ALOHA Cabled Observatory - Supplement

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0652430Duennebier This award to University of Hawaii at Manoa provides support for the completion and deployment of the ALOHA Cabled Observatory (ACO). ACO is intended to expand the scientific infrastructure at the location of the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) site near Hawaii, and to demonstrate that existing, retired fiber optic telecommunications cables can be successfully reused to support scientific ocean observatories. The proposal builds on work undertaken with funds provided in 2002 via the MRI program (0216164) that was originally intended to develop an observatory using a coaxial telecommunications cable, but was not possible due to the bankruptcy of the owner and inability to negotiate a transfer of the cable. The opportunity to use the fiber optic cable came up subsequently, and observatory design and proof testing has been completed in the laboratory and through the cable (but not in the water). Deployment of the Proof Module off Hawaii is currently planned for February 2007. It will test power supply, optical regeneration and observatory electronics, and will include a broad-band hydrophone that can sample up to 96 kHz as well as a pressure sensor. On completion of a successful deployment and testing of the Proof Module, it will be recovered and replaced in late 2007 with an operational observatory system and the first batch of scientific instruments for continuous observations and oceanographic experiments. The observatory will support up to eight experiment systems with 100base-T Ethernet data and up to 800 W power. One experiment module will be an acoustic modem so that experimental modules may be deployed near the cable, but not attached directly, which will offer an opportunity for additional experiments operating with lower speed communication for the transmission of information to shore. Broader Impacts: Support provided here will provide an infrastructure for continuous access to a broad array of oceanographic data at Station ALOHA by students and researchers on shore via high speed telecommunications cable. Station ALOHA is already an important time-series station of ocean observations, with over 18 years of data collected by regular ship observations, and the expansion to include continuous data collected and relayed to shore is a major augmentation. In addition, the ALOHA Cabled Observatory serves as a prototype and test bed for deep ocean observatories, using abandoned fiber-optic telecommunications cables to support ocean research.***