1. An autonomous profiler monitoring water quality in south Puget Sound
NO3, l
Oceanic Remote Chemical/optical Analyzer (ORCA)
An autonomous profiler monitoring water quality in south Puget Sound
ORCA overall;
Steven Emerson; Allan Devol
Jan Newton; Rick Reynolds
PRISM John Dunne; Wendi Ruef
General Support
Nutrient Analyzer

2. ORCA GOALS
Develop a robust remote chemical and biological monitoring system
T, S, Light, Meteorology
NO3, O2, Chl-a, turbidity
NH4, Gas Exchange parameters
Telemeter data back to UW
Monitor the spectrum of time-scales
Hourly (tides), Daily (solar), Weekly (plankton growth), Monthly (blooms), Annual (seasons, and inter-annual, e.g., El Nino)
Describe natural variability and characterize and help evaluate potential human influence
Validate PRISM physical and biological models
Ground-truth satellite ocean color

3. WHAT DOES ORCA LOOK LIKE?
ORCA Schematic View
light
weather station
radar
reflector
superstructure
4.2 m
solar panel
Platform and housing For Winch, electronics, etc
solar panel
Atlas float
(cut away
view)
package
ballast ring
anchoring
(break in
scale)

5. WHERE IS ORCA?

7. Photosynthesis (P) : [O2]
CO2 + H2O + nutrients CH2O + O2
Respiration and Decay (R) : [O2]
CH2O + O CO2 + H2O + nutrients
Excess nutrients and stratification (eutrophication) can lead to consumption of all the oxygen in a system, so fish can no longer survive there
Nutrients
Stratification

9. Effect of nutrient addition on phytoplankton productivity
blue = ambient production
red = spiked with NH4 and PO4
Carr Inlet, WA Ecology
enhancement
no enhancement
surface enhancement 5 10 15
500
1000 20 25
200
400
600
12 Oct 00
25 Sep 00
10 Jul 00
depth (m)
primary productivity (mg C m-3 d-1)
July , 2000
enhancement
October 15-21, 2000
Sept. 20- Oct. 2, 2000
no enhancement
surface enhancement
Sigma-t
Chl ug/l
O2 mg/l

10. Goals for 2003 Science Goals: MIXED experiment (April 2003)
Nutrients; NO3 and NH4
Move Orca for Brightwater
Publish Orca Results
Prism Goals:
Use Orca to Validate ABC-POM
Carr Inlet
Brighwater site
Outreach
Maintain Orca Website
Orca School

11. Longer Term Goals Science
Study Bloom Dynamics/gas exchange/nutirent/physics coupling
Mixed layer
Aphotic zone
Add Sensors (PO4, Eddy Correlation, micro-gradient)
Publish Orca Results
Expand Network:
South Sound, Main Basin, Hood Canal, Admiralty Inlet
Continue and Expand Outreach/Education