Coastal Oceanography Using a Small AUV

Abstract

Bathymetry, current, temperature, and depth (CTD) measurements using a small, mobile, autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) platform are described. Autonomous surveys of a shallow water column off the east coast of Florida during December 1997 were carried out using a 2.13-m long, 0.53-m maximum diameter Ocean Explorer series AUV, equipped with a 1200-kHz acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) and a CDT package. At a speed of 1-2 m s 1 , this AUV can perform preprogrammed missions over a period of several hours, collecting in situ oceanographic data and storing it on an onboard datalogger. The vehicle may also carry sidescan sonar or a custom small-scale turbulence measurement package or other instruments for subsidiary measurements. The versatility of the AUV allows measurement of oceanographic data over a substantial region, the motion of the platform being largely decoupled from that of any surface mother ship.