ESP Deployment

Deploying the environmental processor aboard R/V Thomas G. Thompson. (Credit: Stephanie Moore)

This week, as part of an IOOS Ocean Technology Transfer award, the NEMO mooring near Cha’ba at La Push, WA, was outfitted and deployed with an environmental sample processor (ESP) to detect harmful algal blooms. The ESP will provide autonomous, near-real-time measurements of the amount of toxin and the concentrations of six potentially harmful algal species.

The new tool’s deployment is part of a collaborative project led by the UW and NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center and funded by the NOAA-led U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System. Partners include NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, NANOOS, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Florida-based Spyglass Technologies, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Bellingham’s Northwest Indian College (NWIC).

The ESP still near the surface. (Credit: Jan Newton)

Here is a video from Transect Films showing the deployment:

 
View near-real time data on NVS and check out the NOAA press release and UW Today article for more information.

ESP Test Deployment

Last week, a joint team led by NOAA NWFSC's Stephanie Moore and UW-APL's John Mickett went out on the R/V Robertson to test deploy a new Environmental Sampling Processor (ESP). This inconspicuously named robot both samples and analyzes water in situ to remotely determine if harmful algal species are present and if so, how toxic the bloom is. It then transmits this data in near real time to scientists on shore. 

This robot is part of a monitoring strategy that will help health authorities and shellfish growers be proactive in their response to harmful algal blooms (HABs). For more info, check out the NANOOS HABs info page.

Check out NWFSC's video for more information:

Last minute preparations aboard the R/V Robertson. The ESP is housed in the large orange cylinder under the A-frame.

First the surface buoy is deployed where an intake tube will sample water near the surface and bring it down to the ESP, around 20m below.

To prime the sampling tube, a small group goes out in the Zodiak to collect the surface buoy and pump water through the line, getting rid of all air bubbles.

One of the team's divers checks that the ESP is sampling in it's new home for the next two weeks. Photo credit: Eric Boget

The ESP will be deployed for real next year on UW-APL’s Cha’Ba mooring off the coast of La Push and data will be available on NVS. Stay tuned!