The effectiveness of double hulls in reducing vessel-accident oil spillage

While much work has been done in investigating determinants of oil spillage attributed to vessel accidents, little research has been conducted on the effectiveness of ship hull design in reducing marine pollution. This paper addresses whether the double-hull requirement reduces vessel-accident oil spillage. The volume of oil spillage due to oil-cargo vessel accidents was investigated using tobit regressions and an empirical data set of individual vessel accident pollution incidents investigated by the US Coast Guard from 2001 to 2008. The results indicate that the double hull design on average reduces the size of oil spills by 20% and 62% in tank barge and tanker ship accidents, respectively.     

Seafloor seismic acquisition using autonomous underwater vehicles

Although narrow-azimuth towed-streamer data provide good image quality for structural interpretation, it is generally accepted that for wide-azimuth marine surveys seabed receivers deliver superior seismic reflection measurements and seismically derived reservoir attributes. However, seabed surveys are not widely used due to the higher acquisition costs when compared to streamer acquisition. In recent years, there have been significant engineering efforts to automate receiver deployment and retrieval in order to minimize the cost differential and conduct cost-efficient seabed receiver seismic surveys. These engineering efforts include industrially engineered nodes, nodes on a rope deployment schemes and even robotic nodes, which swim to and from the deployment location. This move to automation is inevitable, leading to robotization of seismic data acquisition for exploration and development activities in the oil and gas industry. We are developing a robotic-based technology, which utilizes autonomous underwater vehicles as seismic sensors without the need of using a remotely operated vehicle for deployment and retrieval. In this paper, we describe the autonomous underwater vehicle evolution throughout the project years from initial heavy and bulky nodes to fully autonomous light and flexible underwater receivers. Results obtained from two field pilot tests using different generations of autonomous underwater vehicles indicate that the seismic coupling, and navigation based on underwater acoustics are very reliable and robust.     

Reduction of oil outflows at collisions and groundings through improved vessel design arrangement

The paper discusses active and passive methods of reducing the expected oil outflow from collision and grounding accidents. Active measures refer to actions or decisions taken at the time of an accident, while passive measures refer to features built into the design of the ship. Except in cases of large tides, passive measures appear most efficient in reducing the oil spill rates from collision and grounding accidents. The measures discussed in this study include:

• • main hull design and tank arrangement;

• • structural resistance of hull; and

• • other features, like vacuum systems, piping systems for automatic redistribution of oil in case of pressure drop in tanks.

Only the influence of the main hull design and tank arrangement on the oil outflow has been analysed in detail. A probabilistic outflow model, which simulates damage cases in accordance with observed data from collision and grounding accidents, has been used for a parameter study of the oil spills from a double hull tanker of 280 000 DWT. This has established the optimum position of longitudinal bulkheads to minimize the outflow rates, the variation of the outflow volumes with tank length (number of oil tanks) and the effect of altering main particulars or hull slenderness on outflow rates. Further simplified models are used to assess how these variations in main hull design and tank arrangement will affect the steel weights and associated costs of the analysed designs. The results reveal that a considerable reduction of the pollution risk may be achieved by careful modification of main particulars and tank sizes compared to current design practice.     

Synergy and fusion of optical and synthetic aperture radar satellite data for underwater topography estimation in coastal areas

