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Niskin Bottles

August 14, 2018

WHOI researcher Phil Alatalo (far right) explains the operations of a standard oceanographic tool—the Niskin bottle—to undergraduate students in the WHOI Summer Student Fellowship (SSF) program aboard the research vessel Gulf Challenger. Each summer SSFs come to WHOI to learn more about ocean science, attend lectures by Woods Hole scientists, and work alongside world-class researchers. It’s a tradition for students to get some hands-on experience with ocean sampling techniques. Niskin bottles are used to collect samples of seawater, with which scientists can study the water’s salinity, dissolved oxygen levels, nutrient concentrations (such as phosphates and nitrates), and other characteristics. (Photo by Jayne Doucette, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)