About R/V Peter Wise Lake Guardian
Visiting ResearchersSafety Aboard R/V Peter Wise Lake Guardian
Ship's Schedule
Labs Onboard
Sampling and Monitoring Equipment
General Specifications
Scientific Work Spaces and Equipment Specifications
Sampling Stations
Related Topics:
Exploring the Great Lakes
(software)
Visualizing the Great
Lakes: R/V Peter Wise Lake Guardian Image Collection
Deck by
Deck
on R/V Peter Wise Lake Guardian
Bridge |
Forecastle | Main Deck
Sampling
Equipment
Several pieces of sampling and monitoring equipment are
located around the ship. Some of them have rather colorful names and purposes:
SEABIRD
The Seabird
is used to collect basic water column information such as
temperature, depth, conductivity (which helps to determine
salinity), pH, light penetration, water transparency and
chlorophyll. This type of information provides a basic
understanding of the system’s vital parameters. The Seabird is
comprised of multiple cylinders, boxes, tubes and wires encased
within a wire cage. It collects data on the aforementioned
parameters four times a second and transmits this information to
the ship’s computer with remarkable speed and accuracy.
ORGANICS
EXTRACTION EQUIPMENT
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BOX CORER The box corer is used to collect a sediment sample from the bottom of the lake without disturbing the surface. These samples or sub-samples are often evaluated for contaminants or plant and animal communities. The corer is a metallic box with jaws that is operated via winch.
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CHEMISTRY LABORATORY EQUIPMENT Auto-analyzers, computers, reagent flasks and other specialized analytical equipment is found in the chemistry laboratory on-board R/V Peter Wise Lake Guardian. Some analyses must be completed within a relatively short period of time, therefore R/V Peter Wise Lake Guardian is equipped for such tests. The Laboratory also contains a “Clean Room” in which mercury analyses are performed. The Clean Room is equipped with special air filters, constant positive air pressure, and restricted admittance on-board the ship. |
ROSETTE
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AIR SAMPLING EQUIPMENT Air sampling equipment is used to filter particles and gasses from the air. These samples are analyzed for atmospheric contaminants. GLNPO scientists monitor atmospheric contaminants since contaminants can drop out of the atmospheric phase and end up in the water column. The samplers are found on the bow of the boat, where they are pointed into the wind for several hours to grab air upwind of any sort of exhaust stack. |
PLANKTON NET Plankton nets are set from the back of the ship to collect the organisms that form the base of the lake's food chain: phytoplankton (algae) and zooplankton (small animals). Plankton samples are then evaluated for their abundance, diversity and overall health, since the base of the food chain supports the entire system. The nets are made of a fine white mesh material; they can be 3 to 10 feet long and 1 to 3 feet in diameter. |
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BENTHIC SLED
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PHYTO VIBES The Phyto Vibes device was developed by the GLNPO staff to improve plankton sampling procedures. Thousands of gallons of water are strained through plankton nets to collect adequate phytoplankton samples for contaminant analyses. The nets get clogged often during the process, so GLNPO created the “phytoplankton vibrator” to make the collection process more efficient. |