Integrated Autonomous Systems for Underwater Remote Sensing of Littoral Environments

Abstract

This proposal requests funds for the development of shipboard and AUV-based instrumentationfor high-resolution, remote quantification of the complex, three-dimensional spatial structure ofhydrographic features across broad range of littoral environments with varying forcingconditions. The overarching scientific goal that this proposal supports is to advance theunderstanding of the influence of multi-scale non-hydrostatic processes in the dynamics andtransport of littoral environments, including shallow open coastal regions, inlets, estuaries, andrivers, and specifically the physical structure and dynamics of fronts, non-hydrostatic hydraulictransitions, and other spatially localized features.This proposal specifically requests funds for 1) AUV-based broadband acoustic backscatteringsystems for quantification of scattering processes (bubbles, suspended sediments, turbulence, andbiologics), including the data-acquisition hardware developed by Simrad-Kongsberg (WBTmini),narrow-beam Simrad-Kongsberg transducers spanning the frequency range from 45 ~ 410kHz, power supplies, and engineering support and supplies associated to the design, construction,integration and testing the broadband backscattering echosounders onto the AUV, 2) AUV-basedRockland Scientific autonomous fast conductivity and shear probe sensor for directmeasurements of turbulence and salinity microstructure , and 3) a ship-board pole-mounted M3500-kHz water-column multibeam and associated analysis software to map the three-dimensionalstructure hydrographic features.The proposed instrumentation requested here would be of direct benefit to interpretation of datacollected with navy forward looking sonars and thus to the ONR-funded Under Sea RemoteSensing DRI, as well as leveraging deployment assets associated to the DRI.

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
Feb 03, 2017
Source ID
N000141712192

Entities

People

  • Andone Lavery

Organizations

  • Office of Naval Research
  • United States Navy
  • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Acoustical Oceanography.
  • Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery.
  • Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Modeling, Data Assimilation, and Flux Boundary Layers

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy