Completion and Field Demonstration of a Portable Coastal Observatory

Abstract

Abstract : The goal of the NOPP funded project, Low Cost Modular Telemetry for Coastal Time Series Data [1], was to develop an affordable, easy to use technology for the real time collection and dissemination of data from instruments deployed in the coastal ocean. The observing system that was developed consists of four elements: 1) low cost acoustic modems that are deployed with each instrument, 2) small, easy to deploy surface buoys (and moorings) that carry the acoustic hydrophones and acoustic receiver and RF link, 3) a shore-based receive station that automatically forwards data received and logs it on a website, and (4) a back channel to the surface buoys from the laboratory so that acoustic receivers and RF links can be modified without requiring a site visit. An alternative to (2) was to deploy systems on existing Coast Guard buoys; if successful, this strategy might provide a large network of stations, especially in high-traffic areas where locating additional buoys are not feasible. The goal of the continuation project reported on here, Completion and Field Demonstration of a Portable Coastal Observatory, was to complete the development and testing of the low cost acoustic modem, which was not completed under the original project and to demonstrate its performance in the field. The larger goal was to demonstrate a technological approach for building coastal observatories with real time data distribution. Our vision is that acoustically linked coastal observatories will provide easy to use and easy to relocate systems that compliment fixed cabled observatories, which provide high bandwidth and power to offshore sensors, but are expensive, difficult to install and not relocatable.