User:Eklee27/sandbox

Article Evaluation
I read the Biogeochemical cycle page which covered systems reservoirs and important cycles

Article Selection

 * Ocean chemistry - needs a lot more content and references could be improved
 * Carbonate Chemistry - create page and discuss process and ways to model
 * Solubility pump
 * Phytoplankton model - create page and discuss interactions within the ocean and equations used to model dynamics

Research and Exploration
There is a dearth of knowledge about the mesopelagic zone so researchers have begun to develop new technology to explore and sample this area. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), NASA, and the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research are all working on projects to gain a better understanding of this zone in the ocean and its influence on the global carbon cycle. Traditional sampling nets have proved to be inadequate due to scaring off creatures from the pressure wave formed by the towed net and from the light produced by the bioluminescent species caught in the net. Mesopelagic activity was first investigated by use of sonar. However, there are many challenges with acoustic survey methods and previous research has estimated errors in measured amounts of biomass of up to three orders of magnitude. This is due to inaccurate incorporation of depth, species size distribution, and acoustic properties of the species. Norway’s Institute of Marine Research has launched a research vessel named Dr. Fridtjof Nansen to investigate mesopelagic activity using sonar with their focus being on the sustainability of fishing operations. To overcome the challenges faced with acoustic sampling, WHOI is developing robots (Deep-See, Mesobot, and Snowclops) that are capable of studying this zone more precisely.

Deep-See
WHOI is currently working on a project to characterize and document the mesopelagic ecosystem. They have developed a device named Deep-See weighing approximately 700 kg, which is designed to be towed behind a research vessel. The Deep-See is capable of reaching depths up to 2000 m and can estimate the amount of biomass and biodiversity in this mesopelagic ecosystem. Deep-See is equipped with cameras, sonars, sensors, water sample collection devices, and a real-time data transmission system.

Mesobot
WHOI is collaborating with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), Stanford University, and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to develop a small autonomous robot, Mesobot, weighing approximately 75 kg. Mesobot is equipped with high-definition cameras to track and record mesopelagic species on their daily migration over extended periods of time. The robot's thrusters were designed so that they do not disturb the life in the mesopelagic that it is observing. Traditional sample collection devices fail to preserve organisms captured in the mesopelagic due to the large pressure change associated with surfacing. The Mesobot also has a unique sampling mechanism that is capable of keeping the organisms alive during their ascent. The first sea trial of this device is expected to be in 2019.

Snowclops
Another mesopelagic robot developed by WHOI is the Snowclops. This device descends down the water column and measures the amount of marine snow at various depths. These tiny particles are a food source for other organisms so it is important to monitor the different levels of marine snow to characterize the carbon exchange between the surface ocean and the mesopelagic.

SPLAT cam
The Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute has developed the Spatial PLankton Analysis Technique (SPLAT) to identify and map distribution patterns of bioluminescent plankton. The various bioluminescent species produce a unique flash that allows the the SPLAT to distinguish each specie's flash characteristic and then map their 3-dimensional distribution patterns. Its intended use was not for investigating the mesopelagic zone, although it is capable of tracking movement patterns of bioluminescent species during their vertical migrations. It would be interesting to apply this mapping technique in the mesopelagic to obtain more information about the diurnal vertical migrations that occur in this zone of the ocean.