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CTD & MET/Underway Sensors
System:
- SBE9+ CTD/ 11+ Deckbox
- Rosette frame with SBE32 24-position carousel
- 10 L Niskin bottles, 24 total
Sensors:
- SBE3 (Temperature) and SBE4 (Conductivity) x2
- SBE5 pumps x2
- SBE43 (Oxygen) x1
- VA500 (Valeport Altimeter) x1
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SBE/Wetlabs FLNTURTD (Chlorophyll/Turbidity) x1
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SBE/Wetlabs C-star 25cm Transmissometer x1
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Biospherical QSP200L4S PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation), limited to 2000 m depth, x1
If you are planning a cruise where alternate CTD sensor configurations/ sensor additions are required, please contact the R/V Science Coordinator as soon as possible after completing the MFP Cruise Questionnaire.
The forward mast aboard the R/V Atlantis houses many instruments, including the underway meteorological sensors. These include sensors for: air temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, wind speed & direction and short & long wave solar radiation.
Sensors:
- Vaisala WXT20/30 (temperature, pressure, humidity, precipitation, wind) x2
- Eppley PSP (short wave radiation) x1
- Eppley PIR (long wave radiation) x1
While underway, Atlantis runs a pump to provide sea water into the laboratory spaces around the main deck. This can either be a centrifugal pump, or a diaphragm pump, depending on the needs of the science party. Plumbed into the system is an array of sensors to continuously sample for the duration of the cruise.
Sensors:
- SBE48 (Hull temperature) x1
- This sensor is mounted magnetically to the hull on the inboard side, below the water-line to continuously measure the sea water temperature.
- SBE45 (Thermosalinograph) x1
- The thermosalinograph (TSG) continuously measures surface temperature and salinity along the track of the ship using the underway seawater supply system.
- WETStar Fluorometer x1
- The fluorometer provides chlorophyll-a which is an important indicator of active phytoplankton biomass and chlorophyll concentrations, and also provides coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM). This instrument is located adjacent to the TSG.
- C-Star Transmissometer (25 cm) x1
- The transmissometer measures beam transmittance, or how much light passes through the liquid the instrument is sampling.
Acoustic Systems
The EM124 12 kHz system is designed to perform seabed mapping to full ocean depth, with full resolution, coverage, and accuracy. Some details of the system installed on Atlantis:
- Swath width from 2 to 6 times water depth. In typical 3 to 4 km depths, a swath width of 3.5 times depth can be expected.
- Full 1° x 1° transmit and receive array.
- Up to 432 soundings per swath in single ping mode, up 864 soundings in dual ping mode.
- Can use both CW and FM outgoing pulses.
- Capability to record water column data.
- .KMall format datagrams
Visit the Kongsberg website to learn more. Color printers and large-format plotters are also available.
- This array comprises of 5 transducers (18, 38, 70, 120, 200 kHz), which combined can provide a shallow or deep profile of the biomass beneath the ship.
- The main function is detecting gas-bladders in fish or large mammals, but it can also detect the presence of gas bubbles, usually emitting from various kinds of seeps on the seafloor.
- Visit the Kongsberg website to learn more.
Atlantis' ADCP transducers can create profiles of the ocean's currents beneath the ship at various depth ranges.
The OS75 has a range of 0-700 m
- Visit the Teledyne site to learn more specifics about the Ocean Surveyor ADCP.
The WH300 has a range of 0-200 m
- Visit the Teledyne site to learn more specifics about the Workhorse II Mariner ADCP.
Also visit this page to learn more about ADCP's from WHOI!
Knudsen 3260 Chirp Echosounder
- comprises of a 3.5 kHz array and a 12 kHz transducer
- Sub-bottom data logged in SEG-Y industry format
- Read more at the product page.
- Operating the Ranger2 software for tracking beacons in the water, this system involves a single transducer mounted to a retractable pole beneath the ship, and is the primary way of tracking the vehicles used frequently aboard Atlantis (ie. Alvin, Jason and Sentry).
- Portable beacons are attached to objects deployed by the ship, and are then able to be tracked (depth, range, bearing, speed).
- Learn more about the Ranger2 suite from Sonardyne's site.
If planning a cruise and the need for USBL beacons is known, please reach out to the R/V Science Coordinator immediately after completing the MFP cruise form to reserve them.
Other Science/Ship Systems
Sippican MK 21 XBTs:
- The MK-21/ISA Bathythermograph Data Acquisition System is a portable data acquisition system that measures and outputs ocean temperature, conductivity and sound velocity versus depth using expendable probes that are launched from surface ships.
- With the WinMK21 Data Acquisition and Post-Processing Software installed on the computer, profiles of temperature verses depth, sound velocity verses depth, and temperature and conductivity verses depth can be displayed.
- XBT launches can take as little as 10 mins, and they create a quick and accurate profile that is then usually input into other science acquisition machines (ie. Multibeam or Sonardyne).
- Manual Here.
Millipore Synergy UV Water Purification System
Deionized water systems (or water deionizers) remove nearly all ions from your water, including minerals like iron, sodium, sulfate, and copper.
Atlantis' system can hold 30 gal of water in the dedicated tank, which is filled via an evaporator on one of the generators.
Atlantis has three -80 freezers, one is a chest freezer and the other two are larger, upright units.
Capacities:
- Chest -80: 84 liters/ 2.97 cu. ft.
- Main Lab -80: 333 liters/ 11.76 cu. ft.
- Sci Hold -80: 728 liters/ 25.7 cu. ft.
For a total of 1,145 liters or 40.43 cu. ft. of -80 storage.
Atlantis is equipped with two walk-in units, which are traditionally kept as a refrigerator and a freezer. Lab benches are available inside, as well as outlets and pass-thrus. Freezing temperatures are limited to -15º C.
Along with the -80's and walk-in units, Atlantis is equipped with several 'household' type refrigerators and freezers. These units are considered lab equipment and no food storage is permitted.
Main Lab:
- Combo refrigerator/freezer unit
- Chest freezer unit
Biolab:
- combo refrigerator/freezer unit
Hydrolab:
- Cospolich Freezer unit
A small LN2 generator is available aboard Atlantis, however only small volumes of liquid nitrogen is produced. It is recommended this unit is used only to flash freeze samples for storage or to recharge dewars for shipment.