1998 Projects

Current Projects

Biogeochemistry/
climate and ocean
circulation

Deep-sea
community dynamics

Sub-seabed flow on continental margins

Mid-ocean ridges and submarine volcanoes

Marine microbial ecology

New tools and
techniques

Feasibility studies

High-risk initiatives

ROV infrastructure

Mooring infrastructure

Technology
infrastructure

Video infrastructure

Monterey Bay Aquarium/
MBARI joint projects

1997 Projects

As underwater research platforms, MBARI’s ROVs are among the best in the world. Meeting the challenge to continue cutting-edge scientific work requires continual upgrading of equipment and innovative technology.

P9A Upgrades to Tiburon — Objectives for Tiburon in 1998 generally involve increasing the operational utility of existing vehicle systems and implementing new, mission-specific toolsleds. The tasks include:

• Documentation — Technicians are working to remedy remaining operational problems on Tiburon and MBARI’s technical writer is continuing documentation efforts for each system.
  
• Navigation system — Under the robotics research project, a collaboration with students from Stanford University's Aerospace Robotics Laboratory,, engineers are designing and implementing a three-dimensionally aided, inertial navigation system. The system would calculate estimations of position from multiple sensor inputs. Such estimations provide more accurate and timely position-related information than those determined by the existing acoustic positioning system alone. This additional degree of precision would allow researchers to use applications that depend on recorded geographic and positioning data for fine-scale surveying.

• Manipulator arm — Technicians are installing a manipulator arm on the core vehicle. Attached to the core, it will be available on every dive and complemented on specific missions by the existing arm mounted on the toolsled.

• Midwater toolsled — Engineers will complete and deploy a midwater toolsled for Tiburon that will include detritus samplers, electrically controlled swing arms, and a carousel-type suction sampler.

• Biology toolsled —A benthic biology toolsled will be designed, fabricated, and tested.

• Geology toolsled —The prototype benthic toolsled is being upgraded to an operational seafloor geology unit.

P9A Upgrades to Ventana—

Changes slated for Ventana include:

• Fiber optic housing—Engineers will upgrade the fiber-optic housing for the R/V Point Lobos/Ventana tether.

• Navigation system—Engineers will complete implementation of a navigation system that will be comparable to, and compatible with, the Tiburon/R/V Western Flyer system.