A team of researchers led by University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) scientist Adam Greer is using a new generation of modular shadowgraph imaging systems to study plankton, allowing for more versatile and affordable approaches to researching the small, mysterious organisms in a wider range of freshwater and marine environments. Compared to older, heavier plankton imaging instruments, these new systems offer adaptability in imaging depth of field, sensor configuration, deployment method and location of deployment, allowing scientists to analyze plankton communities everywhere from the open ocean to shallow, intracoastal rivers.