In situ measurements of the dynamics of a full scale bottom moored mine model

Under the sponsorship of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Dalgren Division, White Oak, Marland, the Ocean Systems & Mooring Laboratory of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution devised (1991) and conducted (1992) an experiment to measure the dynamic response of a full scale model of the CAPTOR mine, submerged and moored in strong tidal currents near Woods Hole, MA. Specifically, the purpose of this sophisticated engineering experiment was to obtain long term, high frequency measurements of the spatial position of the CAPTOR body, of the tension at both ends of the mooring line, and of the mooring line strumming, as a function of the currents prevailing at the site. This report first describes the main components and the method of deployment of the complex CAPTOR Dynamics Experiment (CAPTORDYN) set up. It then presents the mechanical and electrical designs of the entire system. Finally a review of the results obtained concludes the report.Funding was provided by the Naval Surface Warfare Center under Contract No. N60921-91-C-0216

1996 ONR/MTS Buoy Workshop March 26-27, 1996, San Diego, CA : summmary, abstracts, & attendees

Compiled by Walter PaulOceanographic buoy technology is a diverse field loosely represented by the Buoy Technology Committee of the Marine Technology Society. Information on oceanographic buoy systems and related is often disseminated anecdotal while some results are communicated and published at various Ocean Technology conferences and in technical reports and journal articles. Every 4 to 6 years a Buoy Workshop has been organized to provide a forum for less formal and more open exchanges of successes and failures in the development of this challenging segment of technology. The Buoy Workshops have served the purpose of a focused exchange of state of the art technology in a single defined area. Buoy research and technology is performed by small groups in diverse locations. Frequently there is little interchange about ongoing work and lessons learned beyond the immediate research team. The 1996 Buoy Workshop was suggested and supported by the Office of Naval Research, in order to foster communication and exchange. The Buoy Workshop was organized to follow with a half day of overlap the 23rd Annual Undersea Cable and Connector Workshop of the Marine Technology Society. Both workshops were held at the end of March at the same hotel in San Diego under the auspices of the Marine Technology Society. About 80 people attended the two-day exchange about buoy technology successes and failures

Self deployable deep sea moorings

As part of a development effort in the field of moored arrays sponsored by the Office of Naval Technology, the Ocean Structures and Moorings Laboratory (OSM&L), Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department (AOP&E), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) conducted a study in 1991 to assess the feasibility and the merits of several self-deployable mooring designs. This study included a brief review of the state of the art, the performance of lab tests to evaluate different mooring line payout concepts, and the preliminary design of a typical candidate mooring. The results of this study are presented in this report. The report first reviews three types of single point moored arrays which are amenable to self-deployment: subsurface, subsurface with surface expression, and surface with bottom inverted catenary. It then describes the features common to all self-deploying moorings: techniques for line and instrument storage, means for controlled payout, bottom finders and lock up mechanisms, and it also outlines desirable specifications for sensor sizes, cables and connectors. Next the report reviews typical deployment scenarios from the bottom up or from the surface down as they apply to the three types of moorings retained. In its final section, the report presents the conceptual design of a 6000 meters depth capability, bottom up deployment, candidate mooring. This configuration should be of strong interest when contemplating the deployment of a large number of identical subsurface moorings, interconnected by a bottom cable, and in "close" proximity to one another. The case study outlines the design objectives and the current profiles, specifies the main components, evaluates their performance with the help of a standard computer program, and presents packaging and payout control details. Finally, a plan is proposed for the controlled, in-situ evaluation of a prototype.Funding was provided by the Office of Naval Technology under Contract No. N00014-90-C-0098

