HUGO - The Hawaii Undersea Geo-Observatory

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Renewed funding is provided to continue development and install an undersea observatory that is connected to shore-based laboratories via a fiber-optic cable. The Hawaii Undersea Geo-Observatory (HUGO) integrates marine fiberoptic cable and submersible technologies to prmvide the ocean science community with an unmanned laboratory on the ocean floor at the summit of Loihi seamount. Loihi, an active submarine volcano, is located about 35 km southeast of the Island of Hawaii. Its shallow summit (about 1000m below sea level), exciting geology, earthquakes, frequent volcanic activity, and proximity to land make it an ideal site to install a permanent geo-laboratory, and begin real-time monitoring of processes occurring at the ocean floor. The modular observatory has the potential to house more than 100 experiments from every ocean science discipline, supplying experiments with electrical power, command capability, and real-time continuous data transmission to shore. Once installed, scientists will be able to study submarine volcanic, biological, and oceanographic processes continuously. HUGO data will also be used by the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory in their studies of Hawaiian volcanoes, and by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in characterization of tsunamis from distant earthquakes. HUGO earthquake and acoustic data will be made available to local schools for teaching and projects, and sub-sets will be presented on the INTERNET. Initial experiments will include a broad band hydrophone sampled at 42 KHz, which will be sensitive to biological and other noises over a wide range of audio frequencies. The use of cables to connect seafloor observatories and experimental sites to shore is a strong area of interest for several factions of the ocean science community. What is learned from this project will have applications for future cable installations as well.