A method to obtain underwater topography for coastal areas using state-of-the-art remote sensing data and techniques worldwide is presented. The data from the new Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite TerraSAR-X with high resolution up to 1 m are used to render the ocean waves. As bathymetry is reflected by long swell wave refraction governed by underwater structures in shallow areas, it can be derived using the dispersion relation from observed swell properties. To complete the bathymetric maps, optical satellite data of the QuickBird satellite are fused to map extreme shallow waters, e.g., in near-coast areas. The algorithms for bathymetry estimation from optical and SAR data are combined and integrated in order to cover different depth domains. Both techniques make use of different physical phenomena and mathematical treatment. The optical methods based on sunlight reflection analysis provide depths in shallow water up to 20 m in preferably calm weather conditions. The depth estimation from SAR is based on the observation of long waves and covers the areas between about 70- and 10-m water depths depending on sea state and acquisition quality. The depths in the range of 20 m up to 10 m represent the domain where the synergy of data from both sources arises. Thus, the results derived from SAR and optical sensors complement each other. In this study, a bathymetry map near Rottnest Island, Australia, is derived. QuickBird satellite optical data and radar data from TerraSAR-X have been used. The depths estimated are aligned on two different grids. The first one is a uniform rectangular mesh with a horizontal resolution of 150 m, which corresponds to an average swell wavelength observed in the 10 × 10-km SAR image acquired. The second mesh has a resolution of 150 m for depths up to 20 m (deeper domain covered by SAR-based technique) and 2.4 m resolution for the shallow domain imaged by an optical sensor. This new technique provides a platform for mapping of coastal bathymetry over a broad area on a scale that is relevant to marine planners, managers, and offshore industry.     

Analysis of recent vessel arrivals and ballast water discharge in Alaska: toward assessing ship-mediated invasion risk

Ships are a dominant vector for biological invasions through ballast water discharge (BWD) and hull fouling. Here, we provide a first comprehensive analysis of shipping in Alaska, summarizing (a) the number, type and origin of vessel arrivals to Alaska for 2003 and 2004, (b) the spatial and temporal variation in vessel traffic, and (c) the available data on ballast water discharge in order to prioritize locations for tracking biological invasions. Most arrivals were passenger vessels, followed by ferries and fishing vessels, all of which carried little ballast water. Regional and seasonal patterns in arrivals and BWD were unevenly distributed among vessel types. The majority of vessels reporting BWD were from foreign ports, and most of this ballast was untreated. The largest volumes of ballast were from tankers at Valdez and Kenai Peninsula ports. Although Alaska has few documented invasions, opportunities for ship-mediated transfer now appear high and warrant further scrutiny.     

Mapping bathymetry using X-band marine radar data recorded from a moving vessel

Marine radars mounted on ships can provide remarkable insights into ocean behaviour from distances of several kilometres, placing other in situ observations and the environment around a ship into a wider oceanographic context. It has been known for some time that it is possible to map shallow water bathymetry and currents using radar image sequences recorded from shore based stations. However, a long standing question from military and hydrographic communities has been whether such techniques can be applied to radar data collected by moving vessels. If so, this presents the possibility of mapping large areas of shallow or coastal seas (albeit with a somewhat coarse horizontal resolution of 50–100 m) prior to the surveying vessel actually having to travel into potentially uncharted or dangerous shallow water areas. Trial sets of radar data were recorded by the Canadian Forces Auxiliary Vessel Quest using a Wamos radar digitiser connected to a Decca navigation radar during a number of deployments around Nova Scotia in 2008 and 2009. Georeferencing corrections derived from the existing ship navigation systems were sufficient to allow the application of the existing depth inversion analysis designed for static radar installations. This paper presents the results of bathymetry analyses of two datasets recorded from CFAV Quest while the vessel was travelling at speeds of up to 14 knots. The bathymetry derived from the radar data compare favourably with independent surveys and with the on-board echo sounder to depths of approximately 50 m.     

Quantifying flow resistance in mountain streams using computational fluid dynamics modeling over structure-from-motion photogrammetry-derived microtopography

