A gravity-driven, hydraulically-damped multiple piston corer for sampling fine-grained sediments

The design of a gravity-driven, hydraulically-damped multiple piston corer is presented and discussed. In addition to recovering virtually undisturbed sediment surfaces, this corer also minimizes core shortening and facilitates the sampling of near surface pore waters by the use of a piston-coring system. The piston system also eliminates the need for complex core-catching devices and permits the use of thicker-walled core tubes, which help to thermally insulate the sediment core during recovery and handling operations. Because there is essentially only one moving part, this device is simple to construct and maintain.