Measuring the quantity and composition of sinking particulate matter is key to understanding biogeo-chemical processes in the ocean. This has been done in the past with sequencing sediment traps, which collect and store particulate matter in sample bottles for subsequent laboratory analysis. Having a limited number of bottles, these traditional traps force the user to choose between finer time resolution and longer deployment duration. We have built a new sediment trap that analyzes the collected material in situ, eliminating the need to preserve and store the samples. This new instrument, the Sedimentation Event Sensor (SES), captures macro images of the sample with front and back lighting, and takes fluorometric measurements in two bands as proxies for the presence of chlorophyll a and accessory pigments. The SES can process 6200 samples during a single deployment, which is the equivalent of 15 samples per day for more than a year. Here, we describe the design of the SES and present the results of its first three deployments at 3910 m depth. Images and fluorometry data revealed high variability of sinking particulate matter composition on the order of hours. Sedimentation patterns detected by the SES largely agreed with mass flux patterns measured from traditional traps deployed concurrently nearby. Given the functional differences, the SES is best used to complement rather than replace traditional sediment traps.

Engineers and researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have developed a water sampler that rapidly captures a 2-liter sample of seawater. This syringe-like sampler is spring actuated and can acquire a full sample in less than two seconds. This sampler will complement the wide array of sensors currently integrated on MBARI's autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Although many properties of seawater can be analyzed by AUV onboard sensors, these measurements alone are often insufficient to fully investigate important scientific questions. Returning a discrete sample of seawater from the field, via an AUV, for laboratory analysis will expand the spectrum of research possible with AUV platforms. Using AUV onboard intelligence, designated sites and important phenomena can be targeted for acquiring water samples. This paper addresses the development, testing, and initial deployments of this sampler.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in support of the MBARI Ocean Observation System (MOOS) Science Experiment 2006 (MSE06) has established a benthic cabled observatory. The goal of MSB 06 is to study deep seafloor processes within and adjacent to the outer Monterey Bay Submarine Canyon. At the study site near Shepard Meander, a Benthic Instrument Node (BIN) and a McLane Vertical Profiler have been deployed in the axial channel of the canyon at depths of 3,450 meters. On the adjacent flank, outside the canyon another BIN has been deployed at a depth of 3,000 meters. These interdisciplinary BINs and profiler will be interconnected with a fiber optic/power cable using the ROV Tiburon. This will establish a network that can measure currents, suspended sediments concentrations, salinity, and temperature at these sites. The BINS and profiler will be cabled to a MOOS mooring. A satellite link from the mooring to shore will be used to monitor system function as well as deep sea conditions during the experiment. The ROV based cable deployments will consist of 3.5 kilometers between the lower and upper BINs, 2.5 kilometers between the upper BIN and the MOOS mooring and 200 meters between the profiler and lower BIN. Borrowing from the cable laying tool sled technology developed for the ROV Ventana (Bird 2002), this effort will integrate the knowledge gleaned from the Canyon Dynamics experience to the ROV Tiburon and MSE06. Some of the challenges involved in this project include weight constraints, power requirements, cable management, navigation, and electro/mechanical controls. In the future this technology will actively support the (Monterey Accessible Research System (MARS), and ORION/OOI. This presentation will deal specifically with the cable laying tool sled developed for the ROV Tiburon, cable packs, and infrastructure created to accomplish these tasks. Elements include the cable laying tool sled, BIN platforms, interconnects, profiler, mooring bottom expression, and cable handling equipment. Design elements includes; integration with the ROV Tiburon, meet operational weight constraints, the ability to (pick up, drop, and reacquire the cable spool), support the vehicle's Kraft Raptor manipulator, monitor cable payout speed and distance and a variable ballast system controlled by the amount of cable deployed. The operational procedure is, launch the vehicle at a BIN platform site with up to 4.5 km of cable on the spool. The vehicle will dive to the BIN, perform the interconnect, and establish a Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) bottom lock and enter coordinates of the location. Using the navigational program ArcNav, the vehicle will proceed along pre-mapped way points. The