Acoustic telemetry for ocean acoustic tomography

Very low data rate burst telemetry for long-range deep-ocean applications is discussed. Energy efficiency, propagation coherence, and waveform coding, together with transmitter constraints, influenced the design of proposed buoy-to-buoy and buoy-to-shore systems.     

Digital waveform codings for ocean acoustic telemetry

M-sequence waveform coding with a single long codeword has been considered as the basis for long-range underwater acoustic telemetry for one user. (An m-sequence is a periodic, binary, linear-law maximal-length sequence. If the span of the law is n, the maximal length L-2ⁿ=1). For a given law, a single m-sequence transmits a maximum of log₂ (L) bits of source information per channel word. To increase the number of bits per word, families of m-sequences and Gold codes are considered and compared to a single m-sequence. A hypothetical idealized multipath channel with added white Gaussian noise is assumed. Coding using families of m-sequences is recommended because it requires a smaller bit-energy-to-noise ratio than other waveform codes to achieve an equivalent codeword error probability     

Recent developments in ocean data telemetry at Woods HoleOceanographic Institution

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is developing techniques for telemetering oceanographic data from the deep ocean to the laboratory in near real time. Three general approaches that provide a link between subsurface instruments and surface buoys equipped with satellite transmitters are being pursued. These approaches are: cabled systems that use electromechanical cables to connect subsurface instruments to a central controller; high data rate acoustic modems to transfer information between multiple remote units and a central controller; and inductive modems that use standard mechanical mooring lines as the transmission medium between instruments deployed on the mooring and a central controller. These telemetry systems are targeted for general use by the oceanographic community and are designed to be power efficient, low in cost, and capable of integration with most oceanographic data collection systems     

Energy conservation issues in sigma-coordinate free-surface ocean models

This paper focuses on the energy conservation properties of a hydrostatic, Boussinesq, coastal ocean model using a classic finite difference method. It is shown that the leapfrog time-stepping scheme, combined with the sigma-coordinate formalism and the motions of the free surface, prevents the momentum advection from exactly conserving energy. Because of the leapfrog scheme, the discrete form of the kinetic energy depends on the product of velocities at odd and even time steps and thus appears to be possibly negative when high-frequency modes develop. Besides, the study of the energy balance clarifies the numerical choices made for the computation of mixing processes. The time-splitting technique used to reduce the computation costs associated to the resolution of surface waves leads to the well-known external and internal mode equations. We show that these equations do not conserve energy if the coupling of these two modes is forward in time. Even if non-linear terms are negligible, this shortcoming can be significant regarding the pressure gradient term ‘frozen’ over a baroclinic time step. An alternative energy-conserving time-splitting technique is proposed in this paper. Discussion and conclusions are conducted in the light of a set of numerical experiments dedicated to surface and internal gravity waves.     

Contemporary ocean and coastal management issues in Australia and New Zealand: an overview

The past decade has witnessed an unprecedented increase in the number of international treaties, conventions and agreements dealing with maritime issues and oceans governance. Most nations are attempting to cope with this expanding agenda at a time of fiscal constraint, competing environmental demands and the emergence of a new global strategic, political and economic order. However, similar issues do not always lead to similar outcomes. Australia and New Zealand share some common oceanic and coastal management problems, but variations in response arise from geographical differences, constitutional provisions, political style and administrative arrangements. This paper provides a brief overview of contemporary maritime issues and attempted solutions in both nations.     

Performance limitations in underwater acoustic telemetry

Performance limitations in digital acoustic telemetry are addressed. Increases in computational capabilities have led to a number of complex but practical solutions aimed at increasing the reliability of acoustic data links. These solutions range from ocean-basin scale data telemetry to video-image transmission at a few hundred yards' distance. The opportunity to implement highly complex tasks in real time on modest hardware is a common factor. The data rates range from 1 to 500 kb/s and are much slower than satellite channels, while acceptable system complexity is higher than virtually any other channel with comparable data throughput. The basic performance bounds are the channel phase stability, available bandwidth, and the channel impulse response fluctuation rate. Phase stability is of particular concern for long-range telemetry, channel fluctuation characteristics drive equalizer, and synchronizer design; the bandwidth limitation is a direct constraint on data rate for a given signaling method     

Acoustic telemetry system for underwater control

Underwater acoustic communication in the multipath environment encountered in shallow water is restricted mostly by signal fading. It degrades the signal detection and time synchronization required for reliable acoustic communication. An approach to time synchronization and to the frequency diversity method is presented. A communication algorithm for obtaining a reliable acoustic underwater link, and offering an easy-to-implement decoding scheme is introduced, and system realization is described     