Flow resistance in mountain streams is important for assessing flooding hazard and quantifying sediment transport and bedrock incision in upland landscapes. In such settings, flow resistance is sensitive to grain-scale roughness, which has traditionally been characterized by particle size distributions derived from laborious point counts of streambed sediment. Developing a general framework for rapid quantification of resistance in mountain streams is still a challenge. Here we present a semi-automated workflow that combines millimeter- to centimeter-scale structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry surveys of bed topography and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to better evaluate surface roughness and rapidly quantify flow resistance in mountain streams. The workflow was applied to three field sites of gravel, cobble, and boulder-bedded channels with a wide range of grain size, sorting, and shape. Large-eddy simulations with body-fitted meshes generated from SfM photogrammetry-derived surfaces were performed to quantify flow resistance. The analysis of bed microtopography using a second-order structure function identified three scaling regimes that corresponded to important roughness length scales and surface complexity contributing to flow resistance. The standard deviation σ_z of detrended streambed elevation normalized by water depth, as a proxy for the vertical roughness length scale, emerges as the primary control on flow resistance and is furthermore tied to the characteristic length scale of rough surface-generated vortices. Horizontal length scales and surface complexity are secondary controls on flow resistance. A new resistance predictor linking water depth and vertical roughness scale, i.e.  H/σ_z, is proposed based on the comparison between σ_z and the characteristic length scale of vortex shedding. In addition, representing streambeds using digital elevation models (DEM) is appropriate for well-sorted streambeds, but not for poorly sorted ones under shallow and medium flow depth conditions due to the missing local overhanging features captured by fully 3D meshes which modulate local pressure gradient and thus bulk flow separation and pressure distribution. An appraisal of the mesh resolution effect on flow resistance shows that the SfM photogrammetry data resolution and the optimal CFD mesh size should be about 1/7 to 1/14 of the standard deviation of bed elevation. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lagrangian floats as sea floor imaging platforms

There is a persistent need for high resolution photographic images of the sea floor and associated biota for marine habitat classification and fisheries stock assessment. This paper presents a novel low cost Lagrangian imaging platform that offers high quality images with reduced operational demands in comparison to existing methodologies such as diver surveys, drop cameras, ship towed systems and dedicated remote or autonomous underwater vehicles. The platform consists of a recently developed bottom following Lagrangian float fit with down looking stereo cameras and strobe lighting. The float can use active ballasting to perform constant altitude photographic drift surveys in coastal waters over varying bathymetry. Images from the float can be used to create large photomosaics, stereographic bathymetry estimates and image-derived current measurements. Test data are presented to demonstrate the operation of the Lagrangian float and summarize the data products.     

Directional wave measurements using an autonomous vessel

An autonomous vessel, the Offshore Sensing Sailbuoy, was used for wave measurements near the Ekofisk oil platform complex in the North Sea (56.5º N, 3.2º E, operated by ConocoPhillips) from 6 to 20 November 2015. Being 100 % wind propelled, the Sailbuoy has two-way communication via the Iridium network and has the capability for missions of 6 months or more. It has previously been deployed in the Arctic, Norwegian Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, but the present study was the first test for wave measurements. During the campaign the Sailbuoy held position about 20 km northeast of Ekofisk (on the lee side) during rough conditions. Mean wind speed measured at Ekofisk during the campaign was 9.8 m/s, with a maximum of 20.4 m/s, with wind mostly from south and southwest. A Datawell MOSE G1000 GPS-based 2 Hz wave sensor was mounted on the Sailbuoy. Mean significant wave height (H _s 1 min) measured was 3 m, whereas maximum H _s was 6 m. Mean wave period was 7.7 s, while maximum wave height, H _max, was 12.6 m. These measurements have been compared with non-directional Waverider observations at the Ekofisk complex. The agreement between the two data sets was very good, with a mean percent absolute error of 7 % and a linear correlation coefficient of 0.97. The wave frequency spectra measured by the two instruments compared very well, except for low H _s (～1 m), where the motion of the vessel seemed to influence the measurements. Nevertheless, the Sailbuoy performed well during this campaign, and results suggest that it is a suitable platform for wave measurements in a broad range of sea conditions.     

