Sediment trap
![Model of a sediment trap: It mainly consists of a huge funnel, a ring of Glass floats (3 are visible) and a revolving wheel with sample bottles.](/Images/godic/202502/10/BrnBldSedimentTrap2658.jpg")
![Sediment trap deployment in Thermaikos Gulf, Greece, 2000. The sediment trap has H/D 5.5, internal diameter 127 mm, and a net at the top. The sediment trap had been cast at 25-30 m depth and 3 m above seabed. The anchor (chain) of the mooring can also be seen.](/Images/godic/202502/10/Sediment_trap_Thermaikos_22658.jpg")
Sediment traps are instruments used in oceanography to measure the quantity of sinking particulate organic (and inorganic) material in aquatic systems, usually oceans. This flux of material is the product of biological and ecological processes typically within the surface euphotic zone, and is of interest to scientists studying the role of the biological pump in the carbon cycle.