A High Performance Towed Platform for Bio-Optical, Acoustical and Physical Data Acquisition.
Abstract
We have purchased the component instruments and assembled them in a custom towed body for acquisition of high frequency acoustics data, high frame rate video data, and environmental data. The system, BIOMAPER II, operates using a fiber optic telemetry unit and a cable with 3-glass fibers at ship speeds up to 10 kts. The cable, winch, and slip rings together with a shipping van are included as part of the system so that it can be shipped around the world and operated from most research vessels with little outfitting required. The system will principally be used to acoustically and optically map the spatial and temporal distributions of biological sound scatterers. A companion objective is to measure acoustic scattering from near-surface bubbles using the upward looking transducers, scattering from turbulence, and physical and bio-optical properties of the water. This surveying system addresses a major sampling constraint associated with conventional net sampling systems that of under sampling the complex spatial distribution of the organisms. Use of this quantitative survey system will enable sampling of the structure and filling in of the data between Stations. Acoustics data can be integrated with video information to "ground truth" the acoustics data. BIOMAPER II estimates of target strength of the animals can be compared with a set of scattering models that predict high frequency acoustic reverberation. Our successful first field test of the system took place in local Gulf of Maine waters with support from our existing ONR grant.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 05, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA328364
Entities
People
- Peter Wiebe
- Timothy K. Stanton
- Tom Austin
Organizations
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution