Niskin bottle

hydrographic instrument

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Last updated

July 23, 2026

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The Niskin bottle is a widely used ocean-water sampler, an improvement on the earlier Nansen bottle. Invented by Shale Niskin in 1966, it is typically made of plastic and collects water samples at specific depths.

The Niskin bottle is attached to a wire and lowered to the desired depth. A weight, called a messenger, slides down the wire, triggering the bottle to close and trap the water sample. Thermometers are often attached to record the temperature and pressure at the sampling site. Multiple Niskin bottles can be used in a single cast, with each triggered bottle releasing another messenger to close the one below it. This method allows for the collection of water samples from various depths during one oceanographic survey.1

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Nansen bottle
The Niskin bottle, created by American inventor Shale Niskin in 1966, is more widely used than the Nansen bottle in modern ocean-water sampling activities. Although it is similar to the Nansen bottle in most respects, the Niskin bottle is viewed as an improvement over Nansen’s design…
Read More
The Niskin bottle, created by American inventor Shale Niskin in 1966, is more widely used than the Nansen bottle in modern ocean-water sampling activities. Although it is similar to the Nansen bottle in most respects, the Niskin bottle is viewed as an improvement over Nansen’s design…
Read More