February 2023 Newsletter
Split Beam Sonar
In This Months Issue
Seabed 2030 Partnership
OBSCAPE AWS
New Web Site for YFIT
New Recovery Beacon From XEOSm XEOS

Hyper-bb First for Sequoia
Dear Colleague,

Welcome to our February Newsletter

The Christmas break seems an age ago, and spring is just around the corner. We have already seen some new and exciting technology coming from our partners and we will be reporting on them in coming issues, much will be on show at Ocean Business held at the NOC Southampton in April.

Headline news this month is that we are extremely proud to be supporting the Nippon Foundation's Seabed 2030 Initiative, which aims to map 100% of the ocean floor by 2030. This is a huge challenge and we are delighted to be playing a small part in this ambitions project. By encouraging the growing number of ecoSUB users with the high resolution sonar fitted to participate, we hope to make a difference.

All the best,

Terry Sloane
Managing Director
IN OTHER NEWS


Nekton News


The February edition of Nekton News focus on projects unreway in the Maldives.

Take a look at the exciting work being undertaken HERE
Web Site Launch Marks 150th Challenger Anniversary.

On the 150th anniversary of arguably the most important scientific voyage in the history of marine science, the vast knowledge it created has been consolidated for the first time on a new website www.challengerexpedition.sams.ac.uk/ with funding from the Carnegie Foundation. The website is hosted by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Oban
Seabed 2030
New Seabed 2030 partnership strengthens autonomous ocean mapping in support of a complete map of the entire seafloor
We are extremely proud to be supporting the Nippon Foundation's Seabed 2030 Initiative, which aims to map 100% of the ocean floor by 2030. This is a huge challenge and we are delighted to be playing a small part in this ambitions project.

The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project has entered into a memorandum of understanding with ecoSUB Robotics - a division of Planet Ocean - which designs and builds innovative autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for ocean research.
The collaboration will greatly support the realisation of a complete map of the ocean floor as ecoSUB AUVs are able to navigate areas which are inaccessible to scientists and divers for safety or other reasons.
Established in 2004, Planet Ocean provides instrumentation to the oceanographic research community, as well as the defence sector. In 2015 the company - together with the Marine Autonomous Robotic Systems group based at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) - developed a ground-breaking micro AUV which led to the creation of ecoSUB Robotics, based at the Marine Robotics Innovation Centre of NOC. Since then ecoSUB Robotics have developed the system to include a comprehensive and growing range of AUV’s incorporating advanced navigation techniques and the highest resolution side scan soar systems available along with cameras and acoustic communications.
The portability and affordability of ecoSUB enables new and existing users of AUV’s to explore new opportunities offered by compact autonomous systems for survey, science, defence and exploration.
Seabed 2030 is a collaborative project between The Nippon Foundation and GEBCO to inspire the complete mapping of the world's ocean by 2030, and to compile all bathymetric data into the freely available GEBCO Ocean Map. GEBCO is a joint programme of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and is the only organisation with a mandate to map the entire ocean floor. Seabed 2030 is formally endorsed as a Decade Action of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
“At ecoSUB Robotics we’re committed to increasing accessibility to AUVs and making this ground-breaking technology available to all,” commented Terry Sloane, Managing Director of Planet Ocean.
“Advancing oceanographic research will benefit the entire population and AUVs play an invaluable role in progressing this field of ocean science. We look forward to supporting the global effort in pursuit of a complete ocean map led by Seabed 2030 through the development of our advanced, yet affordable, AUV technology.”
Seabed 2030 Project Director Jamie McMichael-Phillips said “Not only do AUVs enable us to access hazardous areas, but they also provide a solution to the mapping of remote and uncharted areas".
“Collaborative working is essential to Seabed 2030 and it’s through partnerships - such as this with ecoSUB Robotics - that we’re able to ensure our strategy remains forward-looking, and that our efforts are well-positioned to make use of innovative technologies as they become available to progress our goal.”
All data collected and shared with the Seabed 2030 project is included in the GEBCO global grid, which is free and publicly available.

Look out for regular updates on this project. The latest Seabed 2030 newsletter can be downloaded HERE.

