An Instrument Platform for Above-Water Measurements of the Ocean’s Surface and Atmosphere

Abstract

An automated instrument platform is designed to install remote sensing instruments for measurements made from stationary coastal pedestals or offshore platforms with remote control and transfer of information via the Internet. The platform is of a turret design that can rotate around a fixed base in the range of azimuthal angles up to 300°. Scientific instruments are mounted on the right and left panels of the turret. Each panel can rotate in elevation up to 200°, either independently or synchronously with the other. The design of the panels allows devices to be mounted quickly and their location to be changed easily. Cables supplying power to devices and receiving information pass through the hollow tubes of the gearboxes on which the consoles are held inside the platform in such a way that during rotation they do not interfere with its movement and do not fray. The platform is mounted on roller bearings on rails along which it extends above the water’s surface for measurements. The rotation of the platform is controlled both manually and automatically using a computer and an RS-485 interface. Power is supplied from a +27 V network. The platform can be remotely controlled, and scientific information is collected via the Internet. Examples are given of organizing autonomous measurements of water surface and atmosphere parameters in experiments at the Black Sea Hydrophysical Proving Ground of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which is the only place in the Russian Federation for the calibration and validation of microwave satellite systems.