Monitoring Arctic Ocean Hydrography Using Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

• Main Author: Bellingham, James G
• Other Authors: MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE SEA GRANT PROJECT OFFICE
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1999
• Subjects: Earth Sciences and Oceanography; Hydrology; Limnology and Potamology; Submarine Engineering; *ARCTIC OCEAN; *HYDROGRAPHY; *UNDERWATER VEHICLES; ACCESS; ARCTIC REGIONS; GLOBAL; ICE; IMPACT; MONITORING; OCEAN BASINS; PLATFORMS; RELAYS; SAFETY; SELF OPERATION; SURVEYS; AUV(AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLES); Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Arctic Basin; Global warming
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA630241; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA630241

LONG-TERM GOALS. Our goal is to greatly increase access to the Arctic Ocean by creating and demonstrating a safe and economical platform capable of basin-scale surveys. Specifically, we are developing a Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Arctic research with unprecedented endurance, and the capability to relay data through the ice to satellites. We will provide a means of monitoring changes taking place in the Arctic Ocean and investigate its impact on global warming. The vehicle will also be capable of seafloor surveys throughout the Arctic basin. Such a capability is of national and global interest and importance.