Plankton Sampler on Dutch Ferry
As part of their drive to understand variations in plankton composition within the Wadden Sea, the Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies (IMARES, Netherlands), have fitted a Chelsea Technologies Group (CTG) Plankton Sampler to a commercial Ferry, the MS Vlieland, operating between Harlingen and Vlieland, a ferry crossing of approximately 30km.
The Plankton Sampler had been adapted from the CTG Autonomous Plankton Sampler (APS), which is regularly fitted to the range of CTG towed vehicles, and is designed to operate autonomously, collecting zooplankton samples within a user-programmable index advanced filter mesh, for post mission laboratory analysis.
The design of the new flow-through system had to take careful consideration of both safety and ease of operation for the user within the proposed environment. The APS is housed within a rugged pressure-rated water jacket, and can be easily removed from this water jacket for post-mission removal of the filter mesh and instrument set-up. Within the hydraulic circuitry, check valves are included for safety, and a flow sensor is included to allow for calculation of plankton concentration. The design has also taken cognisance of the flow rates to allow ease of comparison to towed vehicle Plankton Sampler systems.
This initial system has been operational since June 2009, and it is expected that, if successful, further systems will be installed on other ferry crossings within the Wadden Sea.