The state of the art in underwater acoustic telemetry

Progress in underwater acoustic telemetry since 1982 is reviewed within a framework of six current research areas: (1) underwater channel physics, channel simulations, and measurements; (2) receiver structures; (3) diversity exploitation; (4) error control coding; (5) networked systems; and (6) alternative modulation strategies. Advances in each of these areas as well as perspectives on the future challenges facing them are presented. A primary thesis of this paper is that increased integration of high-fidelity channel models into ongoing underwater telemetry research is needed if the performance envelope (defined in terms of range, rate, and channel complexity) of underwater modems is to expand     

我国正在加紧制定南极旅游相关规范

据《中国海洋报》消息，为更好地履行作为《南极条约》和《关于环境保护的南极条约议定书》缔约国义务，规范我国公民在南极的活动，我国有关部门正在加紧制定规范管理南极活动的行政法规。[第一段]     

Particulate organic carbon in the global ocean derived from SeaWiFS ocean color

Satellite remote sensing offers new means of quantifying particulate organic carbon, POC, concentration over large oceanic areas. From SeaWiFS ocean color, we derived 10-year data of POC concentration in the surface waters of the global ocean. The 10-year time series of the global and basin scale average surface POC concentration do not display any significant long-term trends. The annual mean surface POC concentration and its seasonal amplitude are highest in the North Atlantic and lowest in the South Pacific, when compared to other ocean basins. POC anomalies in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and global concentrations seem to be inversely correlated with El Niño index, but longer time series are needed to confirm this relationship. Quantitative estimates of POC reservoir in the oceanic surface layer depend on the choice of what should represent this layer. Global average POC biomass is 1.34 g m^?2 if integrated over one optical depth, 3.62 g m^?2 if integrated over mixed layer depth, and up to 6.41 g m^?2 if integrated over 200-m layer depth (when assumed POC concentration below MLD is 20 mg m^?3). The global estimate of total POC reservoir in the surface 200-m layer of the ocean is 228.61×10¹³ g. We expect that future estimates of POC reservoir may be even larger, when more precise calculations account for deep-water organic-matter maxima in oligotrophic regions, and POC biomass located just below the seasonal mixed layer in spring and summer in the temperate regions.     

A simple meteorological buoy with satellite telemetry

A small, inexpensive, and easily deployable meteorological buoy is described. Buoy motion is greatly reduced by appropriate ballast techniques; vector averaging further removes buoy motion effects from wind data. Data is transmitted to the GOES satellite and is retrieved by telephone. Measurements are vector-averaged wind components, wind speed, wind direction, water temperature, air temperature, and compass direction. Data from two field trials are discussed. Speed comparisons averaged 0.2 m sec⁻¹ with a standard deviation of 0.6 m sec⁻¹. Direction comparisons were different due to local topography, but they indicate a probable accuracy of ±5°.     

Geodetic measurements in the ocean

This paper covers the topic of marine geodesy, its goals, and applications. Specifically discussed are position determination and establishment of geodetic control on the ocean bottom, ocean surface, and subsurface, and the determination of the geoid, a vertical reference surface. The various techniques used in position determination (including satellite, airborne, radio, inertial and acoustic techniques) are assessed in terms of accuracy, coverage, and contribution to the solution of specific problems associated with position and control. The results of several marine geodetic control experiments are presented. Classical techniques for the determination of the geoid are discussed and assessed, as are new techniques such as satellite altimetry. The outlook for marine geodetic measurements in the ocean is outlined in terms of what is being planned or considered for the next decade, and several recommendations are made.     

Spatial diversity processing for underwater acoustic telemetry

A large increase in the reliability of shipboard or stationary underwater acoustic telemetry systems is achievable by using spatially distributed receivers with aperture sizes from 0.35 to 20 m. Output from each receiver is assigned a quality measure based on the estimated error rate, and the data, weighted by the quality measure, are combined and decoded. The quality measure is derived from a Viterbi error-correction decoder operating on each receiver and is shown to perform reliability in a variety of non-Gaussian noise and jamming environments and reduce to the traditional optimal diversity system in a Gaussian environment. The dynamics of the quality estimator allow operation in the presence of high-power impulsive interference by exploiting the signal and noise differential travel times to individual sensors. The spatial coherence structure of the shallow water acoustic channel shows relatively low signal coherence at separations as short as 0.35 m. Increasing receiver spacing beyond 5 m offers additional benefits in the presence of impulsive noise and larger-scale inhomogeneities in the acoustic field. A number of data transmission experiments were carried out to demonstrate system performance in realistic underwater environments     

Adaptive equalization techniques for acoustic telemetry channels

A tutorial review of adaptive equalization techniques for combating intersymbol interference in high-speed digital communications over time-dispersive channels is given. Various equalizer structures and the associated adaptive algorithms, including both fractionally spaced and symbol-spaced equalizers, are presented. Also considered is the application of adaptive equalization techniques to underwater acoustic telemetry channels     

