Seafloor Samples Laboratory

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

Under this award the PIs will be responsible for the duration of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Floor Samples laboratory. With continued funding the repository will be able to keep pace with the expanding demands for material and data related to their extensive collection, enabling a wide array of global research programs to begin, continue or be enhanced by the use of previously acquired marine geological samples. In the most recent grant period, the repository shared more than 18,000 samples with investigators from more than forty universities and research institutions located in eight nations around the world. In addition the repository had added 284 new cores, 202 new dredge samples and 58 new sample locations from seventeen Alvin dives. The repository will support and update a map-based search site www.whoi.edu/corelab/explore that includes thousands of core and dredge descriptions in PDF format that are available for immediate downloading or online browsing which makes possible instantaneous broad access to our wealth of information via this 'open channel' of communication. The repository also provides access to technical advice on sampling operations and a suite of modern and well-maintained, custom-built equipment for the gathering of sea floor samples of all types. Annually, the lab will lead numerous educational and technical groups through its facilities at the Mclean laboratory to describe the procedures in the sample acquisition process and display and describe the many types of sea floor materials that make up the collection. With the award the lab will continue to sustain all of the sample archiving and acquisition support activities.