Category: CalCOFI Handbook

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Frequently Asked Questions About Fluorometric Chlorophyll Analysis Q: Why measure chlorophyll? A: All plant life contains the primary photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll a. Microscopic, planktonic plants, or phytoplankton, occupy the lit zone of all water bodies. With over 70% of the surface of the earth covered in water, phytoplankton and photosynthetic bacteria are responsible for almost…

Net Sample Preservation

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After completion of the net tow, concentrate the plankton sample into the cod end by washing down the net with the deck seawater hose (DO NOT use fresh water). Be sure to spray the net from the outside to minimize damage of the delicate plankton in the sample. Once the sample is concentrated into…

Drawing Chlorophylls

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Sample Drawing: 1. Chl samples are drawn on all rosette bottles tripped from ~200m to surface; sampling on a standard 20-bottle cast usually starts at #7 but refer to electronic sample log. For shallow stations, all the bottles may be sampled; noontime prodo casts may have extra bottles to sample; duplicate depths are usually skipped. Refer to…

Drawing Nutrients

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Retrieve an empty nutrient rack from the lab fridge if needed and record the color key with CESL electronic sample log. Wear latex or vinyl gloves; never touch the inside of the cap or tube since residue from your glove can contaminate the sample. If unavoidable or you drop the lid – rinse several times…

Drawing Salts

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The sample bottle number should ALWAYS match the rosette bottle number on full casts – check and re-check this during the sample drawing process. If you ever have any doubt about the sample, dump it and start over. Shallow casts with fewer than 20 salt samples may be combined with a previous station. Check with…

General Guidelines

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Seawater Sampling All sample bottles are rinsed three times before the final fill. The sample bottle number always matches the rosette bottle number on full (20+ bottles closed) stations. On shallow stations, salinity samples may be drawn into an existing case. The watchleader will manage the sample log & bottle numbering in these situations & inform sample…

Primary Duties

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Tasks normally performed by watchstanders & volunteers after training: CTD prep – draining and rigging of CTD for deployment 20mins before station. Rosette bottles are drained, bottom lanyards unclipped; once drained, all valves are closed and rotated 90°, breathers are closed (lightly finger-tight), & spring-loaded bottles are rigged open so they can be closed at target…

Cruise Overview

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The California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) are a unique partnership of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the NOAA Fisheries Service and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The organization was formed in 1949 to study the ecological aspects of the collapse of the sardine populations off California. Today its focus has shifted to…

Line Handling

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