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He Ain't Heavy, He's My CTD

Heavy CTD
The currents in the Columbia River estuary are extremely strong. To take samples in these conditions, CMOP scientists needed a CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth) frame that wouldn't be washed away from a ship. To solve the problem, the CMOP field team built an "amazingly heavy" CTD frame with cast iron weights on the bottom. They also welded metal fins to the sides of the frame to prevent it from spinning in the current.

Dong Yoon Lee, a graduate student of Byron Crump at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Horn Point Laboratory, assisted with the deployment of the CTD on a recent research campaign . How heavy was it? Lee said that he and Byron together could only move it three feet at most. The actual weight was around 350 pounds.

(Photo by Jesse Lopez/CMOP)