DeepZoo: part 3

DeepZoo in a test tank at AVAST. Photo by Johanna Weston.

I love seeing members of my lab succeed. Johanna, my postdoc, has recently been working at WHOI's engineering hub, AVAST, to finalize her full-ocean-depth zooplankton sampler. She calls it DeepZoo. This week, DeepZoo had a major milestone: the first in-water test!

Johanna sent an update to every member of the lab, complete with a photo of DeepZoo in action. "DeepZoo's first full working dunk," she wrote. "Over 10 minutes, it logged data and battery voltage, opened the door, spun the thruster, closed the door, and stopped log...Feels like I just hit a view after a lot of switchbacks." 

I am proud of Johanna's accomplishment. DeepZoo started as an idea, but she has turned the sampler into a reality. What's more, the relatively small sampler pumps an immense amount of water. With it, Johanna should be able to collect new specimens from the deep sea - she even has an opportunity to do so coming up in a few months. I can't wait to see what she finds!