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Microbial Sensors at Barkley
During certain periods of the year, production of organic matter in the upper water column increases and more food reaches benthic creatures as nutrients sink from surface. At Barkley Canyon, influx of organic matter occurs during the Spring (April to May) and in the fall (August to October). The instruments at Barkley Canyon are able to monitor benthic ecosystems and measure environmental parameters (such as temperature, currents, salinity and light levels). Cameras can observe real-time responses of organisms including feeding behaviour and locomotion. The microbrial sensor package installed at Barkley POD 4 aimed to reveal the decomposition process occuring within the sediments. The microbial sensors were recovered from Barkley Canyon POD 4 in 2010.
(Click the picture to enlarge it.)
Methane Sensors on the Seafloor
Microbial sensor package previously deployed next to Barkley Canyon Pod 4