WET Labs

WET Labs
Name	WET Labs
Type	Private
Founded	1990s
Founder	N/A
Headquarters	Bainbridge Island, Washington
Products	Optical sensors, fluorometers, backscatter sensors, hyperspectral instruments
Industry	Oceanographic instrumentation

WET Labs

WET Labs is a manufacturer of optical and electronic instrumentation for oceanography and limnology, known for developing bio-optical sensors, fluorometers, backscatter detectors, and hyperspectral radiometers. The company supplies instruments for academic research, government programs, and commercial projects, supporting field campaigns, autonomous platforms, and shipboard observations. WET Labs products are integrated into studies ranging from coastal monitoring to global ocean surveys and are frequently cited in publications and deployed by institutions and agencies worldwide.

History

WET Labs originated in the Pacific Northwest during the 1990s amid growth in oceanographic instrumentation and autonomous platforms, contributing to technological advances alongside institutions such as Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and University of Washington. Early milestones included development of submersible fluorometers and optical backscatter sensors that found rapid adoption in projects with partners like U.S. Navy programs, the National Science Foundation-funded observatories, and regional initiatives coordinated by Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. Over subsequent decades, the firm expanded its product line while collaborating with research groups at Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Miami, and University of Rhode Island. The company’s instruments have been used in expeditions such as Global Ocean Ship-based Hydrographic Investigations Program-related surveys, coastal observatory deployments off Monterey Bay, and long-term time-series at locations like Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study.

Technology and Products

WET Labs designs optical sensors including spectral radiometers, absorption meters, and chlorophyll fluorometers that complement instruments from manufacturers such as Seabird Electronics, Teledyne Technologies, JFE Advantech Co., Kongsberg Maritime, and Nortek. Signature products include backscatter meters often paired with transmissometers in work by teams at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and hyperspectral absorption/attenuation systems used in studies supported by Office of Naval Research grants and European Space Agency validation campaigns. Their fluorometers detect biomarkers including chlorophyll-a, phycoerythrin, and fluorescent dissolved organic matter, and have been integrated onto platforms from vendors like Teledyne Webb Research gliders, Liquid Robotics wave-powered vehicles, and rosette systems used in Alvin-compatible operations. Electronics designs emphasize low-power consumption for deployments on moorings associated with Ocean Observatories Initiative and on autonomous vehicles such as those developed at WHOI and MBARI.

Applications and Operations

WET Labs instruments support a wide array of operational uses: coastal eutrophication monitoring employed by agencies like Environmental Protection Agency regional offices, harmful algal bloom surveillance coordinated with National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, sediment transport studies in collaboration with port authorities, and carbon cycling research linked to projects at Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and University of California, Santa Barbara. Instruments are commonly integrated into autonomous platforms produced by Kongsberg Maritime AUVs, Bluefin Robotics vehicles, and Sea-Bird CTD rosettes during expeditions such as those conducted by NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer and research cruises funded by the National Science Foundation. Operational deployments include continental shelf observatories, estuarine networks like those around Chesapeake Bay, and long-range oceanic glider transects monitored by consortia such as the Integrated Ocean Observing System.

Research and Development

Research partnerships have driven iterative design improvements through collaborations with academic laboratories at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, instrumentation groups at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and interdisciplinary centers like MBARI and University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory. R&D efforts have focused on miniaturization, hyperspectral sensing, in situ calibration techniques used in NASA ocean color validation, and development of smart sensors compatible with Robotic Underwater Vehicle control systems. Funding and validation for new technologies have involved agencies and programs including the National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, NASA’s Ocean Biology program, and regional initiatives such as the California Ocean Protection Council. Peer-reviewed studies employing WET Labs sensors have appeared in journals associated with societies like the American Geophysical Union and The Oceanography Society.

Collaborations and Partnerships

WET Labs has partnered with commercial and academic organizations including Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Teledyne Technologies, Sea-Bird Electronics, Kongsberg Maritime, Liquid Robotics, and governmental entities such as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Science Foundation. These collaborations have enabled instrument integration on platforms ranging from Teledyne Webb Research Slocum gliders to Bluefin Robotics AUVs, and participation in multi-institutional programs like the Ocean Observatories Initiative and international campaigns coordinated with European Space Agency remote sensing teams. Partnership outcomes include standardized data products used by consortia such as the Integrated Ocean Observing System and contributions to community sensor protocols advocated by International Ocean Colour Coordinating Group.

Conservation and Impact Studies

Instruments from WET Labs have been used in conservation- oriented studies addressing harmful algal bloom dynamics, sedimentation impacts on coral reef systems monitored with researchers from James Cook University and University of Queensland, and water quality assessments informing coastal management by agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and regional authorities. Deployments have supported climate-related investigations at sites studied by the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study and the Western Antarctic Peninsula programs, informing models developed by groups at Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Data from these sensors contribute to assessments by international bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and regional conservation initiatives coordinated with The Nature Conservancy.

Category:Oceanographic instrumentation companies