Kemmerer sampler

Deep water sampling procedures are similar to those for surface water sampling, the difference is in the sample delivery method. There are several types of discrete depth liquid samplers available today to perform this task, such as glass weighted bottles, Wheaton bottles, Kemmerer samplers, or electrical pumps. 

The Kemmerer sampler is a length of pipe with messenger-activated top and bottom stoppers. The liquid flows freely through the sampler, while it is being lowered to a desired depth on a measured line. Once this depth has been reached, a messenger is sent down the line to activate the top and bottom stopper closure. Because the Kemmerer sampler is typically made of brass, which is not an inert material, its use is limited. 

During limnological investigations of Lake Zurich, Switzerland, monthly measurements were made of the total particle count and the particle size distribution as a function of depth over a 12-month period. A Kemmerer sampler was used to collect a 1-L sample which was conserved with formaldehyde, stored at 4°C in the dark, and counted within 48 hr. Sample handling, preparation, and details of the microscope counting technique using a Zeiss Videomat image analyzer and particle counter are described in detail elsewhere (19). 

Sample collection varies from hand sampling procedures at a single point to more sophisticated multipoint sampling techniques, such as the equal discharge increment (EDI) method or equal transit rate (ETR) method. Different types of water samplers can be used to collect water samples from bodies such as rivers, seas, lakes, etc. The Blumer sampler [30], Deutsche Hydrographisches Institute sampler (DHI) [31], and a high volume water sampler, designed to pump water from a defined depth below the water body surface outside the wake of the survey vessel, are suitable as samplers [32], The Kemmerer and van Dorn samplers may also be used for water sample collection. For rivers, up- and downstream samples are usually required, as well as the points where tributaries or waste drains join the main stream under study. 

---