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Video Plankton Recorder (VPR) image collage.

Video Plankton Recorder (VPR) image collage.
Video Plankton Recorder (VPR) image collage.
Video Plankton Recorder (VPR) image collage.
Video Plankton Recorder (VPR) image collage.
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Ashjian, Carin
Video Plankton Recorder (VPR) image collage.
Still Image
05/23/2012
vprphotocollage_COMP.jpg
Caption from cruise blog:
The Video Plankton Recorder is an underwater microscope that uses a camera and strobe to take photographs of plankton in-situ, in their natural habitat. Depth is also recorded so that we can calculate the concentration of each plankton type with depth in the water.
The light from the VPR is a cool blue as it flashes, descending down into the inscrutable sea to yield photos of remarkable clarity and detail. Rather than seeing the plankton lying in a dish under the microscope, one can see them as they swim in the water. A fascinating glimpse into the underwater world of the plankton.
Four plankton seen by the VPR. Note, the photos are not to scale. Top left: A euphausiid, or krill. Top right: A Calanus copepod. Bottom left: A chaetognath, or arrow worm, voracious predators of copepods. Bottom right; Another voracious predator of both copepods and krill, a ctenophore.
Image of The Day caption:
During an early-winter expedition to the Arctic led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution biologist Carin Ashjian, investigators used a video plankton recorder (VPR) to study tiny animal plankton in the ocean ecosystem. The VPR is an underwater microscope towed from a ship that captures detailed images of living plankton without disturbing them, so researchers can observe their normal appearance and behavior. Clockwise from upper left, four VPR images (not to scale) from this cruise show a krill, a copepod, a comb jelly, and an arrow worm.
Photo courtesy of Carin Ashjian
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
http://arctic-winter-cruise.blogspot.com
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