Methods for locating the proper position of a planned fishway entrance near a hydropower tailrace

The spatial distribution of upstream migrating Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) spawners was studied in 2008 and 2009 in the surroundings of the tailrace from a hydropower station in the River Umeälven. This area is problematic because the fish have difficulties finding their way into the original riverbed, which prompted an investigation on the feasibility of adding a fishway in the area. Echo sounding was used in 2008 to investigate the spatial use of fish in the tailrace channel during the time of salmon migration. Presence of other fish species was so low that all echo sounding detections were assumed to be salmon. In 2009, data on wild radio-tagged salmon (n = 94) was collected in the same tailrace by an array of underwater antennas with a detection radius of approximately 10 m, to validate the results from the echo sounding. Both types of surveys showed aggregations of fish in one part of the tailrace. As a final step, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling was performed to analyze hydrodynamics. This CFD modeling showed a coincidence of fish detections in areas with turbulence intensities between 0.6 and 0.8, which may be an indication that the fish are holding in these areas to reduce energy expenditure during migration. A high proportion of the radio-tagged salmon were observed in the tailrace area (a median of 21 days between their first and last detection), indicating that the salmon are delayed in their upstream migration by the attraction to the tailrace in this area. The overall data on fish behavior in the tailrace led us to suggest a location for a new fishway where the fish aggregation was most pronounced. The number of detections from either technology had similar distributions over the tailrace, suggesting that the results are comparable. Thus, the split beam echo sounder can preferably be used to investigate which location is most appropriate for locations of entrances to new fishways since many more individual fishes are covered by this method compared to telemetry. Furthermore, there is no need to handle the fish in the echo sounding studies as is required in telemetry studies.     

Short-term hydrophysical and biological variability over the northeastern Black Sea continental slope as inferred from multiparametric tethered profiler surveys

This presentation introduces a new ocean autonomous profiler for multiparametric surveys at fixed geographical locations. The profiler moves down and up along a mooring line, which is taut vertically between a subsurface flotation and an anchor. This observational platform carries such modern oceanographic equipment as the Nortek Aquadopp-3D current meter and the Teledyne RDI Citadel CTD-ES probe. The profiler was successfully tested in the northeastern Black Sea during 2007–2009. By using the profiler, new data on the layered organization of the marine environment in the waters over the upper part of the continental slope were obtained. The temporal variability of the fine-scale structure of the acoustic backscatter at 2 MHz was interpreted along with biooptical and chemical data. The patchy patterns of the acoustic backscatter were associated with physical and biological processes such as the advection, propagation of submesoscale eddy, thermocline displacement, and diel migration of zooplankton. Further applications of the multidisciplinary moored profiler technology are discussed.     

海洋地球物理导航

本文分析了海洋地球物理导航在水下航行器应用研发中的重要价值,总结了地球物理导航的理论方法,指出了海洋地球物理导航中有待解决的关键技术问题及其发展方向,阐明了海洋地球物理导航与惯导系统的组合是实现实时、连续、精确、安全隐蔽、完全自主水下导航的理想途径.     

Liquefaction characteristics of gap-graded gravelly soils in K0 condition

A series of undrained cyclic direct simple shear tests, which used a soil container with a membrane reinforced with stack rings to maintain the K₀ condition and integrated bender elements for shear wave velocity measurement, were performed to study the liquefaction characteristics of gap-graded gravelly soils with no fines content. The intergrain state concept was employed to categorize gap-graded sand–gravel mixtures as sand-like, gravel-like, and in-transition soils, which show different liquefaction characteristics. The testing results reveal that a linear relationship exists between the shear wave velocity and the minor fraction content for sand–gravel mixtures at a given skeleton void ratio of the major fraction particles. For gap-graded gravelly sand, the gravel content has a small effect on the liquefaction resistance, and the cyclic resistance ratio (CRR) of gap-graded gravelly sands can be evaluated using current techniques for sands with gravel content corrections. In addition, the results indicate that the current shear wave velocity (V_s) based correlation underestimates the liquefaction resistance for V_s values less than 160 m/s, and different correlations should be proposed for sand-like and gravel-like gravelly soils. Preliminary modifications to the correlations used in current evaluations of liquefaction resistance have thus been proposed.     

Autonomous underwater vehicle teams for adaptive ocean sampling: a data-driven approach

The current technological developments in autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and underwater communication have nowadays allowed to push the original idea of autonomous ocean sampling network even further, with the possibility of using each agent of the network not only as an operative component driven by external commands (model-driven) but as a reactive element able to act in response to changing conditions as measured during the exploration (data-driven). With this paper, we propose a novel data-driven algorithm for AUVs team for adaptive sampling of oceanic regions, where each agent shares its knowledge of the environment with its teammates and autonomously takes decision in order to reconstruct the desired oceanic field. In particular, sampling point selection is made in order to minimize the uncertainty in the estimated field while keeping communication contact with the rest of the team and avoiding to repeatedly sampling sub-regions already explored. The proposed approach is based on the use of the emergent behaviour technique and on the use of artificial potential functions (interest functions) to achieve the desired goal at the end of the mission. In this way, there is no explicit minimization of a cost functional at each decision step. The oceanic field is reconstructed by the application of radial basis functions interpolation of irregularly spaced data. A simulative example for the estimation of a salinity field with sea data obtained using the Mediterranean Sea Forecasting System is shown in the paper, in order to investigate the effect of the different uncertainty sources, including sea currents, on the behaviour of the exploration team and ultimately on the reconstruction of the salinity field.     

Acoustic characteristics of fish bombing: potential to develop an automated blast detector

The use of explosives to catch fish has caused extensive damage to coral reefs throughout Southeast Asia, but the frequency with which they are used is largely unknown. The aim of this work is to develop a detection system capable of distinguishing underwater explosions from background noise, and locating their origin by triangulation. Blast signals have been recorded over a range of distances and the key features that differentiate them from background noise have been determined. For small charges the effective range of such a detector is more than 12 km and may extend up to 50 km depending on the mass of the charges being used. Such a system would help to determine the scale of the problem, identify areas at greatest risk and quantify the effectiveness of management intervention designed to control destructive fishing practices. It may assist with fisheries enforcement in some areas.     

A flume experiment to examine underwater sound generation by flowing water

The hydrogeomorphology and ecology of rivers and streams has been subject of intensive research for many decades. However, hydraulically-generated acoustics have been mostly neglected, even though this physical attribute is a robust signal in fluvial ecosystems. Physical generated underwater sound can be used to quantify hydro-geomorphic processes, to differentiate among aquatic habitat types, and it has implications on the behavior of organisms. In this study, acoustic signals were quantified in a flume by varying hydro-geomorphic drivers and the related turbulence and bubble formation. The acoustic signals were recorded using two hydrophones and analyzed using a signal processing software, over 31 third-octave bands (20 Hz–20 kHz), and then combined in 10 octave bands. The analytical method allowed for a major improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio, therefore greatly reducing the uncertainty in our analyses. Water velocity, relative submergence, and flow obstructions were manipulated in the flume and the resultant acoustic signals recorded. Increasing relative submergence ratio and water velocity were important for reaching a turbulence threshold above which distinct sound levels were generated. Increases in water velocity resulted in increased sound levels over a wide range of frequencies. The increases in sound levels due to relative submergence of obstacles were most pronounced in midrange frequencies (125 Hz–2 kHz). Flow obstructions in running waters created turbulence and air bubble formation, which again produced specific sound signatures.     

