SMAST East Seawater Lab

The 6,000-square-feet lab, located in SMAST East, is designed to allow scientists the ability to conduct multiple experiments simultaneously and is configured with the flexibility to accommodate faculty members’ research needs.

This seawater system has enhanced automated features that provide state-of-the-art remote operation and control capacities, which allow the seawater lab manager to address seawater situations 24 hours a day whether onsite or offsite.

Features and functionalities 

• Remotely operated and controlled seawater intake pumps, which provide only the required amounts of seawater, conserving energy. The seawater intake pumps on the SMAST Pier provide a reliable source of Fresh Seawater from Clark’s Cove to the SMAST West and SMAST East Seawater Wet Laboratories.
• The control package automatically monitors, adjusts, and processes seawater conditions to provide reliable and precise control of such features as temperature, water clarity, flow rate, and light cycles while simultaneously providing data and alarm notifications to any registered seawater user’s email address or SMART phone 24 hours per day.
• Designed with redundant seawater processing equipment and piping to address unanticipated conditions, maintenance, and biofouling. 
• Electrically connected into the SMAST East Emergency Power grid in the event of a power failure on campus.
• Filtration provides enhanced seawater clarity in the research tanks with the added benefit of removing potential predators to certain aquatic species studied in the Marine Lab.
• Seawater temperature ranges can be set from as low as 10C to as warm as 25C, so both cold water and tropical species can be studied simultaneously.
• Each research tank can accommodate one of five different types of processed seawaters as well as two additional raw ambient seawater lines at flow rates up to 20 GPM at each tank to meet the water quality requirements of SMAST research projects. 
• Built-in recirculation systems conserve energy by reusing warmed or cooled seawater and provide a reliable source of seawater.
• A seawater isolation lab accommodates small-scale research projects that require additional environmental control such as light cycles, reduced acoustics, and disturbances from excessive motion.
• An energy recovery heat exchanger recovers any energy expended from the processed seawater effluent before it returns to Clark’s Cove.