Preparing water samples

Nancy Prouty and a team of water chemistry specialists collected water column samples from several deep-sea locations off Washington, Oregon, and California. Collecting samples from various depths helps build vertical profiles of nutrients, major/minor elements, water isotopes, alkalinity, pH, and dissolved inorganic carbon. These measurements will provide a spatial gradient of water column properties that influence coral and sponge habitat, including nutrient availability and aragonite saturation state.