Coring systems
REV Ocean is in the process of acquiring 3 different coring systems that will provide sediment samples to address biodiversity and ecosystem function scientific questions. The coring equipment samples the microorganims, meiofauna and macrofauna in the sediment, which is where most deep-sea biodiversity exists, and where up to 90% of the species sampled can be new to science.
The samples will also be used to address some of the microplastic and climate change questions within the REV Ocean science program and can provide information on recovery of ecosystems impacted by physical disturbance such as fishing gear.
All the coring equipment will be rated for operations down to 6000 m depth.
Gravity corer
This system collects 6 to 12 m long samples of soft sediment, providing a historic account of processes such as carbon sequestration, environmental changes and microplastic accumulation.
Megacorer
This is a large multicorer, with 12 coring tubes of 100 mm diameter. The megacorer collects undisturbed sediment samples with overlying supernatant water
Boxcorer
This system samples blocks of sediments with an undisturbed sediment-water interface of 0.25 m² surface.