Deepglider Reliability Development

该项目将进行进一步的开发和测试，使先进的全海洋深度滑翔机原型达到可用于科学调查的阶段。深海滑翔机的设计目的是在长达18个月的一次任务中潜入6公里深的地方，然后返回海面约250次，并在海洋中飞行长达1万公里。他们沿着海洋中的锯齿状路径对温度、盐度和溶解氧进行采样，并通过卫星遥测将这些数据传送到岸上。双向通信允许传输命令，这样就可以在任何地方通过互联网连接的飞行员远程控制自主行为。每条倾斜全深度剖面的预计运营成本约为120美元，几乎比深海水文模型的成本低两个数量级(尽管深海模型通常会测量更多的变量)。深度滑翔机提供了舰船无法比拟的采样持久性和频率。它们的机动性和远程控制使海洋内部结构的空间描述成为可能，这需要一个由系泊传感器组成的水下森林来匹配。利用它们的经济能力，可以比传统方法更深入、更广泛地观测深海，从而回答有关海洋环流、海洋在气候中的作用、边界洋流系统和无处不在的中尺度涡旋等基本问题。到目前为止，已经建造了三艘能够潜到6公里深的深潜器，其中两艘在过去一年中在热带大西洋总共5次试飞中失踪。其中一艘是在只对上层海洋进行采样的任务中失踪时漂流在海面上，通信困难，而另一艘可能不排除高压的影响。深度滑翔机已经达到5920米深，执行了275公里到5250米深的部分，使用的能量速度意味着18个月的任务是可行的，测量的温度和盐度的分辨率和稳定性可与CTD铸件相媲美。本项目的目的是提高深滑器的可靠性，使其能够实现设计任务续航能力和航程目标，评估其测量的稳定性和准确性，并将其发展成为海洋研究的可靠工具。几个新的深滑器将被建造并用于一个广泛的实验室和现场测试计划。目前可用的深滑器和第一个新单元的交错测试序列的结果将用于修改后续单元的设计。实验室测试将包括密集的船体完整性和浮力发动机性能的压力循环测试。现场测试将在深海时间序列站点进行，以方便后勤工作，并提供定期的高质量船上和系泊测量以供比较，最有可能的是夏威夷海洋时间序列研究(HTS)站点或百慕大大西洋时间序列研究(BATS)站点。智力价值：该项目将使一项技术准备就绪，该技术将使自主水下滑翔机的深度范围扩大到几乎整个无冰开阔深海的整个水柱，续航时间超过一年，水平距离达到10,000公里。这些比现有技术提高2-6倍的改进预计将伴随着滑翔机使用成本的降低和滑翔机制造成本的温和(~25%)增长。更广泛的影响：深度滑翔机从先进的原型到可靠的海洋工具的过渡将使人们能够广泛、相对频繁地对深海S的温度、盐度、氧气和洋流结构进行采样。负担得起的水柱采样手段将促进对海洋环流和海洋的认识？S在气候中的作用。这项技术将促使深度滑翔机开发和增加其他传感器，作为一个多功能的海洋观测平台。它还将导致此类车辆的商业化和广泛使用。

This project will carry out further development and testing to bring the advanced prototype for a full ocean depth capable glider to the stage that it can be used for scientific investigation. Deepgliders are designed to dive to as deep as 6 km and return to the sea surface about 250 times in a single mission lasting as long as 18 months and traveling as far as 10,000 km through the ocean. They sample temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen along sawtooth paths through the ocean and communicate them to shore via satellite telemetry. Two-way communication allows commands to be transmitted so that autonomous behavior can be controlled remotely from a pilot anywhere with an internet connection. The projected operational cost of each slanting full depth profile is ~$120, almost two orders of magnitude less than what a deep ocean hydrographic cast costs (although deep casts generally measure many more variables). Deepgliders offer sampling persistence and frequency that is unmatched by ships. Their mobility and remote control enables spatial description of the ocean's internal structure that would require an underwater forest of moored sensors to match. Their economy can be exploited to observe the deep ocean far more intensively and extensively than is possible with conventional methods so as to answer fundamental questions about ocean circulation, the role of the ocean in climate, boundary current systems, and omnipresent mesoscale eddies.Three Deepgliders capable of diving to 6 km depth have been constructed to date, two of which have been lost in a total of 5 trial deployments in the tropical Atlantic in the past year. One was adrift at the sea surface with communication difficulties when lost in a mission that had sampled only the upper ocean, while effects of high pressure may not be ruled out in the other loss. Deepglider has reached 5920 m depth, executed a 275 km section to 5250 m depth, used energy at a rate that implies 18 month missions are feasible, and measured temperature and salinity with resolution and stability comparable to what is attained with CTD casts. The purpose of this project is to improve the reliability of Deepglider so that it can achieve design mission endurance and range goals, evaluate the stability and accuracy of its measurements, and develop it into a credible tool for oceanographic research. Several new Deepgliders are to be constructed and used in an extensive program of both laboratory and field tests. Results from a staggered sequence of tests on the currently available Deepglider and the first of the new units will be used to modify the design of the subsequent units. Laboratory tests will include intensive pressure cycle tests of hull integrity and buoyancy engine performance. Field tests will take place at a deep ocean time series site for logistic convenience and the availability of regular high quality shipboard and moored measurements for comparison, most likely the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Study (HOTS) site or the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site.Intellectual Merit: This project will bring to readiness a technique that will extend autonomous underwater glider depth range to the water column entirety in nearly the entire ice-free open deep ocean, endurance to more than one year, and horizontal range to 10,000 km. These improvements by factors of 2-6 over present technology are projected to accompany reductions in glider usage cost and only a modest (~25%) increase in glider fabrication cost.Broader Impact: The transition of Deepglider from advanced prototype to reliable oceanographic tool will enable extensive, relatively frequent sampling of the deep ocean?s temperature, salinity, oxygen, and current structure. Affordable means to sample the water column will advance knowledge of ocean circulation and the ocean?s role in climate. The technology will invite the development and addition of other sensors to Deepglider as a versatile platform for ocean observation. It will also lead to commercialization and widespread use of such vehicles.