Title: Oceanography 2.0: developing a high-speed plankton net for global ocean sampling through citizen sailors Context: In every liter of seawater there are between 10 and 100 billion life forms — plankton — forming the largest planetary Life network that generates half of our oxygen and regulate climates. Yet plankton sampling from research vessels is still very expensive, and oceanographic models aimed at predicting global plankton ecological changes critically lack high-resolution biological data. There is an urgent need for innovative approaches enabling collection and analysis of plankton biodiversity over much larger spatio-temporal scales than is currently possible. In 2015 we launched ‘Plankton Planet’ (www.planktonplanet.org), an international program that uses DNA barcoding to assess the biodiversity of plankton samples collected by sailing cruisers (the planktonauts!) worldwide. A major challenge is to design a low-cost, effective plankton collection device (e.g., modified ocean net) that can be easily deployed from any sailing yachts at various water velocity, to collect pristine plankton communities in the open ocean without stopping the boat.
Sponsor: University of Auckland
Award Restrictions
Applicants for this award must meet the following criteria:
| Field Of Study List | Biology/Life Sciences and Engineering |
|---|---|
| Other Criteria | See:- http://water.auckland.ac.nz/2016/03/22/fully-funded-phd-opportunity-fusing-engineering-and-biology/ Project: This engineering project will involve detailed background research, before designing an experimental set up that will allow studying the flow and forces for various net designs, as well as their potential for preserving plankton integrity for further genetic/imaging protocols. Advanced measurement techniques will be used, such as Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Ultimately, a field prototype will be manufactured, and employed in the open sea. |
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Award Specifications
Additional information about this award.
| Amount | NZ$27000 plus tuition fees |
|---|---|
| Number of Awards | 1 |
| Deadline | |
| Includes | Living stipend All tuition fees Research costs |
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