BRINGING THE LABORATORY INTO THE OCEAN

We develop less-invasive techniques to understand biological-physical interactions by furthering fine-scale measurements of organismal behavior and their physical and chemical environments. 

• DeepPIV is an instrument that allows for high temporal and spatial resolution measurements of fluid motion that serves as a proxy for energetics, forces generated, transport, and performance (with Alana Sherman and Bruce Robison, MBARI). DeepPIV has been used in novel ways to reconstruct 3D gelatinous structures using structured light.

• Additional instrumentation developments in the short- and long-term involve coupling behavioral and environmental sensors (e.g., accelerometers, magnetometers, temperature, depth, salinity, light, dissolved oxygen) on minimally invasive platforms [ITAG: tagging package, collaboration with Aran Mooney, Aleck Wang (WHOI), Alex Shorter (Univ. of Michigan), and David Mann (Loggerhead Instruments) funded by NSF-IDBR;

• Mesobot: stereo tracking underwater vehicle, collaboration with Dana Yoerger, et al (WHOI), Chip Breier (UTRGV) and Steve Rock (Stanford), funded by NSF-OTIC] to allow for quantification of organismal behaviors (e.g., swimming, feeding, reproduction) in response to the environment (e.g., thermoclines, oxygen minimum zones) to understand when organismal behaviors are selected in specific environmental conditions, and to predict organismal response to a changing ocean.