EarthRef.org Digital Archive (ERDA) -- Lesson 2 - How do scientists study mesopelagic animals?

Description
This presentation explains the different methods that are used to study mesopelagic animals and includes:
Nets, which are relatively low cost and simple to deploy, but generally kill the animals that they collect, so are not good for observing live animals
Fishfinders (i.e., SONAR) use soundwaves to survey the water column; they allow scientists to survey a large region of the ocean while conducting other scientific activities, but do not provide explicit information on which animals are detected
Remotely operated vehicles allow for direct observations (with video) of the mesopelagic zone and collection of live animals, but only survey a very small volume of water. Operating an ROV is very expensive.
Submarines actually bring scientists into the environment, providing them direct observations of the mesopelagic zone. They are also very expensive to operate, and can be risky to humans.

Assignment:
In a blog post (or written essay), write a research cruise plan for studying some aspect of the mesopelagic ecosystem using the tools that you have learned about (CTD, nets, acoustics, ROV, submersible). Be creative. There should be at least 3 paragraphs:
(1) Introduction
(2) What it is you are interested in studying/what question you are trying to answer
(3) What tools you are going to use
* Include at least 1 picture.