Important Data Information regarding sediment trap flux data
As of June 14th 2012 sediment trap flux data is temporarily
unavailable. This data will be made available again from June
22nd 2012. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience. If
you require further information regarding this problem please
contact rod.johnson@bios.edu.
Overview of BATS
BIOS (formerly BBSR) has a long history of oceanographic
innovation. 1954 saw the implementation of the world's first
significant deep-ocean time series, Hydrostation
"S", from which data are still being collected. The
longevity and success of the program eventually led to BIOS
linking with the U.S. Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS)
program to start the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study
(BATS), another long-term time-series study examining
biogeochemical cycles in the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda.
The potential for acquiring more diverse and detailed
time-series data was a key motivator in allowing BIOS to
establish the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study. The BATS
team is involved in making monthly measurements of important
hydrographic, biological and chemical parameters throughout
the water column at sites within the Sargasso Sea.
Collaborative research efforts in the Sargasso Sea between
BATS and other institutions include the Oceanic Flux Program
(OFP), a continuing time-series study of sediment transport
measurements into the deep sea (Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution), and the Bermuda Testbed Mooring site, where the
latest high-technology moored platform is combined with
hydrographic and bio-optical sensors (USC, UCSB, MBARI, LDEO).
BATS is proving invaluable in the arena of environmental
science by producing data that helps us to better understand
global climate change and the oceans' responses to variations
in the Earth's atmosphere. The BATS team is committed to
maintaining its leading role in the field of oceanography and
educating future scientists in an environment at the forefront
of scientific discovery.
Research at BATS
Scientific investigation often generates as many questions as
it answers. This has been particularly true in the area of
oceanography. Big-picture questions (such as "How does the
ocean react to global climate change, and what role does it
play in ecosystem balance?") can be answered by in-depth
analysis of data collected over a significantly long period of
time.
The Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) was established
to uncover mysteries of the deep by analyzing important
hydrographic and biological parameters throughout the water
column. Pursuing this goal has enabled BATS scientists — and
oceanographers worldwide — to completely revise their
perspective on the ocean's physical, chemical and biological
processes. Sustained time-series data collection has
challenged longstanding paradigms and has begun to uncover
exciting new observations about the ocean.
In particular, BATS and other deep-ocean time-series studies
have highlighted the importance of biological diversity in
understanding biological and chemical cycles. Biological
diversity in the ocean results in a diverse array of metabolic
processes, and consequently varied methods for the turnover of
dissolved organic carbon, for example. BATS scientists have
also focused on carbon exchange between the oceans and
atmosphere, seeking an understanding of how oceans respond to
the clear impact of humans on atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Carbon removal pathways from the surface ocean that were
poorly quantified a decade ago — "active carbon transport" by
migrant zooplankton and food web influences — have emerged as
significant terms of the Biological Carbon Pump.
The BATS team continues to explore open and active
oceanographic questions, and to integrate new methodologies.
By maintaining an innovative approach to ocean science, we
preserve our position on the cutting edge of this vast and
exciting discipline.
