M. Risi

MBARI's buoy based seafloor observatory design

There has been considerable discussion and planning in the oceanographic community toward the installation of long-term seafloor sites for scientific observation in the deep ocean. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) has designed a portable mooring system for deep ocean deployment that provides data and power connections to both seafloor and ocean surface instruments. The surface mooring collects solar and wind energy for powering instruments and transmits data to shore-side researchers using a satellite communications modem. A specialty anchor cable connects the surface mooring to a network of benthic instrumentation, providing the required data and power transfer. Design details and results of laboratory and field testing of the completed portions of the observatory system are described

SeeStar: A low-cost, modular and open-source camera system for subsea observations

Scientists and engineers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have collaborated to develop SeeStar, a modular, light weight, self-contained, low-cost subsea imaging system for mid- to long-term monitoring of marine ecosystems. SeeStar is composed of separate camera, battery, and LED lighting modules, each rated to 300 meters depth. The system can be deployed in a variety of scenarios utilizing stills and video and can be operated either autonomously or tethered on a range of platforms, including ROVs, AUVs, landers, piers, and moorings. The priorities for implementation included using off-the-shelf and readily available components as much as possible, and providing all designs, schematics and fabrication documents online as open source, so that others can easily build and adapt the camera system for their own uses. The long-term goal of this project is to have a widely distributed marine imaging network across thousands of locations, to develop baselines of biological information.

Enabling new techniques in environmental assessment through multi-sensor hydrography

A suite of complementary survey tools aimed at producing 1-cm resolution bathymetric models co-registered with 2-mm pixel color photography has been assembled. The design goal is to produce quantitative documentation of both geological and biological features that will allow change over time to be assessed at vertical and lateral scales approaching one centimeter. The current suite of tools combines multibeam sonar, stereo cameras with dual xenon strobes, lidar, and an inertial navigation system (INS) aided by Doppler velocity log (DVL). This sensor package is mounted beneath remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and used to map the seafloor from low altitudes. A 100-m by 100-m survey can be accomplished in a single ROV dive. All surveys are conducted with scripted station-keeping control loops operating on the ROV, resulting in more efficient area coverage through tended automation. Fine scale surveys of a chemosynthetic biological community at 2850-m depth show that individual clams can be observed in both lidar bathymetry and photographic imagery. Repeat surveys over multiple years have been conducted in the morphologically active floor of Monterey Canyon. Comparison of these data resolve subtle transitions from depositional to erosional textures, and reveal the changes associated with frequent sediment transport events down the active canyon. The rocky, high relief environment of Sur Ridge offshore California hosts sponge and deep water coral habitats. Here the combination of acoustic and optic sensing proves particularly useful for quantitatively characterizing the benthic community. The multibeam sonar measures bathymetry without sensing soft animals, while the lidar measures a surface that includes these animals. Subtracting the multibeam bathymetry from the lidar bathymetry maps the locations and sizes of soft animals.

MBARI new antibiofouling shutter

The first MBARI shutter was developed to reduce the effect of biofouling (barnacles, etc.) on a variety of optical instruments in use on MBARIs oceanic moored platforms. While the first shutter has been quite effective, the second shutter is smaller, consumes less power, and is contained in a simple package, making it easier to integrate into other MBARI platforms.