Real-Time Telemetry Options for Ocean Observing Systems

Ocean observing systems provide a means to monitor oceanic variables on a variety of temporal and spatial scales. Data from ocean observing systems are most useful when they are collected in real-time; real-time data allow the detection of important events as they occur. Various real-time telemetry options exist for transferring data from sea to shore and from the subsurface to the surface. We survey these telemetry options to highlight the research problems associated with subsea to surface to shore networking and include a comparison of existing real-time technologies for three specific ocean observing system network topologies with respect to data transmission rates, power requirements, and cost. We conclude that cellular technology may prove to be the best means for sea to shore transmission in nearshore regions whereas Iridium satellite communications are ideal for locations not covered by cellular service. Further advances in cabled mooring lines and inductive and acoustic modem technologies will make these more attractive options for subsurface to surface data transmissions

Oceanus.

v. 38, no.1 (1995

SeaWiFS technical report series. Volume 6: SeaWiFS technical report series cumulative index: Volumes 1-5

The Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) is the follow-on ocean color instrument to the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS), which ceased operations in 1986, after an eight year mission. SeaWiFS is expected to be launched in August 1993, on the Sea Star satellite, being built by Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC). The SeaWiFS Project at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has undertaken the responsibility of documenting all aspects of this mission, which is critical to the ocean color and marine science communities. This documentation, entitled the SeaWiFS Technical Report Series, is in the form of NASA Technical Memoranda Number 104566. All reports published are volumes within the series. This volume serves as a reference, or guidebook, to the previous five volumes and consists of four main sections including an index to key words and phrases, a list of all references cited, and lists of acronyms and symbols used. It is our intention to publish a summary index of this type after every five volumes in the series. This will cover the topics published in all previous editions of the indices, that is, each new index will include all of the information contained in the preceding indices

Final Technical Report For The Enhancement Of Autonomous Marine Vehicle Testing In The South Florida Testing Facility Range

The purpose of this grant was to carry out the six scientific experiments on the South Florida Testing Facility (SFTF) Range. In addition to the enhancements to the range, work was performed on all six with some being successfully completed while research continues on the long term tasks

Advancing Climate Change Research and Hydrocarbon Leak Detection : by Combining Dissolved Carbon Dioxide and Methane Measurements with ADCP Data

With the emergence of largescale, comprehensive environmental monitoring projects, there is an increased need to combine state-of-the art technologies to address complicated problems such as ocean acidifi cation and hydrocarbon leak detection

Seafloor Observatory Science: a Review

The ocean exerts a pervasive influence on Earth’s environment. It is therefore important that we learn how this system operates (NRC, 1998b; 1999). For example, the ocean is an important regulator of climate change (e.g., IPCC, 1995). Understanding the link between natural and anthropogenic climate change and ocean circulation is essential for predicting the magnitude and impact of future changes in Earth’s climate. Understanding the ocean, and the complex physical, biological, chemical, and geological systems operating within it, should be an important goal for the opening decades of the 21st century. Another fundamental reason for increasing our understanding of ocean systems is that the global economy is highly dependent on the ocean (e.g., for tourism, fisheries, hydrocarbons, and mineral resources) (Summerhayes, 1996). The establishment of a global network of seafloor observatories will help to provide the means to accomplish this goal. These observatories will have power and communication capabilities and will provide support for spatially distributed sensing systems and mobile platforms. Sensors and instruments will potentially collect data from above the air-sea interface to below the seafloor. Seafloor observatories will also be a powerful complement to satellite measurement systems by providing the ability to collect vertically distributed measurements within the water column for use with the spatial measurements acquired by satellites while also providing the capability to calibrate remotely sensed satellite measurements (NRC, 2000). Ocean observatory science has already had major successes. For example the TAO array has enabled the detection, understanding and prediction of El Niño events (e.g., Fujimoto et al., 2003). This paper is a world-wide review of the new emerging “Seafloor Observatory Science”, and describes both the scientific motivations for seafloor observatories and the technical solutions applied to their architecture. A description of world-wide past and ongoing experiments, as well as concepts presently under study, is also given, with particular attention to European projects and to the Italian contribution. Finally, there is a discussion on “Seafloor Observatory Science” perspectives