MRI: Acquisition of an integrated AUV system for observations of physical and biogeochemical interactions in the Northern Gulf of Mexico ecosystem across spatiotemporal scales

GSTDTAP

项目编号	1828679
	MRI: Acquisition of an integrated AUV system for observations of physical and biogeochemical interactions in the Northern Gulf of Mexico ecosystem across spatiotemporal scales
	Natalia Sidorovskaia
主持机构	University of Louisiana at Lafayette
项目开始年	2018
	2018-09-15
项目结束日期	2020-08-31
资助机构	US-NSF
项目类别	Standard Grant
项目经费	456593(USD)
国家	美国
语种	英语
英文摘要	The project will support researchers and students at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and other research centers across Louisiana in acquiring Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) technology in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM) ecosystem. Recent technological developments in AUVs have created unprecedented opportunities for underwater research, which will allow researchers to study ecosystem processes, as well as ecological connectivity, in both coastal and deep ocean waters. An integrated AUV Seaglider system will be equipped with a sound listening system, which allows for detection of marine mammals and other sound-emitting animals; a suite of oceanographic sensors, which allow for mapping of fundamental changes in coastal and Gulf oceanography as a function of both natural and human-caused changes; and a unique cNODE Package, which provides the latest advancements in underwater real-time communication and data harvesting from other deployed sensors in the study area. Seagliders will provide data of higher resolution in time and space than currently possible with shipboard surveys or fixed-station buoys at a fraction of the costs. Acquisition of the AUV instrumentation will considerably enhance the outcomes of ongoing, collaborative and discipline-specific ecosystem research and provide training for undergraduate and graduate students to use cutting-edge robotic technologies. Building on existing research excellence in underwater acoustics, biological oceanography, and geophysics at UL Lafayette, the new system will allow researchers to maintain a leading role in GoM research. Students and postdoctoral fellows will acquire a unique set of skills in mission planning, field deployment and piloting, and will be at the forefront of mining, processing and integrating multi-sensor cross-disciplinary data using advanced computational techniques. The AUV system will also enhance ongoing educational and outreach initiatives engaging high-school teachers and students. The datasets collected by the AUV system will provide critical information about the GoM ecosystem that is of value to a broad community of scientists across disciplines, local industry, resource managers, and policy-makers, and will be made publicly available. The researchers will use AUV technology to study status of and changes in ecosystem function of the GoM across multiple spatial and temporal scales in an effort to assess ecosystem health, sustainability, and risk of future environmental hazards. The data collected by AUVs will assist in developing complex ecosystem models predicting how alterations to the physical environment affect marine organisms at different trophic levels in the biological system, including commercially-important fish species and marine mammals. Such models are necessary for agencies and decision-makers in charge of protecting marine resources as well as those that are charged with restoring and preserving marine and coastal habitats in the most sustainable fashion. Data will be used to understand: drivers of marine organism distributions, behavior, and stress responses; the evolution of ocean soundscapes; phytoplankton and zooplankton dynamics; contaminant fate and effects; submarine landslide dynamics and tsunami risk assessment; and environmental change, including ocean acidification and hypoxia. Data will also provide a new perspective on the biological connectivity in the GoM and important interconnections in the ecosystem. These datasets will advance observations, interpretations, and predictions of both naturally and anthropogenically-driven changes in the GoM ecosystem and will aid in advancing current models of ecosystem dynamics and population trends. These data will contribute to monitoring risks associated with extreme weather events in near real-time to assure safety of industrial operations, coastal communities, and marine resources. The many federal and state agencies and other stakeholders involved in the protection of marine resources and engaged in coastal restoration require more complete information on short- and long-range connectivity of the northern Gulf of Mexico and on how coastal restoration actions and industrial activities are affecting oceans across a variety of spatial and temporal scales. These end-users will benefit from research results derived from the information collected by the new system. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
文献类型	项目
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.173/C666/handle/2XK7JSWQ/73468
专题	环境与发展全球科技态势
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Natalia Sidorovskaia.MRI: Acquisition of an integrated AUV system for observations of physical and biogeochemical interactions in the Northern Gulf of Mexico ecosystem across spatiotemporal scales.2018.