EAGER: Collaborative Research: Development of an Energy-Harvesting Real-time Under-ice Monitoring System in the Arctic Ocean

北极地区居住着大约400万人口，拥有多种文化，每年的经济价值约为2300亿美元。随着全球对气候变化、能源资源、淡水供应和可持续经济增长的关注，北极引发了激烈的研究和公众的兴趣。迫切需要国际社会努力建立可持续的北极观测系统，特别是对北冰洋进行近实时数据传输的长期监测。严酷和偏远的条件限制了全年观测点，为持续的北极观测带来了重大的后勤挑战和能源需求。此外，由于部署的传感器与北极运营商之间缺乏实时通信，使用底锚固定平台监测北冰洋受到了限制。该项目的最终目标是开发新的能量收集和通信解决方案，以便在北冰洋建立一个实时冰下监测系统。该EAGER项目测试了解决三个关键挑战的能力，包括通过能量收集实现可持续电力供应、海冰下的近实时数据通信以及恶劣环境条件下的生存能力。具体而言，该项目旨在开发利用两级扩散器增强涡轮和新型横向磁通发生器收集超低速洋流能量的新技术。收集到的能量将用于支持传感器，并为穿越海冰的新型实时通信系统提供动力。该通信系统采用新颖的天线设计，克服了海水对无线电波的衰减影响，并创造性地利用卫星协议，确保冰下通信单元能够向卫星传输观测数据。该项目还探索了提高冰下监测系统生存能力的技术，如坚固的材料选择和冰脊/龙骨探测和躲避系统，并在北极研究的K-12和博士学位学生中扩展科学和工程教育，重点是多样性，包括女性和代表性不足的学生。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Arctic is home to some four million people comprising a diverse range of cultures and an economy worth about $230 billion annually. With global concerns spanning climate change, energy resources, freshwater supplies, and sustainable economic growth, the Arctic has sparked intense research and public interest. International efforts to establish sustained Arctic observing systems, especially for long-term Arctic Ocean monitoring with near-real-time data transfer, are urgently needed. The harsh and remote conditions constraining year-round observation sites present significant logistical challenges and energy needs for sustained Arctic observations. In addition, monitoring of the Arctic Ocean using bottom-anchored stationary platforms is limited by a lack of real-time communication between the sensors deployed and Arctic operators. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop new energy harvesting and communication solutions so that it is feasible to have a real-time under-ice monitoring system in the Arctic Ocean. This EAGER project tests the capacity to address three key challenges, including sustainable power supply through energy harvesting, near-real-time data communication under the sea ice, and survivability under harsh environmental conditions. Specifically, the project aims to develop novel techniques to harvest ultra-low-speed oceanic current energy using a two-level diffuser augmented turbine and a novel transverse flux generator. The harvested energy will be used to support sensors and power a novel real-time communication system through the sea ice. The proposed communication system adopts a novel antenna design that overcomes seawater attenuation effects on radio waves and creatively leverages satellite protocols to ensure the under-ice communication unit can transmit observational data to satellites. The project also explores techniques to enhance the survivability of the under-ice monitoring system, such as robust material choice and ice ridge/keel detection and avoidance systems and extends science and engineering education among K-12 and PhD-level students in Arctic research with an emphasis on diversity including female and underrepresented students.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.