Modeling weak fluctuations of undersea telemetry signals

Numerical calculation of acoustic field perturbation expressions can be used to predict fluctuations after propagation through ocean sound-speed structures, but before the onset of multipath. The general form of the expressions for signal spectra or correlation functions allow numerical evaluation for an unlimited quantity of vector wave-number spectral models of refractive index. In order to help define the bounds of applicability of the theory, log-intensity fluctuation variances have been calculated for three major situations: ocean internal waves, ocean turbulence, and continuous strong large-scale turbulence. Propagation through ocean thermocline internal waves, realistically weak thermocline turbulence, and unrealistically strong turbulence show that scintillations of intensity can be predicted and understood to first order up to ranges of tens of kilometers, given the proper transmission geometry. Internal wave effects dominate over any effects from expected microstructure. Nonhorizontal transmission yields small fluctuations, but eventually refractive effects of the sound channel will contribute some additional spatial variability and multipath, complicating the use of the theory. Multipath due to the sound channel can exist at ranges where the random small-scale structures would contribute only small perturbations (no multipath from small structures)     

Lagrangian fronts in the ocean

We introduce the concept of Lagrangian fronts (LFs) in the ocean and describe their importance for analyzing water mixing and transport and the specific features and differences from hydrological fronts. A method of calculating LFs in a given velocity field is proposed. Based on altimeter velocity fields from AVISO data in the northwestern Pacific, we calculate the Lagrangian synoptic maps and identify LFs of different spatial and temporal scales. Using statistical analysis of saury catches in different years according to the Goskomrybolovstvo (State Fisheries Committee of the Russian Federation), we show that LFs can serve as good indicators of places that are favorable for fishing.     

Turbulent dispersion in the ocean

The mathematical framework for turbulent transport in the ocean is reasonably well established. It may be applied to large-scale fields of scalars in the ocean and to the instantaneous or continuous discharge from a point. The theory and its physical basis can also provide an interpretation of passive scalar spectra. Spatial variations in the rate of turbulent transfer can be related to the movement of the center of mass of a scalar and to a formulation in terms of entrainment. The relative dispersion of a scalar with respect to its center of mass and the streakiness of the concentration field within the relative dispersion domain need to be considered. In many of these problems it is valuable to think in terms of simple models for individual streaks, as well as overall statistical properties.     

Eddy-resolving ocean circulation in the Asian-Australian region inferred from an ocean reanalysis effort

The first global ocean reanalysis with focus on the Asian-Australian region was performed for the period October 1992 to June 2006. The 14-year experiment assimilated available observations of altimetric sea-level anomaly, satellite SST and quality-controlled in situ temperature and salinity profiles from a range of sources, including field surveys and the Argo float array. This study focuses on dominant circulation patterns in the South-East Asian/Australian region as simulated by an eddy-resolving and data-assimilating ocean general circulation model. New estimates of the ocean circulation are provided which are largely in agreement with the limited number of observations. Transports of key currents in the region are as follows: The total (top-to-bottom) annual mean Indonesian Throughflow transport and its standard deviation are 9.7 ± 4.4 Sv from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean with a minimum in January (6.6 Sv) and a maximum in April (12.3 Sv). The Leeuwin Current along the west coast of Australia is dominated by eddy structures with a mean southward transport of 4.1 ± 2.0 Sv at 34°S. Along the southern coast of Australia a narrow shelf edge current known as the South Australian Current advects 4.5 ± 2.6 Sv eastward at 130°E. The South Australian Current converges east of Tasmania with the eddy-rich extension of East Australian Current. At 32°S this current transports 36.8 ± 18.5 Sv southward. A dominating feature of the circulation between north-eastern Australia and Papua-New Guinea is the strong and quasi-permanent Coral Sea Gyre. This gyre is associated with the highly variable Hiri Current which runs along the south coast of Papua-New Guinea and advects 8.2 ± 19.1 Sv into the Western Pacific Ocean. All of these transport estimates are subject to strong eddy variability.     

CABARET in the ocean gyres

A new high-resolution Eulerian numerical method is proposed for modelling quasigeostrophic ocean dynamics in eddying regimes. The method is based on a novel, second-order non-dissipative and low-dispersive conservative advection scheme called CABARET. The properties of the new method are compared with those of several high-resolution Eulerian methods for linear advection and gas dynamics. Then, the CABARET method is applied to the classical model of the double-gyre ocean circulation and its performance is contrasted against that of the common vorticity-preserving Arakawa method. In turbulent regimes, the new method permits credible numerical simulations on much coarser computational grids.