JASCO OceanObservers integrated into Teledyne Webb Research Slocum Gliders
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Photo by Jude Van Der Meer, Dalhousie University
HALIFAX, N.S.—JASCO Applied Sciences is pleased to announce the integration of the OceanObserver™ intelligent acoustic monitoring system into Teledyne Webb Research's Slocum glider autonomous vehicles. This addition to the Slocum glider sensor suite adds advanced acoustic monitoring and processing capabilities to the already versatile Slocum platform.
OceanObserver™ is an intelligent passive-acoustic, multi-sensor system offering near-real-time underwater sound detection and measurements. The OceanObserver records the underwater sounds and through onboard processing detects marine mammal calls from species of interest, quantifies ambient and anthropogenic noise, and derives other information of interest. Acoustic detections and measurements are sent to stakeholders in near-real-time.
Slocum gliders outfitted with OceanObservers and CTDs can provide simultaneous measurements of sound speed profiles and ambient noise. Together, these measurements can be used to improve sonar sensor performance prediction and vulnerability assessment. The combined system is capable of monitoring in any sea state over extended periods of time.
Recent sales include universities and allied navies. OceanObservers are used by academics to support marine mammal science and mitigation measures, autonomous vehicle navigation research and the development of new detection, classification, and localization techniques. Naval customers are using Slocums for marine mammal mitigation and measuring sound speed profiles and ambient noise variability over long deployment periods. Ocean ambient noise is affected by weather, waves, and shipping traffic.
The Slocum glider is buoyancy driven to enable long range and duration remote water column observations for academic, military, and commercial applications. The Slocum glider can be deployed and recovered from any size vessel with minimal time on station. Once deployed, the Slocum is easily controlled from anywhere in the world through web-based piloting tools, allowing entire fleets of gliders to be operated remotely with minimal personnel and infrastructure.
Slocum gliders are modular, allowing for rapid sensor reconfiguration to respond to urgent conditions or situations. Over 40 sensors and other options are available to address myriad ocean conditions and sampling requirements.
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Related
DRDC acquired an OceanObserver for their Slocum glider to detect North Atlantic right whales. See our Press Release.
Dalhousie University has one Slocum glider fitted with an OceanObserver acoustic monitoring system. In fall 2018 an OceanObserver was deployed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to detect North Atlantic right whales. See our Press Release.
The OceanObserver is the brains of the Boundary Pass Underwater Listening Station commissioned by Transport Canada in June 2020 to protect endangered killer whales and quiet ships. See our Press Release.
Backgrounder: About the OceanObserver
JASCO’s OceanObserver™ is an intelligent, real-time multi-sensor ocean observing system. This high-performance platform acquires huge volumes of acoustic and oceanographic data and processes it in real time to detect species of interest, quantify ambient and anthropogenic noise, and derive other information of interest. The results are then transmitted to shore, allowing for real-time decision making.
OceanObserver can be deployed on buoys, cabled observatories, surface and sub-surface vehicles like the Slocum, and other ocean devices. It can be used for marine mammal detection, identification and localization, ambient and vessel noise quantification, and underwater noise monitoring for oil and gas exploration and wind and tidal energy development.
The Slocum glider gathers data as it rises and dives in the water to propel itself forward. Onboard, the OceanObserver records the underwater sounds and detects marine mammal calls or events of interest. Surfacing at specified intervals, the glider sends the detections to shore for analysis. The onboard processing is done by PAMlab INT, the integrated version of JASCO’s PAMlab software suite.
OceanObserver on the Slocum autonomous underwater glider has the capability to monitor in any sea state 24/7. The system can monitor vast areas over long periods of time. It is easily deployed from any size vessel and the onboard processing is customized for the owner’s needs.
About JASCO Applied Sciences
JASCO Applied Sciences is a world leader in the science of underwater sound and its effects on marine life. A global company founded in 1981 in Victoria, Canada, JASCO provides services from offices in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. We provide support for all stages of environmental reviews and assessments of underwater sound for the renewable energy, oil and gas, marine construction, shipping, and defense sectors. We design, develop, and manufacture state-of-the-art oceanographic data acquisition systems to meet project demands for quality, endurance, reliability, and performance. We enable our clients to satisfy regulatory requirements by providing scientifically defensible assessments of their projects to government regulators and the public. For more information, visit www.jasco.com.
About Teledyne Webb Research
Teledyne Webb Research designs and manufactures scientific instruments for oceanographic research and monitoring with a focus on extended observations over both time and space. Teledyne Webb Research specializes in three areas of ocean instrumentation: Neutrally buoyant, autonomous drifters and profilers (10,000 to date), autonomous underwater gliding vehicles (900 to date), and moored underwater sound sources. These systems are core to several major ocean monitoring programs including the international Argo array, the National Science Foundation Ocean Observatories Initiative and the U.S. Navy Littoral Battlespace Sensing – Glider (LBS-G) program of record. A Teledyne Webb Research Slocum glider, the Scarlet Knight, was the first unmanned vehicle to cross an ocean. To learn more, visit www.teledynemarine.com/webb-research.
Learn More
“JASCO Acoustic Monitoring for Slocum Gliders” Webinar with Teledyne Marine.
Read more about the OceanObserver and the OceanObserver on the Slocum Glider.
Learn more about JASCO Applied Sciences.
Check out previous JASCO news coverage.
Contact Us
John Moloney
Engineering and Business Development Manager
JASCO Applied Sciences, Halifax, NS
T. +.902.405.3336 x1007
C. +902.405.1368
Email
Megan Constable
Marketing and Business Development
JASCO Applied Sciences, Halifax, NS
T. +1.902.405.3336 x1053
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