Shallow water expendable and trawler safe environmental profilers

摘要

A prototype Shallow Water Expendable Environmental Profiler(SWEEP) for rapid environment assessment has been developed and testedby SACLANT Undersea Research Centre in collaboration with the Universityof Rhode Island Department of Ocean Engineering. The SWEEP system isintended for autonomous vertical profiling of acoustic, optical andphysical properties of the water column and seafloor in depths down to100 m. It is designed for data return and control via cellular phone orworldwide satellite packet communication while on the surface. The firstprototype is an anchored profiler that uses an integral buoyant winchand sensor package to profile from the bottom up to the surface. Thesystem is modular in design, allowing modules to be reused in newdeployment alternatives. Already being planned is a Shallow waterEnvironmental Profiler, in Trawl safe, Real time configuration (SEPTR).SEPTR is a bottom-up profiler with added ADCP, tide/wave gage andextended duration battery packages in a recoverable trawler safehousing. The design duration for the SWEEP is one month or 100 profilesin 100 m water depth. The design duration for SEPTR is 3 months or 360profiles in 100 m. The profilers make use of new low cost, highperformance sensors that include the following: 3-axis acceleration andmagnetic field sensors; conductivity, temperature and pressure sensors;ambient light/ optical attenuation sensors; ambient noise and currentsensors; seafloor acoustic sensors; DGPS navigation sensors. Two waycommunication of data, position and control allows profile results to bereturned in real time, and operational commands, profile schedules, andDGPS correctors to be sent to multiple profiler instruments. Completeprofiles will also be stored on board for recoverable units