Autonomous Ocean Flux Buoys For Polar Studies

Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey CA

Investigators

Abstract

0084858 Stanton This project will develop two autonomous drifting buoys capable of measuring vertical fluxes of heat, salt, and momentum in the upper layers of an ice-covered polar ocean. Recent advances in low powered sensor technology has made possible the development of ice-deployed buoys capable of measuring oceanic fluxes directly, and make possible regional studies of the coupled ice-ocean-atmosphere system. One of these two instruments will measure fluxes using an eddy correlation method within the weakly stratified oceanic mixed layer. A flux probe integrated with an acoustic doppler current profiler will allow the estimation of turbulent dissipation rates. Internal micro-power computers will process and analyze the data streams and hold the resulting information for uplink to low orbit satellites. Two-way communication through the satellite link will facilitate diagnostic modes of operation, which are critical for long term (15 months) remote instrument systems. The second of the two instruments will measure heat fluxes using a dissipation method within the thermocline. A profiling instrument package will contain dual microthermistors which can resolve the temperature gradient spectrum to dissipation scales, even in the strongly stratified pycnocline found at the base of the mixed layer in polar oceans. ***