Technology

Technology

Innovation in undersea power and bandwidth

Design, construction, and early operation of the OOI Cabled Array, located off the coast of Oregon and Washington.
Shallow Profiler Science Pod Rises

The instrumented science pod rises from a depth of 200 m beneath the ocean's surface

Shallow Profiler Science Pod Rises

A state-of-the-art two-legged mooring system hosts a 12 foot-across, 7 ton platform located 200 m beneath the oceans' surface. Each platform includes an instrumented static assembly (left side of platform) and a winched, instrumented science pod that makes 9 trips a day from 200 m to just beneath the oceans' surface. Each mooring hosts 18 instruments that includes, for example, pH,CO2, CTD-dissolved oxygen sensors, current meters, ADCP's, nitrate, chlorophyll and temperature sensors. The diverse array in biological, chemical, and physical sensors allow high resolution temporal and spatial measurements to be made of oceanographic parameters. Real-time command of the instruments and mooring from shore allow the science pod to be stopped within biologically-rich thin layers. Credit: University of Washington:NSF-OOI:CSSF,V15.

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MJ03C Installed in International District Field

On July 20, the medium-power junction box MJ03C was installed in the International District hydrothermal vent field on ROPOS Dive R1717. It was

MJ03C Installed in International District Field

On July 20, the medium-powere junction box MJ03C was installed in the International District hydrothermal vent field on ROPOS Dive R1717. It was connected to a ~2300-m-long cable (RSO3W6) that will connect this system to Primary Node PN3B. A temperature-resistivty sensor (TRHPHA301) is inside the J-Box, awaiting installation during a follow-on dive. Photo credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF; Dive 1717; V14.

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Design, construction, and early operation of the OOI Cabled Array, located off the coast of Oregon and Washington, has been led and implemented primarily by oceanographers and engineers at the University of Washington.  At-sea construction was completed between 2011 to 2014.

More than 100 instruments and six instrumented moorings are now directly connected to land-based communications via the Cabled Array's 975-km network of primary and secondary cables, which provide high-power capabilities of 8–10kW and communications bandwidth of 10 Gbs. Data are flowing from most of the instruments installed on the system.

Annual maintenance cruises will refurbish and service the cabled network for the coming decades as scientists, educators, and the public learn to use this novel capability of being present throughout entire volumes of the ocean, without actually being there. The sensor-robot systems can be operated from land and cameras  provide visual contact with actual processes unfolding offshore. As this approach matures, complex experiments will be conducted using remotely operated robotic-sensor systems controllable from land.

Design, construction, and early operation of the OOI Cabled Array, located off the coast of Oregon and Washington.
Shallow Profiler Science Pod Rises

The instrumented science pod rises from a depth of 200 m beneath the ocean's surface

Shallow Profiler Science Pod Rises

A state-of-the-art two-legged mooring system hosts a 12 foot-across, 7 ton platform located 200 m beneath the oceans' surface. Each platform includes an instrumented static assembly (left side of platform) and a winched, instrumented science pod that makes 9 trips a day from 200 m to just beneath the oceans' surface. Each mooring hosts 18 instruments that includes, for example, pH,CO2, CTD-dissolved oxygen sensors, current meters, ADCP's, nitrate, chlorophyll and temperature sensors. The diverse array in biological, chemical, and physical sensors allow high resolution temporal and spatial measurements to be made of oceanographic parameters. Real-time command of the instruments and mooring from shore allow the science pod to be stopped within biologically-rich thin layers. Credit: University of Washington:NSF-OOI:CSSF,V15.

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MJ03C Installed in International District Field

On July 20, the medium-power junction box MJ03C was installed in the International District hydrothermal vent field on ROPOS Dive R1717. It was

MJ03C Installed in International District Field

On July 20, the medium-powere junction box MJ03C was installed in the International District hydrothermal vent field on ROPOS Dive R1717. It was connected to a ~2300-m-long cable (RSO3W6) that will connect this system to Primary Node PN3B. A temperature-resistivty sensor (TRHPHA301) is inside the J-Box, awaiting installation during a follow-on dive. Photo credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF; Dive 1717; V14.

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