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As with submersibles and ROVs, AUVs have a range of depth, speed, endurance, and sensing capabilities. The Center can lease AUVs specialized for seafloor mapping, imaging, and/or water column sensing. The AUVs described below are available to the Center; others will be considered if suitable for approved projects.
Shallow-water AUV (example)
REMUS operated by NURP’s Mid-Atlantic Bight Undersea Research Center at Rutgers University: The REMUS 100-class vehicles have a depth limit of 100 m and are typically used for oceanographic surveys in bays, estuaries, and shallow shelf environments. They are lightweight, portable, and can be operated from small vessels with little support gear. They are well suited to surveys of water column properties. This particular vehicle also carries a Marine Sonics 600 kHz side-scan system. An overview of the 2008 missions is posted online.
This REMUS AUV is scheduled to work in southeast Alaska in summer 2010, and will be available for other projects in Alaska and West Coast waters. PIs interested in using this vehicle should first contact Mike Deluca at the Mid-Atlantic Bight Undersea Research Center to discuss the vehicle’s capabilities and logistical requirements.
Mapping AUVs
Eagle Ray operated by NURP’s National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology (NIUST) Undersea Vehicles Technology Center, at the University of Southern Mississippi: Eagle Ray is a torpedo-shaped AUV designed for high-resolution seafloor mapping, with 2200 m depth capability. It is currently equipped with 200 kHz multibeam sonar and CTD, and can carry additional instrument packages. NIUST/UVTC continues to develop and upgrade this vehicle.
D. Allan B. operated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI):
The D. Allan B. is designed for high-resolution seafloor sonar mapping in deep water, and is rated to 6000 m. It is a Dorado-class vehicle designed and built at MBARI, and incorporates MBARI innovations. The vehicle carries 200 kHz multibeam sonar, chirp side-scan sonar, chirp subbottom profiler, and CTD.
ABE and Sentry operated by the National Deep Submergence Facility at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)-
See description below under “imaging AUVs.” These capable vehicles are dual purpose, but are not as efficient in mapping operations as dedicated mapping AUVs.
Imaging AUVs
Mola Mola operated by NURP’s National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology (NIUST) Undersea Vehicles Technology Center at the University of Southern Mississippi: Mola Mola is a SeaBED-class AUV designed for photographic surveys and high-resolution scanning sonar imaging. It was built by Hanumant Singh’s group at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for NIUST/UVTC. Mola Mola has a depth capability of 2000 m, and is undergoing sea trials in 2009.
ABE and Sentry operated by the National Deep Submergence Facility at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI): ABE is an early, pioneering AUV design for deep-ocean scientific research, with a 4500 m depth limit. It can conduct both seabed photographic surveys and multibeam sonar mapping (at higher altitude), and carries additional instruments for magnetic surveys and hydrothermal vent detection. It is often used as a companion to Alvin or ROV Jason dive programs. Sentry is a new vehicle with greater speed, endurance, and ease of use, designed for a wider range of missions. It is currently in operation but has not yet replaced ABE as the primary AUV in NSF’s National Deep Submergence Facility.
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