Innovative Marine Technology Enhances Ocean Current Monitoring
In a groundbreaking collaboration, marine technology leaders Sonardyne and SeaTrac Systems have successfully harnessed cutting-edge sensors and uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) to transmit scientific-grade deep ocean current data on the Gulf’s Loop Current System directly to researchers in near real-time.
This pioneering project, undertaken in partnership with the University of Rhode Island (URI), paves the way for reliable, on-demand, high-resolution observations of tumultuous oceanic systems, eliminating the necessity for crewed missions offshore.
Consequently, such advancements bolster scientists’ capabilities to refine predictive models, thereby aiding both industries and academia in understanding and mitigating risks associated with disruptive deep ocean currents, notably the Loop Current System.
Concluding in Fall 2025, this initiative was supported by the Gulf Research Program of the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Origin 65s aboard the R/V Pelican.
“Sustained deep-ocean measurements remain seldom achieved, despite their critical importance,” asserts Randy Watts, Professor of Oceanography at URI.
“This initiative illustrates how commercially accessible instruments and uncrewed vehicles can yield science-ready data in robust current regimes—tackling the dual challenges of station-keeping where most USVs falter and ensuring cost-effective deployment devoid of costly research vessels.”
Michelle Barnett, Business Development Manager for Ocean Science at Sonardyne, remarked, “In conjunction with SeaTrac, we have established that long-term monitoring of potent ocean systems utilizing USVs rather than conventional vessels is now a tangible reality.
Remote-commanded systems can reliably deliver the high-quality oceanographic data that researchers and industry demand, all while significantly reducing operational costs.”
Hobie Boeschenstein, Director of Operations and Business Development at SeaTrac, added, “This mission sets a new global benchmark for utilizing USVs to consistently provide critical, sustained ocean data—with zero crew risk, zero emissions, and a reproducible approach scalable to other regions.”
The collaboration employed Sonardyne’s advanced Origin 65 seabed acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) alongside SeaTrac’s SP-48 USV to collect near-real-time current profile data from the Loop Current System.
Over an 18-month span, four Origin 65s and five pressure-inverted echosounders were strategically deployed at water depths ranging from 1,800 to 3,200 meters, situated 200 nautical miles off Louisiana’s coastline.
The Origin 65 is a robust ADCP designed for deepwater profiling, rated for depths of 4,100 meters. It can deliver high-resolution data over an 800-meter range and also encompasses pressure-inverted echo sounder (PIES) functionality.
Thanks to the integrated Edge processing and acoustic modem, data could be acoustically transmitted from the surface by SeaTrac’s remotely piloted USV, utilizing a Sonardyne HPT 7000 transceiver. An SP-48 in the US Gulf of Mexico.
The solar and battery-powered SP-48 navigated fluctuating ocean currents and inclement weather to reach sensor sites and retrieve data. It then transmitted the science-ready data ashore via dual Iridium and Starlink satellite links, facilitating high-data-rate, real-time communications.
Over the course of three deployments spanning more than 30 days, the SP-48—capable of maintaining operations at 2 to 3 knots and sprinting up to 5 knots—traveled approximately 1,500 nautical miles.
During this period, over 135 GB of high-resolution ocean current and related parameter data were gathered from depths of up to 800 meters above the seafloor.
Looking ahead, the gathered data is expected to enhance models that predict currents, including topographic Rossby waves, thereby providing essential insights for scientific inquiry and safety in the region while unveiling new research prospects.
This project exemplifies a scalable model for autonomous ocean observation globally. The SP-48’s track during one of its data harvesting missions.
The initiative also illustrates how marine autonomy can deliver real-time data, enhancing the prediction and safeguarding against disruptive deep currents like topographic Rossby waves, which pose a threat to offshore infrastructures, while concurrently deepening scientific comprehension of ocean circulation and climate dynamics.
“The successful conclusion of this project highlights the efficacy of USVs in offshore data collection and marine science,” Boeschenstein stated.
“Implementing advanced technologies from SeaTrac and Sonardyne is vital for expanding our understanding of the world’s oceans. There remains an abundance to explore, and our teams take immense pride in facilitating scientists in their quest to investigate some of the most challenging marine environments on the planet.”
Source link: Oceannews.com.
