Use of a whirling cup rotor to stir benthic chambers

Realistic stirring is an important concern when using benthic chambers to measure processes at the sediment-water column interface. A simple whirling cup rotor device that is driven by external flow and stirs benthic chambers effectively is described here. Flow tank studies and field studies demonstrated that this device homogenizes benthic chambers rapidly and responds quickly and linearly to external flow conditions. The device is simple to build and use and avoids many of the disadvantages of conventional stirring motors and pumps.