Instruments

Underwater writing slates and pencils are used to transport pre-dive plans underwater, to record facts whilst underwater and to aid communication with other divers.

The Unisense H2S microsensor is a tool for studying H2S production and oxidation in a wide range of applications. The H2S microsensor is a miniaturized amperometric sensor with internal reference and a sensing anode. The anode is polarized against an internal reference. Driven by the external partial pressure, H2S from the environment penetrates through the sensor tip membrane into the electrolyte where the H2S is ultimately oxidized by the anode. This generates a current in the pA range which is measured by a picoammeter. See more on the manufacturer's website: https://www.unisense.com/H2S/

The Unisense pH microelectrode is a miniaturized conventional pH electrode. The instrument is designed for research applications. It is based on selective diffusion of protons through pH glass, and the determination of potentials between the internal electrolyte and an internal or external reference electrode. It has a range of tip sizes (10 um-1.1 mm), a measurement range of pH 2-10 (linear 4-9) and detection limit of 0.1 pH unit. See more on the manufacturer's website: https://www.unisense.com/

Digestion instrument for UV photolysis of water samples

A centrifuge that includes a vacuum chamber within which a centrifuge rotord is rotatably mounted for spinning a plurality of vials containing a solution at high speed while subjecting the solution to a vacuum condition for concentration and evaporation. Alternative names:  sample concentrator; speed vacuum; speed vac.

A device that is used for the vacuum-driven processing of multiwell strips or plates, or spin columns.

Vector Averaging Current Meter

The Vector-Averaging Wind Recorder (VAWR) is a system designed by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) to make surface meteorological measurements. The standard WHOI Vector Averaging Wind Recorder (VAWR) of the late 1980s through early 1990s was mounted on a toroid buoy (Dean and Beardsley, 1988). In addition to wind speed and direction, the VAWR could also be configured to record water temperature and conductivity data from sensors mounted at 1 meter depth on the mooring bridle of the buoy (Trask et al., 1995).

References:

Dean, JP and RC Beardsley. 1988. A vector-averaging wind recorder (VWAR) system for surface meteorological measurements in CODE (Coastal Ocean Dynamics Experiment). Published by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole Mass. Series: CODE technical report no. 44., WHOI-88-20, WHOI Technical report (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution). 74 pp.



Trask, Richard P.; Way, Bryan S.; Ostrom, William M.; Allsup, Geoffrey P.; Weller, Robert A. 1995. Arabian Sea mixed layer dynamics experiment : mooring deployment cruise report R/V Thomas Thompson cruise number 40, 11 October-25 October 1994. (WHOI DLA URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1912/482)

The Vertical Multiple Plankton Sampler (VMPS), a variation of the multiple plankton sampler (MPS), is a specially designed opening-closing, multi-layer net system used for collecting zooplankton (Terazaki and Tomatsu, 1997). The mesh size and mouth opening can vary depending on research focus. The VMPS is towed through depth ranges with nets closed at known intervals to yield estimations of standing stock, vertical distribution and diel vertical migration.

The VMPS as described by Wiebe and Benfield (2003) is named the Ocean Research Institute Vertical Multiple Plankton Sampler (ORI-VMPS) with specifications: 100 cm x 100 cm rectangular mouth opening multiple net system that can be equipped with 4 to 10 nets, 510 cm long with 0.33 mm nylon mesh. Nets are opened/closed by surface commands down
transmitted via conduction cable to an underwater
unit (see Plate 31 C (Wiebe and Benfield, 2003)).

References:

Terazaki, M. and Tomatsu, C. (1997). A vertical multiple opening and closing plankton sampler. Journal of Advanced Marine Science Technological Society, 3, 127-132.



Wiebe, Peter H. and Mark C. Benfield, 2003. From the Hensen net toward four-dimensional biological
oceanography. Progress in Oceanography, 56, pp. 118.

