Announces Completion of Bodega Bay Research Buoy

Press Release

4/7/09

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

S

ound Ocean Systems, Inc. (SOSI) of Redmond, WA has finished construction and testing of a moored 2m diam. Ocean Data Buoy (ODB) for the University of California, Davis Campus. The Bodega Bay Research Lab will utilize the moored buoy to acquire current stratification to the bottom, salinity, temperature, Ph, pCO-2, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and fluorescence, all of which are important to climate change studies ongoing by the Lab. The SOSI ODB is comprised of a surface buoy with a 7 element elastic mooring, 4 large surface water instruments tightly encased in the stainless steel bridle, and an aluminum mast for communications, strobe light, radar reflector and GPS antenna. This will be the first moored buoy use of SAMI Ph & CO-2 sensors, a down-looking ADCP, and a WET Labs WQM all on one buoy. Collected data will be logged and transmitted the short distance to the Lab for analysis and archiving. One large battery pack powers all the sensors, the SOSI proprietary controller, the radio modem, and the GPS system. The GPS position establishes a watch circle and warns of possible mooring faults in the difficult 100’ mooring environment while tracking the buoy if loose. This buoy replaces a nearly identical buoy.

The POEMS sensor suite is divided into three basic subsystems including a CTD system, an ADCP system, and a Global Positioning System/compass module. The vertical profiling CTD system incorporates a Sea-Bird SeaCAT 19+ CTD sensor with a buoy mounted profiling winch. A Teledyne RD Instruments Workhorse Monitor ADCP is used to measure current direction and speed throughout the water column. A GPS receiver and antenna are used to accurately fix the buoy’s position at all times. An “anchor watch” program is incorporated into the POEMS software that will provide an immediate alarm to the POEMS shore station if the buoy moves beyond a predetermined programmable outer watch circle. It is also designed to prevent a CTD profile from occurring if the buoy is within a programmable inner watch circle where the CTD unit could potentially become entangled with the single point mooring.

The POEMS has a rechargeable battery based power supply sized to allow the POEMS to function in a stand alone mode for up to 30 days. The POEMS includes an onboard EDL-880 data logger and control unit manufactured by SOSI that is capable of managing the sampling, formatting, processing, and archiving of data from the various POEMS sensors. This same system controls all the POEMS “hotel” functions, manages on board energy requirements, records and executes data sampling and collection commands, and provides system status information via the POEMS data link. The EDL-880 data logger/controller is the heart of all SOSI multi-sensor oceanographic data buoys and has the capability to autonomously record all POEMS data sampled during a deployment of over one month duration.

An external maintenance PC interface provides the means to enter settings, perform sensor operation verification, initiate and stop operation, retrieve logged data, check for proper operation of telemetry, and test vertical profiler operation. In addition a PC may be connected during operational mode to monitor activity or to read or download logged data. The POEMS incorporates a commercial 900 MHz, 1 watt output power, Freewave radio system to transmit POEMS data to shore or local range craft.

Sound Ocean Systems, Inc. (SOSI) is located in Redmond, Washington, USA and for more than 28 years has provided commercial, academic and governmental customers around the world with a variety of quality marine products and services including oceanographic data buoys, ocean data platforms, moorings & instrumented moored systems, diesel generator power modules for buoys, high and low-speed tow bodies, self-propelled and towed seafloor vehicles, marine instrumentation and ROV umbilical winches, launch & recovery systems, and other specialized deck equipment.

For more information or a quotation on your project requirements, please contact SOSI.