MRI: Acquisition of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for shelf, coastal, and estuarine oceanographic studies

PI要求MRI资助购买仪器自主水下航行器（AUV），用于河口和沿海水域的物理、生物和化学海洋学研究。拟议的水下航行器专门用于在浅海和河口环境中作业，包括：响应实时测量的制导系统，使水下航行器可以编程自主跟随标量梯度；1200 khz电流分析器，以获得更高分辨率的速度剖面；一种用于改进低空地形跟踪的前视声纳，用于浅水底边界层调查和工作模块化有效载荷包，增加了水下航行器的多功能性，可用于底栖生物或水柱研究；以及潜水化学传感器和成像设备。总的来说，这些能力将促进缺氧动力学、幼虫运输、河口物理过程、有害藻华、渔业和沉积物动力学的新研究。更广泛的影响：值得注意的更广泛的影响包括促进合作，以及通过门户网站、展示和演示与公众和学校团体的互动。PI还确定了将AUV纳入正在进行的初中/高中HPL项目的机会。目前，在切萨皮克湾地区和更大的东部沿海地区，没有类似能力的AUV在续航力、导航精度和仪器方面进行操作。购买拟议的AUV仪器将加强马里兰大学环境科学中心沿海和河口研究和教育的基础设施。拟议的设施对社会的好处是提高了对沿海和河口海洋环境的了解。水下航行器在调查对公众健康和社会具有重要意义的沿海和河口海洋过程（如有害藻华）方面将非常有用。

The PI's requests MRI funding to acquire an instrumented autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for physical, biological, and chemical oceanographic studies in estuaries and coastal waters. The proposed AUV is specifically equipped for operation in shallow coastal and estuarine environments, and includes: a guidance system that responds to real-time measurements, so that the AUV can be programmed to autonomously follow scalar gradients; a 1200-kHz current profiler, to make higher-resolution velocity profiles; a forward-looking sonar for improved terrain following at low altitudes for bottom boundary layer investigation and work in shallow water; modular payload packages, which increase the versatility of the AUV for either benthic or water column research; and submersible chemical sensors and imaging equipment. Collectively, these capabilities will facilitate new investigations of hypoxia dynamics, larval transport, estuarine physical processes, harmful algal blooms, fisheries, and sediment dynamics.Broader Impacts: The broader impacts of note include fostering collaborations, and interactions with the general public and school groups via web portal, displays and demos. The PI's also identify opportunities for including the AUV in ongoing middle/high school HPL programs. Presently, no similarly capable AUV in terms of endurance, navigation accuracy, and instrumentation, is operated within the Chesapeake Bay area and greater Eastern seaboard. Acquisition of the proposed AUV instrument would enhance the infrastructure for coastal and estuarine research and education at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences. The benefit of the proposed facility to society is the improved understanding of coastal and estuarine marine environments. The AUV will be extremely useful in surveys of coastal and estuarine marine processes of importance to public health and society such as harmful algal blooms.