Oceanographers use a number of different instruments and techniques to collect data.
CTD Roset te CTD stands for C onductivity, T emperature, and D epth recorder. The Niskin bottles are designed so that they have lids at both ends. They are sent down open, and triggered to close electronically at the depth that water needs to be collected. This way, water can be sampled at many different depths throughout the water column , and kept separate from water collected in other bottles at other depths. BATS technicians analyze the water that is collected from the CTD for many different things such as oxygen, nutrients, plant pigments, and bacteria abundance.