vehicle will follow the contours 1 to 2 meters off the bottom maintaining visually both the bottom and the cable as it is deployed. The maximum deploy speed will be .5 knot (.9 km) per hour. Deploying approximately 10% more cable length versus distance traveled will avoid tensioning the cable and forming spans. This will be accomplished using a graphic user interface that displays the amount of cable deployed versus the actual distance traveled across the bottom. Pay out speeds will be adjusted manually to match the speed of the vehicle. Upon reaching the BIN, the cable spool will be dropped, as an anchor, holding the excess cable. Using the manipulator, the connector will be removed from a dock within the cable spool body. A 20 meter service loop of cable on the exterior of the cable spool will allow the vehicle to maneuver to the BIN and perform the interconnect. In early July 2006 a successful cable lay of 2,800 meters, between the MOOS mooring and the shelf BIN was performed. In early October the remaining cable lays are scheduled

Instruments to detect the occurrence of energetic sediment transport events within submarine canyons are being developed. Submarine canyons are known to act as conduits for transporting sediment from the continents into the deep sea. Because the sediment primarily moves in discrete energetic events, determining the occurrence of events and the quantity of sediment involved in these transports has been difficult. Instruments placed at sites known to experience transport events are frequently lost, along with their data. In an effort to address this problem, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) has developed a Self Triggering Event Detector (STED). This presentation will deal specifically with the design, development, testing, and initial deployments of the proto-type STED system. The STEDs are placed in the axis of the Monterey Canyon at locations known to experience frequent sediment transport events. A combination of MBARI (Paull et al, 2003) and USGS (Xu et al, 2004) experiments demonstrate that the maximum currents on the floor of the canyon are less than 60 cm/sec under normal conditions. However, during sediment transport events, current velocities of over 200 cm/sec are sustained for several minutes. When a STED platform experiences currents in excess of 200 cm/sec, one meter above the sea bed, a positive buoyant science package is released to the surface. Included in this science package is an ARGOS Pop-off satellite transmitter that will time stamp the event and can be adapted to provide essential scientific data. Elements of the STED system include: a benthic platform, current detecting/triggering mechanism, Argos satellite transmitter, Homer Pro beacon, and instrument suite. The base is a robust structure constructed of heavy gauge steel which rests on the seafloor. An aluminum tower one meter in height is attached to the base and supports the triggering/release mechanism. The triggering/release mechanism rotates and functions as does a wea- - ther vane, always pointing into the prevailing current. When a current velocity exceeds the 200 cm/sec threshold, a trigger plate, forced to face into the current by the vane assembly, triggers the release, permitting the positive buoyant instrument suite to float upwards through the water column to the surface. Upon reaching the surface the ARGOS transmitter establishes satellite contact and down loads the acquired data. The unique identification of each ARGOS transmitter establishes the time and location in the canyon where an event/s has occurred. The Homer Pro beacons will allow these sites to be surveyed by ROV after an event has been detected. Requirements include: ease of manufacture (expendable), deployable and serviceable by ROV, remain functional for up to three years, survive currents up to the 200 cm/sec release threshold, and reliably release and deliver the instrument package to the surface. A goal of this project is to deploy several on these systems within the Monterey Canyon. To accomplish this it is necessary to design a system that is simple, affordable, and relatively easy to manufacture. These systems will be deployed by ROV, driving weight constrains of 91 kg in air and 45 kg in sea water. In the event of a release and the survival of the platform, the system can be rearmed by ROV intervention. To validate the system, significant testing was conducted in the MBARI 1,500.000 liter test tank. Two STED devices were deployed in depths of 290 and 520 m on May 30, 2006. On June 19, 2006 a release occurred at the 550 m site. Investigation revealed an event had taken place resulting in the transport of this platform 500 m down canyon