For more information on Seabed 2030 visit HERE
Automatic Weather Stations
Detailed Overview of OBSCAPE's Weather Station.
Last month we reported on the new OBS-400 Wave Buoy and interest in this system has been great. Now, our friends at OBSCAPE have produced an extremely detailed booklet describing how their fully integrated Automatic Weather Station can be used alongside their other IOT systems for comprehensive HydroMet investigations.

Download your copy HERE

If you would like to know more about the OBSCAPE AWS or any other OBSCAPE IOT System, please email [email protected]
Web Site Update
New Year New Look - Yokogowa Fluid Imaging Web Site
YFIT launched a new website! You can find us at the same URL but with a brand new look, new content, and new resources. Over the coming weeks, we'll be sharing new features of our site designed to improve your experience with the site and with FlowCam itself.

Visit the world of Fluid Imaging Technology HERE
Ask an Expert

Given that FlowCam optical systems have a specific depth of focus for each objective lens, it's important to use the correct context settings to maximize image quality. Learn more in our Configuration Guide HERE




New AIS Recovery Beacon From XEOS
The Petrel, a submersible AIS-compatible recovery beacon.
The Petrel is designed for short range tracking and recovery of your high value oceanographic equipment while at sea. The AIS-Compatible beacon’s location will be displayed on a vessel's chart plotter when in sufficient range, no other tracking software or equipment is required. Ships already have AIS receivers and electronic charting displays, so having an AIS-compatible beacon makes recovery of assets at sea much easier for the crew. 

The Petrel, joins the other XEOS Mooring recovery and other beacons. Visit HERE for additional information.
First for Sequoia
Sequoia presents the world’s first commercially available hyperspectral backscatter instrument – Hyper-bb
The Hyper-bb is a submersible single-angle backscattering instrument with configurable spectral channels. The primary measurement delivered by the Hyper-bb is spectral backscattering over the wavelength range 430 nm to 700 nm. In addition to measuring spectral backscattering, the Hyper-bb also has high-performance depth and temperature sensors. Data collected with the Hyper-bb is saved onboard the instrument in non-volatile microSD memory which can be later downloaded via the Hyper-bb software.


Find out more about Hyper-bb HERE
ecoSUB Customer Cam
Joun the ecoSUB Team on a Customer Training Day
The ecoSUB team were out on the Solent recently, with customers from PML and BAS, providing training in advance of their travels with an ecoSUB-m5-Science vehicle to Svalbard next month. A bright but cold day provided the ideal training situation.

Watch this and other ecoSUB videos at ecoSUB.tv


Split Beam Sonar
ASL Conducts Field Trials of Prototype
Autonomous Long Endurance Split-Beam Sonar
ASL Environmental Sciences is pleased to announce the successful field trials of a new prototype split-beam sonar. The trials were conducted in the Saanich Inlet near the Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS), Sidney, BC. This milestone marks the first such deployment of the prototype instrument, as part of a collaboration between researchers at Memorial University, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), and ASL. The field testing was done from a small IOS launch with Dr. Stéphane Gauthier, Fisheries and Oceans research scientist, Dr. Len Zedel, Professor and Department Head of Physics and Physical Oceanography at Memorial University, and graduate student Axel Belgarde, also of Memorial University. ASL staff members Dr. Steve Pearce and Graeme Thompson participated in the study. 

Split-beam echosounders use multiple receive channels to determine target location within the acoustical beam. Unlike ordinary single-beam echosounders, split-beam echosounders may determine not only the range but also the direction of arrival of incoming signals. This facilitates accurate measurements of target strength. When detecting fish over multiple pings, a split beam sonar may track the fish and estimate its swimming speed and direction.

ASL has extensive experience developing calibrated scientific hydroacoustic profilers. ASL instruments are known for their unmatched ability to collect long time series data, with typical deployments lasting 12 months. This new split-beam echosounder prototype is designed to run autonomously for months at a time, allowing researchers to collect long time series data at the study site. Many researchers find such tools useful when studying fish behaviour throughout changing seasons, or when deploying in remote environments.

The field trial for this new design was carried out February 1, 2023 (Figure 1) and the results are promising. As part of the system testing, two small spheres were lowered and raised through the water column to a maximum depth of 220 m. The sample echogram of Figure 2 shows these spheres over one of the trial casts.