Advanced Remote Data Acquisition Using a Pop-Up Data Shuttle (PDS) to Report Data From Current- and Pressure-Recording Inverted Echo Sounders (CPIES)

Chanhyung Jeon,Jae-Hun Park,Eun-Joo Lee,Maureen Kennelly,D Randolph Watts,Erran Sousa,Thomas Peacock,Taewook Park

doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.679534

Abstract

A current- and pressure-recording inverted echo sounder (CPIES) placed on the sea floor monitors aspects of the physical ocean environment for periods of months to years. Until recently, acoustic telemetry of daily-processed data was the existing method for data acquisition from CPIES without full instrument recovery. However, this approach, which requires positioning a ship at the mooring site and operator time, is expensive and time-consuming. Here, we introduce a new method of obtaining data remotely from CPIES using a popup-data-shuttle (PDS), which enables straightforward data acquisition without a ship. The PDS data subsampled from CPIES has 30–60 min temporal resolution. The PDS has a scheduled pop-up-type release system, so each data pod floats to the sea surface at a user-specified date and relays the recorded data via the Iridium satellite system. We demonstrated the capability of an array of PDS-CPIES via two successful field experiments in the Arctic Ocean. The data acquired through the PDS were in agreement with the fully recovered datasets. An example of the data retrieved from the PDS shows that time-varying signals of tides and high-frequency internal waves were well captured. GPS-tracked trajectories of the PDS floating free at the sea surface can provide insights into ice drift or ocean surface currents. This PDS technology provides an alternative method for remote deep-ocean mooring data acquisition.

Highlights

Deep-sea mooring, an Eulerian method, is typically used to measure oceanic variables at a fixed location
The existing method in the pressure-recording inverted echo sounder (PIES) or current- and pressure-recording inverted echo sounder (CPIES) using in situ shipboard acoustic pulse delay telemetry (PDT) provides processed daily values; data acquired from the PDS consist of hourly τ and 30-min-interval single-depth current and bottom pressure values
We introduce a newly developed remote data acquisition method using PDS to support CPIES, a type of deep-sea mooring instrument to measure barotropic and baroclinic oceanic variabilities

Summary

Introduction

Deep-sea mooring, an Eulerian method, is typically used to measure oceanic variables at a fixed location. POP-UP DATA SHUTTLE CURRENT- AND PRESSURE-RECORDING INVERTED ECHO SOUNDER (PDS-CPIES) FIELD EXPERIMENTS IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN The PDS using alkaline batteries has no measurement sensors of its own but receives the hourly data broadcast from the PIES or CPIES and floats to the sea surface at a time programmed by the user.

Results

Conclusion