Underwater sediment trap used on a neutral buoyancy seeking lagrangian float

MBARI has developed and field tested a small underwater sediment trap capable of being transported on Autonomous Underwater Vehicles and Lagrangian profiling floats performing multiple dives. A programmable controller allows for multiple time variant sample collection with sealed storage capability. The trap was mounted on a Coastal Profiling Float and routinely collected samples at depths ranging from 10-130 meters offshore of Monterey, CA. Samples were processed for methylmercury and environmental DNA.