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Concepts of underwater experimentation
Konzepte der Unterwasser-Experimentation
Helgoländer wissenschaftliche Meeresuntersuchungen volume 24, pages 54–77 (1973)
Kurzfassung
In den letzten zehn Jahren sind Unterwasseruntersuchungen zu einem nicht mehr wegzudenkenden und wichtigen Bestandteil marinbiologischer Forschungen geworden. Die technische Entwicklung dieser methodologisch definierten Disziplin führte vom Schwimm- und Gerätetauchen zu Tauchbooten, Unterwasserhäusern und ferngesteuerten Fahrzeugen. Die Anwendungsbereiche umfassen Beobachtung und Aufsammlung bis zur genauen Messung und Probennahme für ökologische Untersuchungen. Echte experimentelle Arbeit wird jedoch noch immer fast ausschließlich im Laboratorium durchgeführt. Daher ist Experimentation noch immer auf eine begrenzte Auswahl an „haltbaren“ Organismen, eine begrenzte Zahl simulierbarer und kontrollierbarer Faktoren und insbesonders an einen begrenzten Komplexitätsgrad der Untersuchungsobjekte gebunden. Dies ist um so bedauerlicher, als sich in der Ökologie immer deutlicher die Notwendigkeit von Systemanalysen abzeichnet. Der gegenwärtige Standard in Unterwasserbeobachtung und Datengewinnung und die Entwicklung von Multivariatentechniken macht es möglich, die „kontrollierten Bedingungen“ im Laboratorium — die zu oft eine gefährliche Vereinfachung sind — durch die „gemessenen Bedingungen“ in situ zu ersetzen. Die Dringlichkeit experimenteller Arbeit an ökologischen Systemen kann nicht genug betont werden in einer Zeit, in der wir versuchen müssen, mit den Einflüssen unserer Zivilisation auf die natürlichen Lebensräume fertigzuwerden, Voraussagen treffen und Modelle entwickeln zu können.
Summary
1. Recent advances in underwater research are reviewed and critically discussed. New technologies include deep-sea diving apparatus, saturation diving from underwater habitats, submersibles and remote-controlled vehicles. The fields of application include increasingly ecology and animal behaviour.
2. The term “underwater experimentation” is defined and examples provided to illustrate pertinent research.
3. Underwater experimentation is compared to laboratory experimentation. The latter is restricted to a limited set of suitable organisms, which are subjected to “controlled” but frequently quite “artificial” conditions. Furthermore, only systems of a very low degree of complexity can be studied in the laboratory. Underwater experimentation is limited by the restricted performance of man under in situ conditions. Automatisation of experimental units and use of remote-controlled vehicles are proposed to enhance man's underwater capacity.
4. The need for the design of underwater experiments, especially for system analysis, is emphasized. There is an increasing demand for predictive models to anticipate the potential impacts of civilisation on the marine environment.
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Ott, J.A. Concepts of underwater experimentation. Helgolander Wiss. Meeresunters 24, 54–77 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01609499
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01609499