BCO-DMO BlogInstrument: Coupled Asymmetrical MOCNESS
The Coupled Asymmetrical Multiple Opening/Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System (MOCNESS) couples two sub-systems (1-m2 and 4-m2 net sizes) working in synchronization. The system allows for sampling of both zooplankton prey and icthyoplankton predator fields by employing a combination system of two sets of nets with different mesh and mouth sizes. This Coupled Asymmetrical MOCNESS, first described by Guigand et al. (2005), was constructed using a 1-m2 and a 4-m2 MOCNESS system from Biological Environmental Sampling System Inc. (B.E.S.S. Inc.). The individual net frames were removed and a new frame was constructed, joining the two systems, at the Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) in Miami. Refer to:
Guigand, C.M., Cowen, R.K., Llopiz, J.K., and Richardson, D.E. 2005. A coupled asymmetrical multiple opening closing net with environmental sampling systems. Mar. Technol. Soc. J. 39(2): 22–24. doi:10.4031/002533205787444042.
Ichthyoplankton was collected using a modified Multiple Opening Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System (MOCNESS, Guigand et al. 2005). The MOCNESS sampled discrete 20-m depth bins down to 80 m using paired nets (4 m2 and 1 m2) fitted with 1-mm and 150-μm mesh, respectively. All tows were conducted during daylight hours; samples were preserved immediately in 95% ethanol, and transferred to 70% ethanol upon returning to the laboratory. Specimens used in this study were all collected with the large-mesh nets (i.e., 1-mm).
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