The Video Plankton Recorder (VPR) is a video-microscope system used for imaging plankton and other particulate matter in the size range from a few micrometers to several centimeters. The VPR is essentially an underwater microscope. It consists of four video cameras (with magnifying optics) synchronized at 60 fields per second (fps) to a red-filtered 80 W xenon strobe (pulse duration = 1 microsecond). The current lens on each camera can be adjusted to provide a field of view between 5 mm and 10 cm. Use of higher magnification lenses is currently being explored for viewing protozoans (less than 1 micrometer resolution). The four cameras are set for concentric viewing fields so that a range of up to four magnifications can be viewed simultaneously, allowing a wide size range of plankton to be sampled. Depth of field is adjusted by the lens aperture setting, and the volume sampled in each video field ranges from about 1 ml to 1 liter, depending on lens settings. The cameras have been configured for stereoscopic viewing as well.A strobe on the other arm illuminates the imaged volume and flashes 60 times per second, producing 60 images per second of the particles and plankton in the water. The images are then saved internally on a computer hard disk and later plotted.

Deployment: Most commonly, the VPR is mounted in a frame and lowered into the water from the stern of the ship. Sometimes, a CTD also is mounted next to the VPR to collect depth, temperature, and salinity information at the same time as each video image. The instrument is lowered down through the water to a maximum depth of 350 meters to generate a profile of plankton/particle abundance and taxon group along with temperature and salinity. In addition to the towed configuration for mapping plankton distributions, it is possible to deploy the VPR in a fixed position (on a mooring) for viewing plankton swimming behaviors in two or three dimensions. The VPR instrument system has been used in both configurations, and deployment on ROVs has been proposed.

This definition was taken from the WHOI Ocean Instruments Web site and from a US GLOBEC Newsletter.

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

An instrument which measures multiple water quality parameters based on the sensor configuration.

Wave Glider G5

The ship-mounted Vaisala Weather Transmitter WXT520 measures: Wind speed and direction; Liquid precipitation: rainfall, duration, intensity; Barometric pressure; Air temperature and Relative humidity. (for more information see http://www.vaisala.com/en/products/multiweathersensors/Pages/WXT520.aspx)

A highly integrated opto-electronic design to provide a low cost, compact solution for underwater measurements of beam transmittance. The instrument is capable of either free space measurements, or through the use of an optical flow tube, flow-through sampling with a pump. It can be used in profiling, moored, or underway applications. more information from Wet Labs

The ECO BB measures scattering at 117 degrees, the angle determined as a minimum convergence point for variations in the volume scattering function (VSF) induced by suspended materials and water itself. As a result, the signal measured by this meter is less determined by the type and size of the materials in the water and is more directly correlated to the concentration of the materials. Conversely, the meter provides unparalleled accuracy for any single-angle measurement in determining the optical backscattering coefficient: an important parameter for remote sensing and in many in-water bio-optical applications.

The Environmental Characterization Optics (ECO) series of single channel fluorometers delivers both high resolution and wide ranges across the entire line of parameters using 14 bit digital processing. The ECO series excels in biological monitoring and dye trace studies. The potted optics block results in long term stability of the instrument and the optional anti-biofouling technology delivers truly long term field measurements.
more information from Wet Labs

The ECO FLNTU is a dual-wavelength, single-angle sensor for simultaneously determining both chlorophyll fluorescence and turbidity.

Submersible fluorometer designed for through-flow or pumped CTD applications manufactured by WetLabs and which can be configured for various types of fluorescence. The probe has a temperature range of 0-30 degrees C and a depth rating of 600m.

The Pop-up Archival Transmitting (Mk10-PAT) tag, manufactured by Wildlife Computers, is a combination of archival and Argos satellite technology. It is designed to track the large-scale movements and behavior of fish and other animals which do not spend enough time at the surface to allow the use of real-time Argos satellite tags. The PAT can be configured to transmit time-at-depth and time-at-temperature histograms, depth-temperature profiles, and/or light-level curves. The histogram duration (1 to 24 hours) and bin ranges can also be configured. PAT archives depth, temperature, and light-level data while being towed by the animal. At a user-specified date and time, the PAT actively corrodes the pin to which the tether is attached, thus releasing the PAT from the animal. The PAT then floats to the surface and transmits summarized information via the Argos system. Argos also uses the transmitted messages to provide the position of the tag at the time of release.

A Winkler Oxygen Titration system is used for determining concentration of dissolved oxygen in seawater.

