Collaborative Research: Incorporation of Sensors into Autonomous Gliders for 4-D Measurement of Bio-Optical and Chemical Parameters

[9911036 . eriksen]这个研究项目是在国家海洋学伙伴计划（NOPP）的支持下进行的。合作伙伴包括缅因大学、华盛顿大学、几家商业仪器制造商和两个地方政府机构。该项目解决了海洋科学对新的海洋观测能力的需求，以便对海洋过程进行连续、高分辨率的测量，包括表征涉及海洋化学和生物变量以及物理变量的过程的分布、机制和速率。总体目标是为小型（1.8米，52公斤）自主水下滑翔机添加新功能，该滑翔机通过可变浮力控制和机翼进行水平和垂直移动。它可以执行数百次循环，每次发射从水面到2000米或更低，在每次浮出水面时实时报告数据（包括GPS位置），并从岸上重新编程。新的传感器将被开发并集成到系统中，用于测量海水的溶解氧和各种固有光学特性，所有这些都将在同一时间和空间尺度上测量物理特性。该项目包括新传感器的开发、若干现有传感器的小型化和广泛的现场测试。研究团队包括工业合作伙伴、致力于实际社会/科学问题的地方政府；生物、物理和光学海洋学家；以及从八年级到研究生院的教育努力。该项目的具体目标是：-扩展自主水下滑翔机的开发，使其能够在同一时间和空间内实时测量不同环境下的生物、光学、物理和化学变量；-开发用于测量溶解氧、海水固有光学特性（IOPs）、叶绿素a荧光（浮游植物生物量的主要替代品）和其他荧光化合物的小、轻、低功耗传感器；-用实地测量验证由滑翔机收集的高质量数据；-演示滑翔机的实时、数据自适应采样能力-加强对普吉特湾主要物理和生物参数动态的了解，这些参数对评估人类对水质的影响至关重要；-演示滑翔机的能力，通过在适当的尺度上采样，显著提高卫星海洋颜色数据的有效性；让本科生和研究生参与工程测试和研究应用。新开发的IOPs和叶绿素a荧光光学传感器将很容易适应其他平台，因此可以方便和快速地为一般海洋学界提供。此外，该滑翔机将能够在普吉特海湾以外的地区运行，包括沿海和开阔的海洋环境。

9911036EriksenThis research project is conducted under the auspices of the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP). Partners include the Univ. of Maine, Univ. of Washington, several commercial instrument manufacturers, and two local government agencies. The project addresses an ocean sciences requirement for new ocean observational capabilities for continuous, high-resolution measure-ments of oceanic processes that include characterization of distributions, mechanisms, and rates of processes involving chemical and biological variables together with physical variables in the ocean. The overall objective is to add new capabilities to a small (1.8 m, 52 kg) autonomous underwater glider that moves horizontally and vertically using variable buoyancy control and wings. It can perform hundreds of cycles per launch from surface to 2,000 m or less, report data back (including GPS location) in real time upon each surfacing, and be reprogrammed from shore. New sensors will be developed and integrated into the system for dissolved oxygen and various inherent optical properties of seawater, all measured at the same time and space scales as physical properties. The project encompasses development of new sensors, miniaturization of several extant sensors and extensive field tests. The research team includes industrial partners, local governments working on practical societal/scientific issues; biological, physical and optical oceanographers; and an education effort from 8th grade through graduate school. The specific goals of this project are:- to extend development of an autonomous, underwater glider to be capable of measuring biological, optical, physical and chemical variables on the same time and space sales, in real time, and in diverse environments;- to develop small, light-weight, low-power sensors for measuring dissolved oxygen, inherent optical properties (IOPs) of seawater, chlorophyll a fluorescence (the primary surrogate for phytoplankton biomass), and other fluorescing compounds;- to verify with ground-truth measurements the high quality data collected by the glider;- to demonstrate the glider's capabilities for real-time, data-adaptive sampling;- to enhance understanding of the dynamics of key physical and biological parameters in Puget Sound that are essential to assessing human impacts on water quality;- to demonstrate the glider's ability to significantly improve validation of satellite ocean color data by sampling at the appropriate scales; and - to engage undergraduates and graduate students in engineering tests and research applications.The newly developed optical sensors for IOPs and chlorophyll a fluorescence would be easily adaptable to other platforms, and hence be easily and rapidly available to the general oceanographic community. Also, the glider will be able to operate in areas beyond Puget Sound including both coastal and open-ocean environments.