Adaptive autonomous sampling toward the study of microbial carbon and energy fluxes in a dynamic estuary

An autonomous microbial sampling device was integrated with a long-term (endurance) environmental sensor system to investigate variation in microbial composition and activities related to complex estuarine dynamics. This integration was a part of ongoing efforts in the Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction (CMOP) to study estuarine carbon and nitrogen cycling using an observation and prediction system (SATURN, http://www.stccmop.org/saturn) as foundational infrastructure. The two endurance stations fitted with physical and biogeochemical sensors that were used in this study are located in the SATURN observation network. The microbial sampler is the Environmental Sample Processor (ESP), a commercially available electromechanical/fluidic system designed for automated collection, preservation and in situ analyses of marine water samples. The primary goal of the integration was to demonstrate that the ESP, developed for sampling of pelagic oceanic environments, could be successfully deployed for autonomous sample acquisition in the highly dynamic and turbid Columbia River estuary. The ability of the ESP to collect material at both pre-determined times and automatically in response to local conditions was tested. Pre-designated samples were acquired at specific times to capture variability in the tidal cycle. Autonomous, adaptive sampling was triggered when conditions associated with specific water masses were detected in real-time by the SATURN station's sensors and then communicated to the ESP via the station computer to initiate sample collection. Triggering criteria were based on our understanding of estuary dynamics, as provided by the analysis of extensive archives of high-resolution, long-term SATURN observations and simulations. In this manner, we used the ESP to selectively sample various microbial consortia in the estuary to facilitate the study of ephemeral microbial-driven processes. For example, during the summer of 2013 the adaptive sampling capability of the instrument was employed to capture samples before, during and after the tidally controlled estuarine turbidity maximum, in concert with contrasting periods of coastal upwelling and downwelling. This was done to test the hypothesis that upwelled ocean water containing high concentrations of nutrients and low concentrations of dissolved oxygen impacts microbial activities related to carbon and nitrogen cycling in the estuary. Application of the adaptive sampling strategy provided a novel means of investigating the dynamic estuarine environment and facilitated studies aimed at linking its physical, biogeochemical, and microbiological properties.