Smartbuoy
Moored intelligent, automated, multi-parameter recording platform for marine environmental data collection
- In situ integrated sensor and ‘intelligent’ sampler system
- Independent in situ automated calibration of sensors
- Real-time global 2-way telemetry
Applications
- Improved understanding of environmental variability
- New insights into ecosystem function
- Early warning and forecasting
- Monitoring change in marine biodiversity
- Improved model validation and testing
Some examples of collected data
Data from a Thames Estuary deployment (presented above) during Spring 1998 show a time series of surface (at 1 m) temperature and salinity (a) and turbidity, chlorophyll fluorescence (b) and nitrate concentration. After an increase in temperature at the start of the record, poor weather resulted in cooling between 9 – 16 April and a large increase in nutrient rich freshwater input (reflected in the dramatic drop in salinity evident in the latter half of the time series).
These records demonstrate the importance of continuos automated measurements in recording episodic events. High frequency variability in fluorescence and turbidity (uncalibrated) are evident throughout the time series with no obvious trend emerging from the data.
Typical specification
| Instrument/sensor |
Measurement |
Variable |
Manufacturer |
| CTD* |
conductivity, temperature,
pressure |
salinity (psu)
density (units) |
WS EnviroTech |
| Fluorometer (blue LED type) |
chlorophyll fluorescence |
phytoplankton biomass (mg chl m-3) |
Seapoint |
| Optical back-scatter sensor |
suspended particle load |
(mg l-1) |
Seapoint |
| Quantum irradiance sensor |
downwelling Photosynthetically Active Radiation (400 – 700 nm) |
Ed (light available for phytoplankton growth at depth d)
k, vertical extinction coefficient (m-1)
|
Li-CoR Corp. |
| In situ nutrient Analyser (NAS2E) x 2 |
|
nitrate concentration m M silicate concentration m M1 |
WS EnviroTech |
| Aqua Monitor |
|
phytoplankton numbers and species composition, nutrient concentration2, salinity |
WS EnviroTech |
| System Monitor UMI |
multi-channel logger incorporating CTD*, controls cellular telephone telemetry |
WS EnviroTech |
An example of SmartBuoy sensor configuration. Exact specification will depend on user requirements.
