Image
Setting a Trap
September 24, 2007Marine chemist Ken Buesseler examines a neutrally buoyant sediment trap (NBST), while engineer Jim Valdes looks on. Buesseler and Valdes conceived and developed these free-floating devices to sink to a pre-programmed depth and then hold their position in the ocean without sinking or rising. NBSTs are swept along with the currents for several days (as much as 10-20 miles), collecting dying plankton, fecal pellets, and other particles that sink out of the upper ocean. After a time, the sediment traps resurface, transmit their position via satellite, and wait for recovery. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Image and Visual Licensing
WHOI copyright digital assets (stills and video) contained on this website can be licensed for non-commercial use upon request and approval. Please contact WHOI Digital Assets at images@whoi.edu or (508) 289-2647.