The

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is a private, non-profit oceanographic research center in Moss Landing, California. MBARI was founded in 1987 by David Packard, and is primarily funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation ...

's (MBARI's) Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) is a "lab in a can" designed for autonomous deployment. The ESP—provides on-site (in situ) collection and analysis of water samples from the

subsurface ocean Planetary oceanography also called exo-oceanography is the study of oceans on planets and moons other than Earth. Unlike other planetary sciences like astrobiology, astrochemistry and planetary geology, it only began after the discovery of undergr ...

. The instrument is an electromechanical/fluidic system designed to collect discrete water samples, concentrate

microorganism A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...

s or particles, and automate application of

molecular probe A molecular probe is a group of atoms or molecules used in molecular biology or chemistry to study the properties of other molecules or structures. If some measurable property of the molecular probe used changes when it interacts with the analyte ...

s which identify microorganisms and their gene products. The ESP also archives samples so that further analyses may be done after the instrument is recovered.

HAB-related toxin detection with an Environmental Sample Processor

The MBARI-designed Environmental Sample Processor was the first underwater robotic instrument to provide autonomous detection of both a HAB species and its toxin. This ability allows scientists, in near real-time, to determine whether or not an

algal bloom An algal bloom or algae bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in freshwater or marine water systems. It is often recognized by the discoloration in the water from the algae's pigments. The term ''algae'' encompass ...

is toxic, thus allowing better prediction and treatment of public or

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

health threats.

The NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory

The NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) will deploy the first ever freshwater ESP in

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also h ...

. This ESP will measure concentrations of particulate

microcystin Microcystins—or cyanoginosins—are a class of toxins produced by certain freshwater cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae. Over 250 different microcystins have been discovered so far, of which microcystin-LR is the most common. C ...

s in the western basin of the lake, every other day. It can also genetically detect Microcystis and archive samples for future processing. With the addition of information from the ESPs, NOAA's suite of Lake Erie HAB products, (i.e. weekly Lake Erie HAB bulletin), and the Experimental HAB Tracker]), will have the ability to provide water managers with bloom location, projected direction, intensity, AND

toxicity Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subs ...

before the water reaches the intake.

Deployments

Initial deployments of the ESP took place in 2016: the first field tests of the communications and the

detection happened in July. The ESP was re-deployed in August near the Toledo water intake crib for its first full mission. The Lake Erie ESP is deployed on a custom-built, underwater stationary mooring assembly. It samples the surface and in the water column, allowing the detection of microcystins as they relate to recreational risk (surface concentrations) or drinking water intake risk (at depth concentrations). After QC/QA, data is uploaded to NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL
"HABs and Hypoxia" page
to inform decision making by water managers and other stakeholders in near real-time.

Advantages over other monitoring methods

Managers without access to ESP data rely on 'in house' toxin testing, weekly sampling, surrogates (i.e. using algal pigment concentrations to infer risk of microcystins), or a combination of those. Toxins detected 'in house' are already either just outside the intake or present in the system. The ESP can provide managers earlier warning of blooms and toxicity. Correlations between data collected on toxicity and chlorophyll concentrations will be monitored in an effort to develop an experimental forecast of bloom toxicity.

Development and Funding

The Lake Erie ESP was purchased by GLERL with funding from the EPA's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)] leads development of algal toxin sensors for ESPs. The technology to detect microcystins by ELISA assay) was developed by NCCOS, GLERL, and the

Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research The Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, formerly known as the Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research, fosters research collaborations between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of O ...

. The viability of ESP technology to assist in monitoring and forecasting of marine HABs and their related toxins in California and the

Gulf of Maine , image = , alt = , caption = , image_bathymetry = GulfofMaine2.jpg , alt_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = Major features of the Gulf of Maine , location = Northeast coast of the ...

has been supported by NCCOS funding.

References

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External links

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteNOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
Laboratory equipment Test equipment Water management