Acoustic Communications and Navigation for Mobile Under-Ice Sensors
Abstract
The long-term goals of this project are to create a new capability for under-ice acoustic navigation and communication, specifically in support of the ONR Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) Departmental Research Initiative (DRI). The MIZ DRI field program will occur in 2014, with trials starting this year. The MIZ DRI will include a large array of sensors deployed on the surface of the ice, as well as Sea Gliders and drifters operating below. The project seeks to answer a number of important science questions, and will investigate surface forcing, both mechanical and solar, on the ice and the upper water column. The response of the upper ocean will be established using data collected sub-sea by the autonomous vehicles operating under the ice, and then assimilated into oceanographic models. The objectives of the portion of the ONR MIZ project described in this report include development of the communications and navigation system, plus integration and testing with the target platforms. The goal for navigation performance is to achieve better than 1 km accuracy at 100 km range, and 100 m at closer ranges (less than 20-50 km). Because the navigation sources will drift with the ice, we will also development a communication capability that will allow transmission of source locations. The communications will be one-way, and allow control of the sea gliders, albeit with a very few number of bits per command. However, simple instructions to tell the gliders how to move as the MIZ evolves will be possible.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA601147
Entities
People
- Lee Freitag
Organizations
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution