 0.0001%.

An immersion transducer is a single element longitudinal wave transducer with a 1/4 wavelength layer acoustically matched to water. Immersion transducers are specifically designed to transmit ultrasound in applications where the test parts are partially or wholly immersed in water, which allows a uniform and fast coupling technique for rapid scanning of parts.

A muffle furnace or muffle oven (sometimes retort furnace in historical usage) is a furnace in which the subject material is isolated from the fuel and all of the products of combustion, including gases and flying ash.  A type of jacketed enclosure that is used to heat a material to significantly high temperatures while keeping it contained and fully isolated from external contaminants, chemicals or substances. Muffle furnaces are usually lined with stainless steel, making them largely corrosion-resistant.

Capable of being performed in numerous environments, percussion coring techniques are just as they sound. Similar to push coring (in which the core barrel is pushed into the sediment by hand), in percussion coring, the core is driven into the sediment by a percussion instrument such as a mallet or slide hammer.

Description from: https://web.whoi.edu/coastal-group/about/how-we-work/field-methods/coring/

A device designed to regulate temperature by controlling the starting and stopping of a heating/cooling system.

The PME miniDOT logger is a submersible sensor designed to measure water temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration. Dissolved oxygen is measured by an optode that measures lifetime-based luminescence quenching of a thin membrane. The sensing foil contains a coating with a variable fluorescence depending on the oxygen concentration of the surrounding water. The miniDOT reports in milligrams per liter (mg/L) and logs all measurements to an internal SD card. Also featured is a temperature sensor and batteries. Data can be offloaded to a computer via USB cable. The logger has an accuracy of +/- 5 percent (+/- 0.3 mg/L) for oxygen, and +/- 0.1 degrees Celsius for temperature. Temperature range is 0 to 35 degrees Celsius, oxygen range is 0 to 150 percent saturation. Depth-rated to 300 meters.

Instrument description from the manufacturer: https://www.pme.com/products/minidot

A generator is an engine designed to produce electricity or a device designed to produce a vapor or gas.

The squidpop assay is described in detail in Duffy et al., 2015 (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142994).

In summary, the squidpop consists of a standard prey item: a small piece of dried squid mantle tissue, tethered to a fiberglass plant stake with light monofilament fishing line. The squidpop is assembled by first punching a 1.3-centimeter (cm) diameter disc from the squid mantle using a cork borer. A length of monofilament line is threaded through the squid disc and tied to it securely, then the other end of the line is attached to the end of the plant stake with electrical tape, leaving 1-2 cm of line with the squid piece on the end. The short length of the line helps prevent tangling the tethers when squidpops are bundled together.

Squidpops are deployed by pushing the stakes securely into the substratum. The stakes are typically arranged in one or two rows, but the spatial arrangement is of secondary importance to ensuring that the squidpops can be reliably relocated and retrieved at the end of the deployment. Squidpops are assessed for the presence or absence of the squid bait after some period of time.

a thermometer embedded in a small, sturdy, thick plastic container with a rope attached.  Heave the bucket overboard and it catches water and the thermometer inside reads the temperature.

The Puck is a miniature version of the ECO series of sensors, specifically designed for use in AUVs, profiling floats, and Slocum gliders with a dry science bay. This compact optical sensor is available in combinations of backscattering and fluorescence measurements.
Manufacturer's website: https://www.seabird.com/auv-rov-sensors/eco-puck/family?productCategoryId=55352274651

Devices in which controlled conditions are maintained for a chemical process to be carried out by organisms or biochemically active substances derived from such organisms.

Devices attached to living organisms with the purpose of determining the location of those organisms as a function of time after tagging and release.

The G2201-i Isotopic Analyzer measures d13C for CH4 and CO2. See: https://www.picarro.com/products/g2201i_isotopic_analyzer

Automated trace element sampler (MITESS or ATE unit).

Bell, J., J. Betts, and E. Boyle (2002) MITESS: A Moored In-situ Trace Element Serial Sampler for Deep-Sea Moorings, Deep-Sea Research I: 49:2103-2118 (pdf)

More description: http://boyle.mit.edu/~ed/MITESS/MITESShomepage.html

An apparatus for counting and sizing particles suspended in electrolytes. It is used for cells, bacteria, prokaryotic cells and virus particles. A typical Coulter counter has one or more microchannels that separate two chambers containing electrolyte solutions.

from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulter_counter

Records temperature data over a period of time.

A rapid flow analyzer that may be used to measure nutrient concentrations in seawater. It is a continuous segmented flow instrument consisting of a sampler, peristaltic pump, analytical cartridge, heating bath, and colorimeter. See more information about this instrument from the manufacturer.

For measuring and recording water levels in rivers, streams, and wells.

A Fluorescence (or Epifluorescence) Microscope Image Analysis System uses semi-automated color image analysis to determine cell abundance, dimensions and biovolumes from an Epifluorescence Microscope. An Epifluorescence Microscope (conventional and inverted) includes a camera system that generates enlarged images of prepared samples. The microscope uses excitation ultraviolet light and the phenomena of fluorescence and phosphorescence instead of, or in addition to, reflection and absorption of visible light.

The KC Pore-water pressing bench, made by KC Denmark Research Equipment, allows pore-water extraction of any kind of sediments, from sediments rich in organic material, to sandy sediments. Sediment cores are segmented and placed in the pressing house, which is closed by means of the handle on top of the house. An over-pressure is applied (fed-in) at the reduction valve and the valves of the houses in operation are opened. The resulting compression of the sediment matrix leads to expelling of the pore-water, which is sampled in containers beneath the pressing house. Operation in a glove bag prevents atmospheric contamination with, for example, oxygen, so anaerobic analysis of the pore-water is possible. The standard cylinders are made from black Polyoxymethylene (POM). However, the cylinders and all accessories are also available as AISI 316 stainless steel for special purposes. The pressing bench consists of 5 pressing houses, each 100 ml. They can hold a maximum sample diameter of 40 mm. The instrument has a maximum operating pressure of 4 bar (400 kPa).

Photon counting is a technique in which individual photons are counted using some single-photon detector (SPD). 

A metal detector is an electronic instrument that detects the presence of metal nearby. Metal detectors are useful for finding metal inclusions hidden within objects, or metal objects buried underground. They often consist of a handheld unit with a sensor probe which can be swept over the ground or other objects.

Instruments separating gases, volatile substances or substances dissolved in a volatile solvent by transporting an inert gas through a column packed with a sorbent to a detector for assay by a mass spectrometer.

Instruments measuring the relative levels of electromagnetic radiation of different wavelengths in the gamma-ray waveband.

Tilt current meters are based upon the property that a tethered object will experience drag inside a current flow. If a restoring force perpendicular to the drag is introduced, the tethered object will tilt until the system of forces is balanced. Therefore, measuring the tilt allows calculation of drag force, from which current speed can be obtained. Measuring the direction of tilt gives current heading.

Tilt current meters operate under the drag-tilt principle and are designed to either float or sink depending on the type. A floating tilt current meter typically consists of a sub-surface buoyant housing that is anchored to the sea floor with a flexible line or tether. A sinking tilt current is similar, but the housing is designed such that the meter hangs from the attachment point. In either case, the housing tilts as a function of its shape, buoyancy (negative or positive) and the water velocity. Once the characteristics of a housing is known, the velocity can be determined by measuring the angle of the housing and direction of tilt.

The Qiagen TissueLyser II is a tissue processor designed to disrupt biological samples through high-speed shaking in plastic tubes with stainless steel, tungsten carbide, or glass beads. It is used for high-throughput disruption of human, animal, and plant tissues, bacteria, and yeast to access biological information for genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics applications. It automates the purification of DNA, RNA, and protein from 1 to 96 samples. Disruption and homogenization are achieved through the beating and grinding effect of beads on the sample material as they are shaken together in the grinding vessels. Using the appropriate adapter set, up to 48 or 192 samples can be processed at the same time. Alternatively, a grinding jar set can be used to process large samples. A range of beads, bead dispensers, and collection microtubes and caps are also available. It can be programmed to provide variable speeds from 3 to 30 Hz (180-1800 oscillations per minute) and run times from 10 seconds to 99 minutes.

ROV SuBastian is operated from the research vessel Falkor and the R/V Falkor(too). The ROV is outfitted with a suite of sensors and scientific equipment to support scientific data and sample collection, as well as interactive research, experimentation, and technology development. More information available at https://schmidtocean.org/technology/robotic-platforms/4500-m-remotely-operated-vehicle-rov/

A Shaker is a piece of lab equipment used to mix, blend, or to agitate substances in tube(s) or flask(s) by shaking them, which is mainly used in the fields of chemistry and biology. A shaker contains an oscillating board which is used to place the flasks, beakers, test tubes, etc.

ROV Hercules is operated via E/V Nautilus. Hercules is outfitted with features that allow it to perform intricate tasks, including two manipulator arms, a variety of sensors and samplers, a high-definition video camera, several LED lights, and high-resolution mapping tools. The submersible receives power from the surface through a fiber-optic cable, which also transmits data and video, to allow pilots located in the shipboard control van to "fly" the ROV in any direction through the use of its six thrusters. Other sensors located on Hercules measure pressure, depth, water temperature, oxygen concentration, and salinity to accommodate requests from scientists both onboard and onshore. Hercules is equipped with multiple cameras, including the high-definition video camera that allows for real-time telepresence.

The ROV is built to withstand pressures at a depth of 4,000 meters with more than 6,000 pound-force per square inch (psi) for up to three days. See more: https://nautiluslive.org/tech/rov-hercules

A device designed to measure temperature.

A machine vision camera captures images or videos of a scene, which are then processed and analyzed using machine vision algorithms.

Laboratory apparatus that automatically introduces one or more samples with a predetermined volume or mass into an analytical instrument.

A gas flow multicounter (GM multicounter) is used for counting low-level beta doses. GM multicounters can be used for gas proportional counting of 32Si to 32P. For more information about GM multicounter usage see Krause et. al. 2011.

The chemiluminescence method for gas analysis of oxides of nitrogen relies on the measurement of light produced by the gas-phase titration of nitric oxide and ozone. A chemiluminescence analyzer can measure the concentration of NO/NO2/NOX.

One example is the Teledyne Model T200: https://www.teledyne-api.com/products/nitrogen-compound-instruments/t200

The Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) unit is an integrated instrument package designed to measure the conductivity, temperature, and pressure (depth) of the water column. The instrument is lowered via cable through the water column. It permits scientists to observe the physical properties in real-time via a conducting cable, which is typically connected to a CTD to a deck unit and computer on a ship. The CTD is often configured with additional optional sensors including fluorometers, transmissometers and/or radiometers. It is often combined with a Rosette of water sampling bottles (e.g. Niskin, GO-FLO) for collecting discrete water samples during the cast.

This term applies to profiling CTDs. For fixed CTDs, see https://www.bco-dmo.org/instrument/869934.

Instruments that quantify carbon, nitrogen and sometimes other elements by combusting the sample at very high temperature and assaying the resulting gaseous oxides. Usually used for samples including organic material.