SmartBay EMSO node deploys two cyberinfrastructure for ANERIS

This July, the SmartBay Observatory was re-deployed in Galway Bay after a time out of water for mandatory maintenance. Along with this deployment, two new imaging sensors for were installed on the observatory as part of research activities linked to the ANERIS Horizon Europe project (grant agreement No 101094924). The Marine Institute participates in ANERIS as an affiliate partner of EMSO ERIC, facilitating WP5 objectives which is to set up a converged cyberinfrastructure across the computing continuum, and test them on a distributed edge-cloud deployment that will be used for the various case studies that have been proposed. 

The CytoSub, developed by CytoBuoy, is an instrument that efficiently collects high-definition, high-frequency data from any underwater location, providing reliable images of phytoplankton and zooplankton in their natural state. This allows subsea Observatories , such as SmartBay, to enhance monitoring capabilities with single cell analysis and imaging. The Cytosub will collect detailed information on microbe communities and their diversity & physiology as well as trends in biological variables like the abundance and growth of phytoplankton or zooplankton, or harmful algal blooms. The CytoSub was fitted onto the observatory frame ahead of the July deployment. An engineer from CytoBuoy travelled to Galway, Ireland to train the SmartBay team in the technical aspects and maintenance of the instrument. Training was also provided on the use of flow cytometry with freshwater samples, the use of CytoSense control software and phytoplankton analysis with CytoClus software. The sensor will be continuously powered from the Observatory with a fibre connection to deliver the Cytosub data in realtime to phytoplankton analysts based in the Marine Institute who operate the Irish National monitoring programme for the observation of the presence of toxigenic and harmful/nuisance phytoplanktonic species in Irish coastal waters. The real-time data from Cytosub in Smartbay will contribute to the identification and enumeration of the causative toxigenic species present in Galway Bay. In addition, this new dataset will provide long-term baseline data and information regarding phytoplankton communities and dynamics, including the presence of shellfish toxin and HAB species which can affect shellfish, finfish and marine ecosystems.

The UVP6 (Underwater Vision Profiler 6) was developed by Hydroptic, a French company specializing in underwater imaging systems, in collaboration with the Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LOV) in France. This instrument is used to study particle and plankton abundance, size, and distribution in the water column by capturing high-resolution images in situ. The UVP6 is widely utilized in oceanographic research for understanding marine ecosystems, particularly for plankton monitoring and particle flux studies.. The UVP system uses optical technology with custom lighting to acquire digital images of zooplankton. A specialised technician worked with the SmartBay team to install the instrument onto the observatory’s systems. The data is being collected from the UVP6 base station computer installed at EMSO Smartbay and is being transferred to LOV where it is then uploaded to EcoTaxa – a web-based platform designed for the analysis and visualization of high-throughput ecological data, especially focusing on data derived from imaging technologies like underwater cameras. A data pipeline to automate this data transfer is currently under development as part of the Aneris project.

The UVP6 will contribute to understanding biological processes, assessing the health of marine ecosystems, and tracking changes in oceanic biogeochemical cycles. 

 

Authors: Christine Loughlin, Paul Gaughan, Marine Institute