Animating Investigator’s science capabilities: moorings
Posted: September 1, 2014 Filed under: Home | Tags: Atmospheric research, Australia's Marine National Facility, Moorings, Oceanography, RV Investigator Leave a commentA mooring is a long anchored line of scientific equipment and floats, deployed to collect data from the ocean for 1-2 years.
Surface moorings collect ocean, meteorological and atmospheric data, like wind speed, wave height and temperature and sub-surface moorings measure things like temperature and conductivity (saltiness) at the same depth, across an ocean current.
This animation explains how this equipment is used on board Investigator, Australia’s new Marine National Facility research vessel.
Transcript:
Animating Investigator’s science capabilities: towing scientific equipment
Posted: August 28, 2014 Filed under: Home | Tags: Australia's Marine National Facility, Camera, Future Research Vessel Project, Oceanographic research, Oceanography, RV Investigator, Towing scientific equipment, Triaxus Leave a commentMarine scientists observe our oceans using a range of equipment.
Generally these are attached to an electro-optical cable and towed behind the ship at a slow speed to collect data.
This animation explains how this equipment is used on board Investigator, Australia’s new Marine National Facility research vessel.
Check it out!
Transcript:
Listen to Dr Lindsay Pender talking to 936 ABC Hobart’s Drive Presenter, Louise Saunders!
Posted: August 25, 2014 Filed under: Home | Tags: Australia's Marine National Facility, Future Research Vessel Project, Oceanography, RV Investigator, Triaxus Leave a commentThe Future Research Vessel Project Team member, Dr Lindsay Pender, was interviewed by 936 ABC Hobart’s Drive Presenter, Louise Saunders about the TRIAXUS.
World class oceanographic research equipment arrives in Hobart!
Posted: August 25, 2014 Filed under: Home | Tags: Australia's Marine National Facility, Future Research Vessel Project, Oceanographic research, Oceanography, RV Investigator, Triaxus Leave a commentTHE FOLLOWING MEDIA RELEASE WAS DISTRIBUTED BY CSIRO ON 25 AUGUST 2014.
A world class oceanographic research instrument has arrived at CSIRO in Hobart to be part of the suite of on board equipment on Australia’s new Marine National Facility research vessel, Investigator.
The TRIAXUS is made from carbon fibre, hydrodynamically designed to be towed up to 3km behind the ship and to collect data quickly, while flying from the surface down to 350m in an undisturbed marine environment.
The Executive Director of the Future Research Vessel Project, Toni Moate, said the equipment is vital to the work of oceanographers.
Biological oceanographers will use it to collect data on phytoplankton, salinity, temperature and light levels, to determine the health of the ocean.
Physical oceanographers will use the TRIAXUS to collect data about ocean currents descending undersea canyons, or when cooler waters are forced to the surface by ocean dynamics.
Data from the TRIAXUS will also be used by meteorologists to improve weather and climate forecasting.
“The scientists on board Investigator will be able to control the flight path of the TRIAXUS, to develop a 2D picture of the ocean across hundreds of kilometres,” Ms Moate said.
Dr Lindsay Pender from the Future Research Vessel Project Technical Team said it is critical to understand how the ocean interplays with the production of phytoplankton.
“The TRIAXUS will be used to estimate the amount of phytoplankton (small floating plants), which are the start of the food chain in the oceans,” Dr Pender said.
“The equipment collects the data by shining a blue light onto the phytoplankton, which then emits a fluorescent signal.”
“The returning fluorescent signal is measured by a fluorometer mounted on the TRIAXUS, and these data are used to determine where fish and other animals in the ocean start their lives, and the location of their food sources.”
The TRIAXUS was purchased for $400,000 from MacArtney Australia.
RV Investigator: oceanographic research capabilities
Posted: August 22, 2014 Filed under: Home | Tags: Australia's Marine National Facility, Oceanographic, Oceanography, RV Investigator Leave a commentAustralia’s new Marine National Facility research vessel, Investigator, is so jam packed full of scientific equipment we have produced some fact sheets, so you can read about all of the capabilities.
There are five categories: oceanographic research, geoscience research, biological research, atmospheric research and Investigator.
Check out the oceanographic research fact sheet!
Download the fact sheet:
Animating Investigator’s science capabilities: oceanographic research with the CTD
Posted: August 8, 2014 Filed under: Home | Tags: Animation, Australia's Marine National Facility, CTD, Oceanography, RV Investigator 1 CommentWe’ve come up with a fun way to help explain the scientific and engineering capabilities of Australia’s new Marine National Facility research vessel, Investigator, with a series of animations.
One of the key pieces of equipment oceanographers use is called a CTD, which is a device that profiles the conductivity and temperature of the water column at different depths.
This animation explains how this equipment is used on board Investigator, Australia’s new Marine National Facility research vessel.
Check it out!
Transcript:
The pieces of the CTD scientific equipment puzzle fall into place!
Posted: October 2, 2013 Filed under: Home | Tags: Australia's Marine National Facility, CTD, Future Research Vessel Project, Oceanography, RV Investigator, ship construction Leave a commentWe’ve told you all about the CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth), which is one of the primary suites of scientific equipment used by oceanographers.
The world’s oceans keep us alive! Did you know that every second breath you take has been created through ocean photosynthesis?
So think of the oceans as the world’s lungs, the currents are like the veins moving nutrients around, and the CTD is the way we are able to monitor the blood pressure.
Some of the questions oceanographers ask and are able to answer with the CTD are:
- Is an ocean current the same temperature it was last year?
- Is it moving at the same speed?
- Has it moved somewhere else?
- And if it’s changed, what is influencing these changes?
The CTD is also used to collect samples for gas analysis and phytoplankton samples.
We’ve recently taken delivery of the 36 bottle CTD rosette and it’s now been assembled – it looks amazing!
Here are photos of the CTD compartment under construction in the shipyard and the 36 bottle CTD rosette assembled in the CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Laboratories in Hobart.
All the pieces to this puzzle are falling into place!
