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Ascension Microplastics Depth Sampler

Easily monitor freshwater and marine microplastic pollution down to 400 meter depths

Remove Barriers To Study Microplastics At Depth

Ascension Tether

Easily Monitor Freshwater and Marine Microplastics 

Studies suggest that 99.8% of oceanic plastic sinks below the ocean's surface. Until now, microplastic sampling equipment has either skimmed the water’s surface or required large and expensive research vessels with industrial deployment capabilities for below-surface sampling.​

​Ascension is a portable and tethered instrument capable of collecting 7 separate filtered microplastic samples per deployment down to 400-meter depths from the side of a small vessel or fixed installation. Filtering water directly in situ, Ascension significantly increases your sample collection capabilities and reduces contamination. 

 

The 22 pound Ascension Depth Sampler is being pulled out of the ocean by hand with water dropping off the bottom

Collect Reliable Data

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Operate in real-time deployment mode or upload an automated mission for autonomous time-series sampling 

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Minimize filter handling and sample contamination by filtering directly in situ  

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Recharge the battery to maximize deployment time and reduce primary battery waste

Manually lower and raise through the water column by hand-- no need for winch systems

Capture conductivity, temperature, salinity,  depth and filtration volumes in real time with the on-board CTD sensor and flow meter

Smart interface with no confusing terminal commands

Product Specifications

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Dry Weight: 10 Kg (22 lbs)   
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Depth Rating: 400m  
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Tether Length: 50, 100 or 200 m  
Battery: 266 W-Hr. rechargeable LIPO batter  
External Sensors: Star-Oddi DST DCT Online  
Temperature Range: -1°C to +40°C (30°F to 104°F)  
Temperature Resolution: 0.032°C (0.058°F)  
Temperature Accuracy: +/- 0.1°C (0.18°F)  
Depth Range: 5-500m  
Depth Resolution: 0.03% of depth range  
Depth Accuracy: +/- 0.6% of depth range  
Salinity Range: 3-68 mS/cm  
Salinity Resolution: 0.02 PSU  
Salinity Accuracy: +/- 1 PSU  
Acceptable Filter Pore Size: >10 µm  
Pump Type: High flow impeller 
Flow Meter Range: 0.2 – 4.5 litres per minute  
Typical Flow Rates: 0.5 – 4.5 litres per minute  
Flow Meter Accuracy: +/- 1.5%  
Number of Filter Channels: 7  
System Requirements: Windows 10/11 laptop with Bluetooth capability 

Automation, real-time sensing capabilities and in-situ filtration

 “The best place to look for information is going to be at depth. Ascension is really one of the only ways that we can get our hands on those deeper samples given the platforms of opportunity available to us for this project.” - Eily Allan, University of Washington School of Marine and Environmental Affairs

“Ascension took away a barrier for the skills needed for sampling. It is foolproof compared to other equipment. I was really excited. I can’t believe the data we’ll get!" - Susan Anthony, SeaChange Society

Case Studies

A smiling researcher sits on the side of a dinghy boat in the Pacific Ocean holding the Ascension microplastics depth sampler with one hand as it rests on the side of the boat.

Ascension Helps to Uncover Microplastic Exposure in Humpback Whales. Read >

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