Development of a Remotely Operated Vehicle for Under Sea Ice Research in Polar Environments

在全世界的海洋生境中，潜水深度(至40米)和无浪涌深度(低于200米)之间的区域研究很少。在冰层覆盖的海洋下，波浪运动很小甚至不存在，40-200米之间的区域是水下机器人可以到达的区域。极地海洋研究具有稳定的海冰平台，可用于安装和部署ROV等仪器，但这需要一个直径为一米的洞。这项提议开发了一种水下机器人，它可以通过一个15厘米的洞进行部署，可以用手持动力头进行钻探，只需要最少的后勤支持和技术专业知识。新的ROV提供了进入尚未研究的区域的途径，扩大了我们的科学覆盖范围和解决新问题的能力。我们将开发、测试和改装ROV，同时实现若干重叠和相互依存的科学目标，其中包括：(1)探索和记录世界上最极端的沿海栖息地之一的生态演替速率和模式；(2)调查大多数研究人员几乎完全不知道的两个独特的水肺潜水深度(40-170米)以外的底栖生物栖息地和群落，将单独的照片汇编成高分辨率的海底图像；(3)测试进行声纳测绘和绘制麦克默多站周围整个海底的高分辨率连续水深图的协议。ROV将被构建为模块；这使得可以灵活地改变ROV的能力以适应不同的任务。有些组件可以现成购买(例如，Video Ray高分辨率和微光摄像机)，但可能需要开发一些定制的集成软件。海面通过2芯系绳提供电力；双向高速数据也在系绳上调制，提供84MB的数据和无限制的潜水时间。上面的控制装置包括一台笔记本电脑和飞行员的操纵杆。许多控制功能和显示屏可以通过互联网访问，以进行教育演示和互动。两名研究生将全面参与该项目。其他几位南极科学家对在他们的研究中使用这一工具表示了浓厚的兴趣，该项目完成后将提供给一大批用户。

In marine habitats worldwide, the zone between scuba-diving depths (to 40 m) and surge-free depths (below 200 m) has been poorly studied. Under ice-covered seas, wave motion is minimal to nonexistent, and the zone between 40 and 200 m is accessible to ROVs. Polar marine research has the benefit of stable sea ice platforms for staging and deploying instruments like ROVs, but this requires a hole that is, fo rmost ROVs, a meter in diameter. This proposal develops an ROV that can be deployed through a 15 cm hole that can be drilled with a hand-held power head, requiring minimal logistical support and technical expertise. The new ROV provides access to regions that remain unstudied, expanding our scientific reach and ability to address new questions. We will develop, test, and modify the ROV while accomplishing several overlapping and interdependent science objectives, including (1) exploration and documentation of rates and patterns of ecological succession from one of the most extreme coastal habitats in the world, (2) a survey of two unique benthic habitats and communities beyond scuba diving depths (at 40-170 m), which are almost completely unknown to most researchers and assembly of individual photographs into high-resolution images of the seafloor and (3) testing of protocols for conducting sonar mapping and creating high resolution continuous bathymetric maps of the entire seafloor around McMurdo Station. The ROV will be constructed as modules; this allows flexibility to change the ROV capabilities to suit different missions. Some components can be purchased off the shelf (e.g. VideoRay high resolution and low light video cameras), but may require development of some custom integration software. Power is provided from the surface via a 2 conductor tether; bi-directional high speed data is modulated on the tether as well, providing 84 mbs of data and unlimited dive duration. The topside controls consist of a laptop computer and joystick for the pilot. Many of the control functions and display screens could be accessed via the Internet for educational demonstrations and interactions. Two graduate students will participate fully in the project. Several other Antarctic scientists have indicated a strong interest in utilizing this tool in their research and it will be available to a pool of users on completion of the project.