InEx sampling of glass sponges in Barkley Sound - July 2004

The sponges

(Vertical scale on the pictures ~ 1 meter)

 

Cloud sponge (Aphrocallistes vastus)

Boot sponge (Rhabdocalyptus dawsoni)

 

 

The glass sponges we have worked with inhabit the vertical walls of fiords and inlets in the North West Pacific. These rocky walls are teeming with life of all sorts and forms but the giant glass sponges are the most conspicuous members of this community. The cloud sponge were most abundant at 120-180 m depth.

 


Preparing for InEx sampling
sponge-pumping visualization using fluorescein dye

 

 


InEx sampling – using the SIP

The SIP is a new water sampler designed to allow clean point source water sampling in the deep sea. A simple valve operation by the ROV manipulator allows the external water pressure to force the sampled water into a Teflon coated stainless steel sample cylinder (follow this link for a detailed design). The small ID of the inlet tube (capillary PEEK) insures slow suction rate during the sampling. In this cruise, we have pre-filled the SIPs with helium at atmospheric pressure.

1. The sampler is withdrawn from the box by the seven-function arm (starboard) and transferred to the "Raptor" manipulator (portside).

2. The sampler is reoriented for sampling 

 

3. The sampler is position with one of intake tubes within the sponge oscula and the other intake outside.

4. The seven-function arm triggers the two SIPs together so that the Inhaled and Exhaled waters are simultaneously collected.

Close up on the samplers intake tubes

Flow visualization was used before and after each sample to insure that the sponges pumping was not interrupted

 

 

 

 

 

Participants

Research vessels:       CCGS J. P. Tully

ROV ROPOS (www.ropos.com).

Chief scientist:            Dr. Sally Leys
(U. Alberta, sleys@ualberta.ca, Web)

PIs:                              Dr. Gitai Yahel
(UVic, Yahel@UVic.ca, Web)

Prof. Henry M. Reiswig
(UVic, hmreiswig@shaw.ca)

Dr. Frank Whitney
(IOS, whitneyf@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca)

Prof. Verena Tunnicliffe
(UVic, verenat@UVic.ca, Web)

Scientific party:         Dr. Bill Austin, Dafne Eerkes-Medrano, Gabrielle Tompkins, Megan Foss, Maaike van der Steen, Kylee Pawluk, Sarah Cook, Ron Koss

ROPOS team:              Keith Shepherd, Keith Tamburri, Ian Murdock, Kim Wallace, Roger Adamson, Dan Company, Vincent Auger, and Dean Steinke,

Above the water

 

The working site above the water

The ROPOS in the cage ready for deployment (Ian)

Close-up on the front of the sub with the SIP samplers box in front of the BioBox and the robotic manipulators at both sides

 Control room front panel: Chief scientist (Sally), Pilot ("Big" Keith), arm operators (Roger and Dan), and Navigator (Dean)

Control room back panel: Logging posts (Maaike and Meagan)

The SIP samplers

(filtered and non filtered version)