Static sediment traps have been successfully used to examine the processes of particle flux and resuspension in large lakes and coastal systems. Although the traps themselves are inexpensive, the deployment and retrieval of them is costly, which restricts both the quantity and frequency of samples. To overcome this, a programmable sequencing sediment trap was designed and tested for use in large lakes and coastal systems. Sediment is collected into a carousel of 23 standard 60 ml (Nalgene™) polyethylene sample bottles. The sequencing design incorporates an electric motor and paddle to rotate the carousel so that one sample bottle at a time is exposed according to a preprogrammed schedule. These traps incorporate a cylindrical design with a 20 cm collection opening and an 8:1 aspect ratio. The micro-controller monitors the operation and records operational parameters allowing corifirmation of the exposure time of each bottle. Several field tests were conducted to verify the precision and uniformity of the sediment collection. Impmvements made over the 10 years of deployment experience and field testing have resulted in a very reliable and low-cost instrument.

Recently, the Marine Technology Society addressed marine technology applications that provide environmental, economic, and societal benefit (Kohanowich, 2007). The ReCON project, real-time networking technology developed for marine coastal observations (Ruberg, Muzzi et al.,

ABSTRACT. An autonomous vertical profiler was deployed at a site in 55 m of water in southern Lake

A new integrated coastal observation system is providing preliminary data from the North American Great Lakes. This system can be implemented in other coastal regions. To date, it has been successfully deployed on Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie to make seabed to sea surface measurements of chemical, biological, and physical parameters, which are transmitted wirelessly through buoys and permanent stations. Called the Real‐Time Coastal Observation Network (ReCON), the new system leverages existing networking technology to provide universal access to a wide variety of instrumentation through the use of an underwater Ethernet port server [Austin, 2002]. A team of NOAA engineers and scientists has completed the development and testing of this integrated coastal observation network.

ReCON, a coastal observation network with nodes on Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie, has been designed to allow flexible deployment of coastal access points and simplified integration of sensor packages. The system provides continuous observations of chemical, biological, and physical parameters, facilitates modification of sampling parameters in anticipation of episodic events, facilitates collection of field samples in response to episodic events, supports long term research and contributes to sensor and system development. The system currently supports projects addressing harmful algal bloom (HAB) detection, human health observations related to beach closures and drinking water processing concerns, rip current warnings, integrated ecosystem assessment, and public access to historic shipwrecks at the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. ReCON system development relies on wireless broadband technology and a network-based underwater hub designed to allow expansion via satellite nodes. The system architecture allows simplified integration of sensors from various institutions through guest ports. Access to and control of instrumentation is made available to the scientific community and educational institutions through the internet. A real-time database management system provides data and information for forecast model initial conditions, forecast verification, public information, and educational outreach. The technology demonstrated on the ReCON project represents an important contribution to the success of regional coastal ocean observing systems. The pervasiveness of wireless internet technology in coastal regions represents an opportunity to significantly expand high bandwidth coastal observation capabilities. Implementing ReCON on a regional coastal level in the Great Lakes has contributed to better tools and understanding for managers and educators, more on-water observations for marine forecasters, and improved scientific measurements.