Service and maintenance of a multiuser cabled ocean observatory like the Monterey Accelerated Research System (MARS), will require interesting new capabilities and innovative solutions. This paper will describe some of the new equipment and techniques currently being developed at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). The MARS facility will be supported by MBARI's Marine Operations Division and Support Engineering Group. To maximize success, not only for the science user but also for the facility itself, MBARI will make considerable resources available to the user based on the experiment being conducted and the level of support requested. Local assets include three MBARI-owned vessels, each with different capacities, two ROV systems capable of working in and around the MARS Node, laboratory facilities for testing and assembly of user packages, ten meter deep sea water test tank facilities for testing interfaces with user equipment, and access to engineering and technical resources. In addition to the MBARI assets, UNOLS vessels can be used to provide support for deployment and recovery of science equipment. MBARI has developed a number of tools and methods that work with existing assets, as well as with other public resources available to science users. Some of the initial MARS tasks required are: 1) Launch and recovery of the main electronics/electrical package for maintenance, upgrade, and repair. This is considered a heavy lift task by ROV standards. 2) Once a package is in place, test the science port(s) for conformance to contract obligations regarding power and communications. 3) Deploy and service many different types and styles of science user equipment with techniques based on size and weight of packages. 4) Interconnect science packages to the distribution node from remote locations using several cabling techniques based on power requirements and distance. As MBARI embarks on the MARS facility project, these key tasks are fundamental to establishing operational support for the project

A major obstacle to the investigation of deep-sea biology is the lack of instrumentation to retrieve deep-sea organisms from their habitat alive, particularly fishes with physoclistous swimbladders. To perform physiological experiments on deep-sea fishes under in situ but controlled conditions, we constructed a high-pressure fish trap-respirometer to capture deep-water fishes at depth and return them to the surface alive at in situ pressure and temperature. Pumps and instrumentation connected aboard ship or in the laboratory are used for maintenance of the animal and experimentation. The trap was designed so that respiration rates, pressure tolerance, and metabolic responses to various gas concentrations (CO2 and O-2) could be examined in a controlled environment. The trap is deployed as an autonomous lander or free vehicle to depths of 4000 m. Once on the seafloor, a fish is captured on a baited hook that triggers the reeling of the fish into the pressure vessel and closure of its sealing door. Two fish, Coryphaenoides acrolepis, have been recovered live from 1450 m and maintained in the laboratory. Both fish were retrieved at similar to 95% of their in situ pressure and at temperatures of similar to 6 degrees C. Oxygen consumption rates of these fish were 54.99 mu mol O-2 kg(-1) h(-1) (1.158 kg, 65.0 cm total length, 23.5 cm pre-anal fin length) and 79.43 mu mol O-2 kg(-1) h(-1) (1.305 kg, 66.5 cm total length, 24.5 cm pre-anal fin length). The latter fish was maintained for 3.5 d, and it survived gradual decompression to 76% of the pressure at its capture depth.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) has committed to the novel and technically ambitious Canyon Dynamics Project. Canyon Dynamics represents a dual effort by science and engineering. Science, to understand the physical processes of submarine canyons as conduits for transporting materials from continents to the deep sea. Engineering, to develop the tools necessary to accomplish this goal. The key elements are instrumented platforms deployed in the axis of the Monterey Bay Canyon at depths of 250 and 500 meters, located 10 kilometers apart. These RINs (remote instrument nodes) and BINs (benthic inter connect nodes) will be connected with a fiber optic/power cable and establish a network that can measure the currents, suspended sediments concentrations, salinity, and temperature at these sites. This technology will act as building blocks for MOOS (MBARI Ocean Observatory System, MARS (Monterey Accessible Research System, and NEPTUNE projects.This presentation will deal specifically with the design, building, testing, and deployment of a ROV based tool sled constructed for the placement of this cable on the seabed and interconnections with the RIN/BIN platforms. The design includes; integration with the ROV Ventana, meet operational weight constraints, the ability to (pick up, drop, and reacquire the cable spool), support the vehicle's Schilling Titan III manipulator, monitor cable payout speed and distance and a variable ballast system controlled by the amount of cable deployed.Currently the core sled is complete and the peripherals are under construction. Testing has begun with the ROV Ventana and the cable laying tool sled, in the MBARI test tank, performing interconnects with an instrumented RIN platform., Further testing will continue through summer with RIN/BIN deployment taking place in June and cable laying scheduled for this fall.