Article
 

Integration of Scientific Echo Sounders with an Adaptable Autonomous Vehicle to Extend Our Understanding of Animals from the Surface to the Bathypelagic

Public Deposited

Contenu téléchargeable

Télécharger le fichier PDF
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/5999n8015

Descriptions

Attribute NameValues
Creator
Abstract
  • Acoustic echo sounders designed to map and discriminate organisms in the water column have primarily been deployed on ships. Because of acoustic attenuation of higher frequencies used to detect and discriminate micronekton and nekton, this has effectively restricted the range of this information to the upper water column. In an effort to overcome these range limitations by reducing the distance between the transducer and the targets of interest, dual-frequency (38 and 120 kHz) split-beam echo sounders were integrated into a Remote Environmental Monitoring Units (REMUS) 600 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), effectively doubling the range of quantitative acoustic data into the mesopelagic zone (600–1200 m). Data from the first set of missions in a range of conditions revealed that the AUV provided a stable platform for the echo sounders and improved vertical and horizontal positional accuracy over echo sounders towed by ships. In comparison to hull-mounted echo sounders, elimination of ship noise and surface bubbles provided a 17- and 19-dBW decrease in the noise floor for the 38- and 120-kHz echo sounders, respectively, effectively increasing the sampling range by 30%–40%. The extended depth range also increased the resolution of the acoustic horizontal footprint from 37–40 to 0.6–3.7 m, enabling discrimination of individual targets at depth. Also developed here is novel onboard echo sounder data processing and autonomy to allow sampling not feasible in a surface ship or towed configuration. Taken together, these data demonstrate an effective new tool for examining the biology of animals in the mesopelagic zone (600–1200 m) in ways previously only possible in the upper ocean.
  • Keywords: Applications, Observational techniques and algorithms, Sampling, Ecosystem effects, Acoustic measurements/effects, Instrumentation/sensors, In situ oceanic observations, Animal studies
Resource Type
DOI
Date Available
Date Issued
Citation
  • Moline, M. A., Benoit-Bird, K., O’Gorman, D., & Robbins, I. C. (2015). Integration of Scientific Echo Sounders with an Adaptable Autonomous Vehicle to Extend Our Understanding of Animals from the Surface to the Bathypelagic. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 32(11), 2173-2186. doi:10.1175/JTECH-D-15-0035.1
Journal Title
Journal Volume
  • 32
Journal Issue/Number
  • 11
Déclaration de droits
Funding Statement (additional comments about funding)
  • Funding was provided by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP).
Publisher
Peer Reviewed
Language
Replaces

Des relations

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Articles

La vignette Titre Date de téléchargement Visibilité actes
file details Benoit-BirdKellyCEOASIntegrationScientificEcho.pdf 2017-10-27 Public Télécharger