链式海底地震仪节点结构设计与试验

海底地震仪是一种重要的海洋地震观测设备。针对中国近岸浅海洋流噪声大和人类活动频繁的特点,提出链式地震观测方式并对链式海底地震仪节点进行机械结构设计。首先根据内部构件尺寸与布局对地震仪节点整体结构进行设计;然后通过理论计算与有限元仿真方式确定地震仪节点仓体的壳体厚度、端盖厚度和密封尺寸;最后通过压力试验验证所设计的地震仪节点结构的耐压和水密性能符合要求,通过地震观测对比试验验证其接收天然地震的能力。此链式海底地震仪未来将应用于浙江近海的实际地震观测,提供实时连续的地震观测数据。     

KALMOD,a stochastic-deterministic model for simulating groundwater flow with Kalman filtering

Abstract

This paper presents the program KALMOD which has been developed to enable the execution of the integration of the Kalman filtering and the numerical groundwater flow model MODFLOW on microcomputers. The program can be applied to quantify and reduce the uncertainty of the groundwater flow model, and to analyse and design groundwater monitoring networks. KALMOD consists of a preprocessor, a processor and a postprocessor. The preprocessor acts as an interface between the user and the processor. The processor manipulates the measurement processes and carries out the filtering tasks. The filtering algorithm is implemented so that it is relatively efficient with respect to computer memory and execution time. The postprocessor was designed to present the model results in graphics. The program is suitable for small scale problems and for educational purposes.     

The KVVN-7 multifunction digital measuring station for electromagnetic monitoring of seismoactive zones

The portable highly sensitive measuring station KVVN-7 has been designed. It enables us to perform frequency sounding with controllable sources and audio-magnetotelluric sounding in the field of natural variations in an electromagnetic field within one session. Signal recording is made by seven channels (three magnetic and four electric ones) in a broad frequency spectrum (0.1–2000 Hz) with elimination of frequencies on the edges of the set frequency range and in the odd harmonics of industrial frequency (up to the ninth harmonic). The station incorporates the system of band-stop filters and anti-alias filters at resistors having a low temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR is lower than 25 × 10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹) and capacitors having a low temperature coefficient of capacity (TCC is lower than ±30 × 10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹). Application of the KVVN-7 station allows the electric conductivity and fluid regime of the upper crust to be studied for both implementation of geological tasks and tasks related to electromagnetic monitoring of seismoactive zones in combination with seismic methods. The example of practical application of the KVVN-7 station in the Lovozero-Pulozero profile (Kola Peninsula) has been presented. A high effectiveness of a station has been demonstrated when study of a fluid-saturated layer with conductivity of a dilatancy-diffuse origin (“DD layer”) in the upper crust. The further perfection of the KVVN-7 measuring station is aimed at the design of a completely automated recording system through data recording to a built-in data medium (flash memory). Additionally, it is suggested to use a built-in analog-to-digital converter of high resolution (24 bit) for every channel in order to broaden the dynamical range of the station.     

Vertical dynamics of summer phytoplankton in a stratified estuary (Gulf of Finland,Baltic Sea)

We present the results of multiparametric observations designed to follow the phytoplankton dynamics and interrelated physical, chemical and biological processes in the Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea). Data were acquired by an autonomous moored water column profiler, an acoustic Doppler current profiler, a flow-through system installed aboard a ferry and by profiling and discrete water sampling aboard research vessels in July and August 2009. The main aim of the study was to investigate the processes responsible for the formation and maintenance of sub-surface maxima of phytoplankton biomass. We suggest that the environmental conditions caused by the prevailing atmospheric and oceanographic forcing (wind; vertical stratification; basin-wide, mesoscale and sub-mesoscale processes) are preferred by certain species/taxonomic groups and explain the migration patterns of phytoplankton. Nocturnal downward migration of phytoplankton with a swimming speed up to 1.6 m h⁻¹ occurred when the community was dominated by the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa triquetra. The observed splitting of the population into two vertically separated biomass maxima suggests that the H. triquetra cells, which reached the sub-surface layers with high nutrient concentrations, experienced bi-diurnal or asynchronous (when swimming upwards) vertical migration. The most intense sub-surface biomass maxima, on some occasions with the biomass much higher than that in the surface layer, were detected in connection to the sub-mesoscale intrusions below the depth of the strongest vertical density gradient.