USGS Scientists preparing Sediment Traps for deployment

USGS Scientists Caitlin Reynolds and Rosalie Cruikshank are aboard the R/V Pelican in the northern Gulf of America. They are preparing two sediment traps for deployment. Sediments are caught in the large area at the top of the funnels, then collected in a bottle at the bottom. The bottles will rotate every two weeks to timestamp and preserve all foraminifera falling into the trap. Foraminifera shells incorporate information about their environment such as ocean chemistry, temperature, and salinity. They only live in the water column for a few weeks and eventually die and sink to the bottom of the ocean (or into a sediment trap). Photo taken by Christopher Malanuk, NOAA.
Learn more about foraminifera and their role in APplying Proxy-based Reconstruction Of Atlantic Climate Change. (This will link to the sed trap specific page)