A Look at Technology: The Woods Hole Isobaric Gas Tight Sampler
Covering the mechanics and design of a key sampling device, this article showcases the Isobaric Gas Tight (IGT) sampler engineered at The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). As it turns out, collecting vent fluid samples is not as easy as it seems. During collection and transportation, many volatile chemicals are lost, such as methane and hydrogen sulfide. These gasses alone are known to contribute greatly to the biology and geochemical interactions on, and adjacent to hydrothermal sites. Having the ability to accurately quantify these species has stirring implications for many questions, including the origin of life!