The Equipment
Seamounts Cruise, 2004
Ship & Vehicle : R/V Western Flyer
and the ROV
Tiburon
(R/V = Research Vessel, ROV= Remotely Operated Vehicle)
Equipment:
Benthic
Toolsled: You can see the
manipulator arm at the upper left side of the photo and the sample
drawer with partitions in the lower left. The drawer is shown open
on deck, full of
rocks. Normally it is closed when the vehicle is operating and
only open when a sample needs to be stowed. The partitions help us
keep the rocks in order. The rocks look so much alike, all covered
in manganese, but the conditions of each eruption are different,
and therefore the chemistry of rocks from each vent is different,
so it is important to know where each rock came from.
Biobox: The box fits in a partition in
the sample drawer. It is
shown open, with an animal being placed into it by the manipulator
arm. When the lid is closed, the box will hold water to protect
the animals inside.
Suction Sampler and Biojars: A
clam has just been vacuumed into the suction tube (coming in from
the right side of the image), and will be deposited into the
biojar on the right by reversing the suction pump. The biojar lid
will be closed with the manipulator. The white PVC lids of the
biojars have now all been painted black so they won't appear so
bright in the video.
Pushcores on Swing Arm rack: A sediment
core has just been
taken. The core tube will be put back into its holster on the
swing arm, which will then be rotated back alongside the vehicle,
out of the way.
Sediment Scoops: Canvas bags on a T-handle for
collecting gravel or other materials that fall out of a push-core.
Niskin Bottles: Niskin bottles are used to collect water samples for later analyses.