The WP-2 net is a variety of Ring Net for zooplankton but which is capable of being closed by means of a Nansen bottle-type release messenger weighing 0.8 kg and which can be equipped with a digital flow meter for determining the amount of water passing through the plankton net. The rings may have a variety of sizes (57cm, 70cm, 75 cm, or 1m internal diameter) and the nets which make up this device are in two parts, a cylindrical upper part and a conical lower part. The closing ring is between the two net segments. (more at KC Denmark)

Instruments that identify and quantify the elemental constituents of a sample from the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the atoms in the sample when excited by X-ray radiation.

Imaging cytometers are automated instruments that quantify properties of single cells, one cell at a time. They combine some aspects of flow cytometry with particle imaging capabilities in an automated device to classify small particles, including phytoplankton and protozoa. They can measure a variety of properties: cell size, cell granularity, cell aspect ratio, equivalent spherical diameter (ESD) and area-based diameter (ABD) [to estimate bio-volume, which is used to estimate cell carbon biomass]. Particle images are digitally recorded and sorted into different classes according to training libraries using a support vector machine (supervised learning methods). The instruments particle-size is calibrated using different sizes of latex beads.

The FlowCam VS series are automated imaging-in-flow instruments that generate high-resolution digital images for measuring size and shape of microscopic particles. The sample introduced in the system is attracted by a peristaltic or a syringe pump into a flow cell (or flow chamber) with known dimensions, located in front of a microscope objective which is connected to a camera video. The benchtop model is ideally suited to a typical laboratory environment with applications in oceanographic research, municipal water, biopharmaceutical formulations, chemicals, oil and gas, biofuels, and many other markets. FlowCam VS is available in four models, from the imaging-only VS-I (i.e. without excitation wavelength or fluorescence emission wavelengths) to the top-of-the-line VS-IV with two channels of fluorescence measurement and scatter triggering capabilities. The instrument can measure particles between 2µm and 2mm; can analyse in vivo or fixed samples; has a flow rate between 0.005 ml/minute and 250 ml/minute (dependant upon magnification, flow cell depth, camera frame rate, efficiency desired, etc.). It can produce either 8-bit Grayscale (Monochrome Camera) or 24-bit Colour (Colour Camera) images, depending on the model.

Comprehensive multi-parameter, water-quality monitoring sondes designed for long-term monitoring, profiling and spot sampling. The EXO sondes are split into several categories: EXO1 Sonde, EXO2 Sonde, EXO3 Sonde. Each category has a slightly different design purpose with the the EXO2 and EXO3 containing more sensor ports than the EXO1. Data are collected using up to four user-replaceable sensors and an integral pressure transducer. Users communicate with the sonde via a field cable to an EXO Handheld, via Bluetooth wireless connection to a PC, or a USB connection to a PC. Typical parameter specifications for relevant sensors include dissolved oxygen with ranges of 0-50 mg/l, with a resolution of +/- 0.1 mg/l, an accuracy of 1 percent of reading for values between 0-20 mg/l and an accuracy of +/- 5 percent of reading for values 20-50 mg/l. Temp ranges are from-5 to +50 degC, with an accuracy of +/- 0.001 degC. Conductivity has a range of 0-200 mS/cm, with an accuracy of +/-0.5 percent of reading + 0.001 mS/cm and a resolution of 0.0001 - 0.01 mS/cm.

YSI 6-Series water quality sondes and sensors are instruments for environmental monitoring and long-term deployments. YSI datasondes accept multiple water quality sensors (i.e., they are multiparameter sondes). Sondes can measure temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, depth, turbidity, and other water quality parameters. The 6-Series includes several models. More from YSI.

This kind of diaphragm pump, manufactured by Homelite and run on gasoline, is called a positive displacement pump because it pumps a specific volume for each pump cycle. Diaphragm pumps move fluids more slowly than centrifugal pumps but treat the animals more gently and they can handle thicker mud and larger amounts of solids. They also tolerate air being drawn into the pump and can be run dry without damage. In 2002, Homelite was acquired and became Riverside Pump Manufacturing, Inc. Diaphragm pumps feature a straight through self priming design and the rubber elastomer diaphragm and flapper valves are easily replaced on site.