Lagrangian sampling of Monterey Bay Surface waters
To assess aquatic microbial community dynamics at high resolution over short time scales, we combined a free-drifting, automated sampling approach with microbial community transcriptome analyses. The Environmental Sample Processor (ESP), a robotic environmental sampler and sensor, was used to collect and preserve microbial cells from a depth of approximately 23 m. The instrument was deployed on a drifting platform to facilitate Lagrangian sampling and enable continuous tracking and repeated sampling of coherent microbial populations. Over the course of a 5-day deployment, the instrument drifted approximately 80 km along the warm side of a front that was generated by coastal upwelling to the east. Thirteen samples collected at four-hour intervals were selected for metatranscriptome pyrosequencing. Microbial cDNA was synthesized from ribosomal RNA-subtracted, linearly amplified community RNA, and sequenced using 454 FLX Titanium chemistry. |  |  | |