MacArtney Supplies Fully Integrated Clean Lab Solutions to the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research
findings. The solution's core is a 20-foot clean lab container, purpose-built to maintain sample integrity during deep-sea research operations. The controlled environment eliminates metal contamination and environmental interference, which can compromise trace element analysis and sensitive chemical readings.Complementing the clean lab is a containerized MERMAC winch system with 8,000 meters of clean CTD cable and a Sea-Bird Scientific SBE 32 24-bottle carousel water sampler with high-precision CTD sensors (conductivity, temperature, depth). The cable is flushed with freshwater before re-spooling
Inside the NOC Robotics Center
look back, was there one mission, one particular use of your vehicles, that you were like, "Wow," that really stands out?ALEX:I think with the Autosub long-range vehicles, the activity we did last year as part of the NERC funded BIO-Carbon Program. We launched two ALRs from Iceland with biogeochemical sensor fits, and the ambition was to get them all the way back to Scotland. We didn't quite manage that with both vehicles, one did have to be recovered early. But the other vehicle made it all the way from Iceland to Scotland, which was quite a long way for an AUV.What was really interesting
NOC Expedition Marks 40 Years of Abyssal Science Project
supports weather forecasting and ocean monitoring at the site, including measuring carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and upper ocean.The expedition will also do its more routine work recovering and deploying a wide range of scientific instrumentation to collect water and sediment samplers, physical and chemical sensors for the highest quality data. Ecological observations will be collected using baited experiments and remote seafloor imaging systems, all of which make testing new technologies possible as well as extending the crucial time series
Edible Aquatic Robot Could Collect Environmental Data
student at EPFL. “In this work, we show how these materials can be replaced with fully biodegradable and edible components.”The boat-shaped robot takes advantage of the same phenomenon used by some aquatic insects to propel themselves across the water's surface: the Marangoni effect. A chemical reaction inside a tiny removable chamber produces carbon dioxide, which, in turn, enters a fuel channel to expel the fuel. The sudden decrease in the water's surface tension caused by the ejected fuel then propels the robot forward.The design allows the robots to move freely on the water'
Trawling-Induced Sediment Resuspension Reduces CO2 Uptake
pyrite, a mineral present in marine sediments, leading to additional emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2).These are the findings of a new study conducted by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. Based on sediment samples from Kiel Bight in the Baltic Sea, the researchers investigated the geochemical consequences of sediment resuspension.Their conclusion: areas with fine-grained sediments, which play a crucial role in CO2 storage in the Baltic Sea, should urgently be placed under protection.“Fine-grained, muddy sediments are important reservoirs of organic carbon and pyrite,” says
NOC: Underwater Vehicle Finds Loch Ness Monster Camera Trap
deep as 6,000 m water depth collecting a wide range of ocean data to answer the critical questions we have about the ocean, its health and how it supports our planet. This data would be extremely difficult to get any other way, from detailed seabed maps and photography to physical, biological and chemical data in the water column.“At 230 m deep, Loch Ness is an ideal location to testing our robotics, their sensors and systems, before they’re deployed in the deep ocean to help answer the big questions we have," said Sam Smith, ALR operations engineer, from NOC’s Marine Autonomous
Mission Underway to Investigate Legacy Munitions in the Baltic Sea
a barge loaded with conventional munitions was sunk after the Second World War. The contents of the barge, which is lying on the seabed, will be cleared by an explosive ordnance disposal company from Rostock in June and July.The next expedition is planned for October 2025 and will focus on investigating chemical munitions in Polish waters.An estimated 40,000 tonnes of chemical munitions from World War II, along with over one million tonnes of unexploded ordnance (UXO), lie submerged in the Baltic Sea. Containing hazardous substances like mustard gas and arsenic compounds, often in corroding containers,
Study of Newly Exposed Sea Floor Reveals Flourishing Ecosystems
behavior of the larger Antarctic ice sheet. The ice sheet has been shrinking and losing mass over the last few decades due to climate change.In addition to collecting biological and geological samples, the team deployed autonomous gliders to study the impacts of glacial meltwater on the physical and chemical properties of the region. Preliminary data suggest high biological productivity and a strong meltwater flow from the George IV ice shelf.The expedition was part of Challenger 150, a global cooperative focused on deep-sea biological research and endorsed by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
CSIRO Science Ship Takes Students on Tasmanian Circumnavigation
studies to surveys of deep-sea ecosystems and marine life.Students will be involved in seafloor mapping and sediment sampling, and will also participate in the search for a historic shipwreck off the northwest coast of Tasmania.CAPSTAN students' background studies range from biological and chemical oceanography to geoscience and engineering. Women make up two thirds of students on the voyage.The voyage is the first in the CAPSTAN program following the completion of a pilot program during 2017 to 2020.Two more CAPSTAN training voyages are planned in the upcoming voyage schedules of RV Investigator
February 2025
