OGAP Laboratory Van - Success on Vancouver Island
“The single biggest impediment to understanding the biology of our oceans is the cost of research vessels.”
Dr. Leonid Moroz, aft platform of SRV SAM, Molokai 2018.
This reality has been OGAP’s core motivation as we have tested various modes of vessels and voyages to conduct cutting edge science in remote locations at very low cost.
After staging laboratories on mid-sized sailing research vessels (SRVs,) the next logical step was to build and deploy a laboratory van and use trailerable motorboats to gather and deliver fresh and intact plankton samples.
On August 8, the OGAP team drove a newly refitted Sprinter laboratory van onto the BC Ferries’ Coastal Inspiration to cross to Vancouver Island on the way to very remote sections of the island’s western coast. This area was chosen as our proof-of-concept sampling trip at its combined rich biota with remote and demanding conditions.
After fueling and stocking up, the van headed northwest out the Tree to Sea Road to Tahsis. Nearly 60 km down a dirt logging road, Tahsis sits at the intersection of the Esperanza and Tahsis Inlet, long and very deep fjords (600’+) with direct access to the cold and rich waters of the Pacific Ocean.
The team of Dr. Moroz, Matt Stromberg, Kian Stromberg, Keira Cooper and Peter Molnar were joined by Andrew Parker and Kiefer Hahn who trailered their ocean capable 22’ Stabicraft Josie Whales aluminum fishing boat out from Montana. The vessel and crew were to conduct over two dozen sample hauls from the inlets to 20 nm out to sea.
Upon arrival, the team situated the van and deployed the laboratory that included microscopic and genomic workbenches, sea tables, an -80 C ultra-deep freezer, refrigerator, and an assortment of supplies. Outfitted with two power systems and a generator, the van allows scientists an off the grid platform.
From the very first afternoon’s haul, the team gathered and extremely rich array of organisms. Dr. Moroz declared it a “jackpot!” The stage for advanced science was set.
Samples were returned to the mobile laboratory for immediate behavioral and developmental experiments, followed by the processing of cells, embryos, larvae, and diversity of adult planktonic organisms for subsequent genomic studies proving that this mobile laboratory allows scientists the ability to conduct complex biomedical research in remote areas and native habitats.
As in any expedition to new areas, the team encountered multiple surprises some on the very first day. By exploring the most distant regions of Vancouver fjords, the OGAP team gathered hundreds of comb jellies of different developmental stages and sizes, a highly unexpected discovery. By comparison, at the closest US marine laboratory in the San Juan Islands during this time of year, researchers had not found these enigmatic animals and their larvae for the past two summer months.
At the end of the voyage Dr. Moroz concluded that “these remote fjords can be viewed as perfect nurseries for many pelagic/planktonic species. Our initial survey allowed a small team of science citizens to identify more than 300 species and perform precious behavioral and developmental experiments in native habitats impossible to conduct elsewhere.”
The voyage allowed the identification of the function of novel signal molecules in representative ancestral animal lineages within a short 10-day interval, far away from conventional labs and institutional research facilities.
After the first week the team moved just over 100 miles south down the coast to the Bamfield Marine Research Station for five days of sampling and laboratory work with equally rich sampling and analysis.
After two weeks of intense and remote field work the OGAP team is now confident that such multifunctional and versatile mobile laboratories can be broadly used around the globe at very low per diem cost and can efficiently support the mission of researchers to better understand the mysteries of our oceans toward progress in biomedicines and planetary health.