Electronic zooplankton counter

Figure 1. The Batfish vehicle with its full complement of sensors a Va-riosens fluorometer, a digital CTD unit, and the prototype electronic zooplankton counter with its sampler net (7).

Electronic Zooplankton Counter. The electronic zooplankton counter (prototype) mounted on Batfish operates on a principle similar to the Coulter counter where an insulating particle, such as a zooplankter, displaces seawater in a tubular cell and causes a change of electrical con-... 

The in situ Batfish sampler does not provide seawater samples for on-deck analysis. Therefore, we have also developed a continuous profiling pumping system (11) that measures biological profiles of copepods and chlorophyll and temperature while on station. Copepods and chlorophyll are measured on deck from the hose effluent with a deck-mounted electronic zooplankton counter and Turner 111 fluorometer. Measured profiles of copepods and chlorophyll indicate a vertical resolution of 3-4 m while the pumping system delivers — 50-60 L/min of seawater on deck. 

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