Because our core objectives cannot be met using only commercial instrumentation, we design and build what we need. Our primary instruments are:

These are loosely-tethered pro-filers we drop from the stern while the ship is moving slowly. Their tethers are 3-mm-diameter Kevlar cables containing fiber optic data lines to return data in real-time. They are designed to operate to 1500 m and we have used them to 1100 m. Sensors are two air-foils to measure velocity turbulence, thermistors for temperature microstructure, a small conductivity cell, an altimeter to measure height off the bottom, and accelerometers to sense vehicle orientation.

Carrying the same sensors as the Deep-AMPs they are lighter and operate to 300 m.

Similar in principal to AMPs, their sensor electronics are housed in small cases outside the main pressure shell to give more flexibility in instrument configurations. In addition to the sensors used on AMPs, they can carry sensors for particulates, dissolved oxygen, and dye or chlorophyll. One has a small acoustic current meter to measure finescale shear.

A depth-cycling towed body, SWIMS is used for high-resolution mapping over distances of kilometers, often close to rugged bottoms. They carry a standard conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) unit plus attitude sensors, dissolved oxygen, particulates, and dye or chlorophyll. We are presently constructing a second unit to carry upward and downward acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) to observe currents close to the bottom, where shipboard ADCPs cannot measure flows.

In addition to these systems, we also use an Ashtech Differential GPS unit for positioning, a 150 kHz broadband shipboard ADCP, and a BioSonics acoustic backscatter system with 120 kHz and 200 kHz transducers.

When working in local waters we are able to use our full suite of instruments from APL's 50-foot utility boat, the R/V Miller. Its small size permits us to work in shallow water and near steep banks.