MARS Monterey Accelerated Research System

MARS
Monterey Accelerated Research System
Steve Etchemendy, Director, Marine Operations, MBARI
& Co-PI MARS Operations and Maintenance
MARS sub-sea observatory
1) MARS observatory: Description and
purpose
2) Science instrument installation
a) Science sensors
b) Extension cords
3) At-sea installation and maintenance
What is
MARS?
MARS is a single "science node" 891 meters
below the surface of Monterey Bay. The MARS
science node has eight ports. Each of the eight
ports is equipped with an underwater mateable
connector. The science node is connected to
the shore through 52-km of subsea telecom
cable that carries data and power.
The Purpose of MARS
MARS is the test-bed cabled observatory for
the National Science Foundation’s
Ocean Observatory Initiative
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Provides a test bed for instrument developers testing
new scientific instrument technology
Provides a facility for low cost instrument “endurance”
testing
Provides a prototype for the development of technology
infrastructure for future observatories.
Provides an opportunity to test ROV maintenance,
deployment and recovery protocols for ocean
observatories
The yellow portion houses
the MARS electronics in an
ROV removable section.
The MARS trawl-resistant
frame.
ROV access door is open
underwater connectors
inside
The ROV Ventana preparing to
install an underwater
connector linking the MOBB
broadband seismometer to
its data logger and power
Science Sensor Installation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Laying extension cords to science sensors
Broadband seismometer
Video “Eye-in-the-Sea”
Sub-sea moorings for cabled observatories
Environmental sensor
Benthic Rover
Low pH ocean (FOCE)
ROV
Ventana
with cable
laying
toolsled
MBARI ROVs can lay 4 Km of 3/8
inch extension cables
Installing the Broadband Seismometer
Dr. Barbra Romanowicz, Berkeley Seismological Laboratory
Filling the broadband casing with glass micro-spheres
(4 impacts)
Eye-in-theSea
Dr. Edith Widder
http://www.oceanrecon.org/re
search.htm
• Objective is to collect unobtrusive video
observations of deep sea animal behavior using
red lights, no thrusters
• Connected to significant education and
outreach program
Aloha/MARS Mooring
Dr Bruce Howe, UW/APL
http://alohamooring.apl.washington.edu/
• Will allow high temporal and
spatial resolution sampling
of water column to solve
important scientific problems
related to turbulent mixing
• The MARS cable supplies
power and communications,
avoiding use of batteries,
and biofouling in the photic
zone
Environmental sensor: Detection of invertebrate larvae,
pennate diatoms and groups of bacteria on a single array:
chemistry control and
intensity standards
“all eukaryotes”
junk
- 125 ml whole water sample
- 0.45μm filter
- 2ml homogenate
Benthic
Rover
Dr. Ken Smith, MBARI
http://www.mbari.org/m
ars/general/rover.html
• Typically used in autonomous mode, connected to
MARS for testing and refinement
• Performs a time series of measurements at the
sediment interface, thus avoiding numerous
separate expeditions and ROV dives
Greenhouse Gases
Dr. Peter Brewer, MBARI
• While over-fishing was the ocean
crisis realized in the 20th century,
ocean acidification will be the crisis
of the 21st century.
• The battlefield of that crisis is the
Pacific, and Monterey Bay is
ground zero.
• What will be the ecology of the
acidic ocean? How will the food
chain be altered? What
management practices will need to
be changed?
(8 impacts)
Initial Installation
1) Plan for easy maintenance procedures –
electronics do not last forever
2) Plan for easy replacement of your science
sensors
3) Conduct a high resolution cable route study to
avoid chaffing the main cable on rocky
outcrops
4) Produce a detailed maintenance plan and cost
estimates – Don’t build what you can’t support
CS Global Sentinel
installing MARS
Cable ships are expensive
Install the cable and node once – ROVs are the
tool for maintenance
MARS electronics node
replacement by ROV
High resolution cable route mapping
to avoid bridging
Sonar payload
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Reson 7100 Multibeam Sonar
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High resolution bathymetry data
200 kHz
Circular receive array
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Currently using 7125 model with flat
receive array
0.94 degree X 0.94 degree beams
30 cm footprint at 20 m altitude
1.5 m footprint at 100 m altitude
Edgetech 110/410 khz chirp
Sidescan Sonars
ƒ
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Images seafloor character & fine-scale
features (~10 cm resolution)
Edgetech 2-15 kHz chirp
Subbottom Profiler
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Images subsurface sediment structure
Easy science sensor
replacement
Seismic
Observatory
• Only continuously
recording
seismometer west
of the San Andreas
fault system
• Hookup to the
MARS cable will
provide data in real
time, avoiding use
of lithium batteries
Conclusions
• Global change threatens all of humanity
and understanding ocean processes is
vital
• Ocean Observatories will enable a
transformation from largely ship based
ocean science to continuous, integrated
observation.
• Congratulations to the ESONET partners