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Marine Research Station Monitors Influent
Tank Supply Water
The history of marine biological research in Canada
began in 1899, when the Canadian government operated a small portable
laboratory at the resort town of St. Andrews, New Brunswick. A few
years later, in 1908, St. Andrews was chosen as the site for Atlantic
Canada's first permanent marine laboratory, St. Andrew's Biological
Station (SABS). The campus is now a modern facility equipped with
seawater and freshwater for keeping aquatic animals and plants, laboratories,
computer facilities, a library, and a wharf for research vessels.
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The Biological Station is one of
a network of research facilities operated by Fisheries and Oceans
(FAO) Canada. SABS scientists have established national and international
reputations for their research on aquaculture, stock assessments and
biology of commercially harvested finfish and invertebrates, oceanography,
and the aquatic environment. Their aquaculture division is currently
conducting research to support the commercialization of alternate
species such as halibut, haddock, and sea urchin. The development
of new commercial species could help Eastern Canadian providences
be more competitive in the global aquaculture industry.
SABS is the cornerstone of an active and closely
linked fisheries research and education community in St. Andrew's
that includes the Huntsman Marine Science Centre, the Atlantic Salmon
Federation, and the St. Andrew's campus of the New Brunswick Community
College. SABS utilizes YSI's multiparameter
water quality monitoring systems to
monitor the supply of water that is used in their tanks and research
vessels. Seawater is pumped from the Bay of Fundy through a long pipe.
The water is stored in a reservoir for distribution throughout the
facility. This water is used in many critical applications that can
affect delicate marine life, so changing salinity levels and total
dissolved gas pressure (TDG) must be monitored closely. |
John Trynor, an Electronics Technician with Fisheries
and Oceans Canada says "...due to the large tidal range in the
Bay of Fundy and since our facility is located on an estuary, we have
large fluctuations in the salinity of the surface water. These fluctuations
are mainly influenced by rainfall,spring freshet and tidal range.Water
taken near the bottom has less variation in the temperature and salinity,
so we located the water intakes on the seabed approximately 550 feet
out in the bay at a depth 35 feet below low tide level (60 feet+ at
high tide)." Trynor chose the YSI 6000UPG and EcoWatch software
to continuously monitor the levels of dissolved oxygen, temperature,
salinity, and total dissolved gas of the influent water. "This
system allows data to be viewed simultaneously at any PC in the facility's
network, or we can bring up monthly data files for graphing and viewing,"
adds Trynor.
For information about how to add a total dissolved
gas sensor to your existing YSI 6000UPG sonde, or information on how
to purchase a new YSI 6000UPG sonde with the sensor, contact YSI Massachusetts
at (800) 363-3269.
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