This three-year, $654,518 project grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences, under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050), will support the University of Maine in developing an open, platform-agnostic sediment trap controller and imaging sensor to measure sinking organic carbon fluxes in the ocean's mesopelagic zone (500-1,000 meters). Specifically, the University will create a controller to simplify the construction and deployment of neutrally buoyant sediment traps based on commercially available profiling floats. An upward-looking, low-cost in situ camera will also be integrated to image sinking particles and characterize the camera's performance under various platform conditions. Software for onboard data reduction will be developed. Recognizing the importance of observations in the lower mesopelagic zone to understanding long-term biological carbon sequestration, the tools will be optimized for use at these typically under-sampled depths. Outcomes will include opportunities for graduate and undergraduate student training.
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