skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: The Deep Autonomous Profiler (DAP), a Platform for Hadal Profiling and Water Sample Collection
The Deep Autonomous Profiler (DAP) is a full-ocean-depth profiler rated to 11 km. Its hydrographic profiles and water samples can provide information on physical oceanographic properties, seawater composition, and biological communities at every depth in the ocean. Designed around a 24-bottle rosette, the DAP is an untethered system able to autonomously collect temperature, salinity, and oxygen profiles, as well as water samples. An adaptive sampling method was developed to analyze the water-column data to identify and sample desired features while under way. Acoustic ranging-only tracking is used to monitor and geolocate the system underwater. In September 2018 the vehicle was tested to 8377 m in the Puerto Rico Trench. The DAP was able to generate full-ocean-depth profiles and collect water samples at both preset and adaptively determined depths. To demonstrate the utility of the DAP, we radiocarbon dated the deepest water sampled in the Puerto Rico Trench, providing the first direct evidence of hadal water-mass age in the trench: 318 ± 25 yr. This paper presents an overview of the DAP system and the Puerto Rico Trench sea trials.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1635466
PAR ID:
10387221
Author(s) / Creator(s):
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of atmospheric and oceanic technology
Volume:
38
Issue:
10
ISSN:
0739-0572
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. "The Southern Ocean Profiler Mooring is co-located with Southern Ocean Surface Mooring at the Apex site. Two identical Flanking Moorings make up the equidistant sides of a triangle of Moorings (50 km) from the Apex site. The Profiler Mooring is located in 4,800 meters of water in the Southern Ocean, SW of Chile. The triangular configuration moorings provide unique spatial array through which instruments fixed to moorings continuously collect data through time and gliders sample the area between the moorings. The Southern Ocean site is one of four high latitude open ocean locations in the OOI that provide observations to gain better insight into global ocean circulation and climate. The Southern Ocean Profiler Mooring contains two Wire-Following Profilers that house instrumentation. The Wire-Following Profiler moves through the water column along the mooring riser, continuously sampling ocean characteristics at a high vertical resolution over a specified depth interval (310-2,100 meters and 2,100-4,400 meters deep)." 
    more » « less
  2. The Irminger Sea Profiler Mooring is co-located with Irminger Sea Surface Mooring at the Apex site. Two identical Flanking Moorings make up the equidistant sides of a triangle of Moorings (20 km) from the Apex site. The Profiler Mooring is located in 2,800 meters of water southeast of Greenland in the North Atlantic. The triangular configuration moorings provide unique spatial array through which instruments fixed to moorings continuously collect data through time and gliders sample the area between the moorings. The Irminger Sea site is one of four high latitude open ocean locations in the OOI that provide observations to gain better insight into global ocean circulation and climate.\nThe Irminger Sea Profiler Mooring contains one Wire-Following Profiler that houses instrumentation. The Wire-Following Profiler moves through the water column along the mooring riser, continuously sampling ocean characteristics at a high vertical resolution over a specified depth interval (240-2,400 meters). 
    more » « less
  3. The Argentine Basin Profiler Mooring is co-located with Argentine Basin Surface Mooring at the Apex site. Two identical Flanking Moorings make up the equidistant sides of a triangle of Moorings (62 km) from the Apex site. The Profiler Mooring is located in 5,200 meters of water along the Brazil Current in the South Atlantic. The triangular configuration moorings provide unique spatial array through which instruments fixed to moorings continuously collect data through time and gliders sample the area between the moorings. The Argentine Basin site is one of four high latitude open ocean locations in the OOI that provide observations to gain better insight into global ocean circulation and climate.\nThe Argentine Basin Profiler Mooring contains two Wire-Following Profilers that house instrumentation. The Wire-Following Profiler moves through the water column along the mooring riser, continuously sampling ocean characteristics at a high vertical resolution over a specified depth interval (310-2,445 meters and 2,470-4605 meters deep). 
    more » « less
  4. Ingenuity for El Ingenio is a case study to address the challenges that marginalized communities in Puerto Rico suffer, mostly from natural hazards, due to settlements in high-risk areas and deteriorating infrastructure. The case study was developed by an interdisciplinary group of students from the University of Puerto Rico - Río Piedras School of Architecture and students from the Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying and the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez, as part of the course “Design-Build Project Delivery” in the RISE-UP program. The project contemplated spaces for a family/group of four people, in the neighborhood Ingenio in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, which is a community exposed to multiple natural hazards including hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods. The design parameters for the project included a set budget of $40,000 USD for the construction of four temporary housing units, requirement to withstand the impact of multiple natural hazards, as well as being simple to build and be able to operate independent to power and water grids during an emergency. The resulting design provides 270 sq ft. of usable space and can partially function off the grid due to solar energy generation and water storage. Local materials were implemented, and a manual of components and suggested construction methods was developed. This experience showcases the benefits that an interdisciplinary-integrated approach to infrastructure design can have on producing rapid and efficient design solutions to challenges caused by natural hazards, in resilient and sustainable ways. 
    more » « less
  5. The Station Papa Profiler Mooring is co-located with a NOAA Surface Mooring at the Apex site. Two identical Flanking Moorings make up the equidistant sides of a triangle of Moorings (40 km) from the Apex site. The Profiler Mooring is located in 4,250 meters in the Gulf of Alaska in the NE Pacific. The triangular configuration moorings provide unique spatial array through which instruments fixed to moorings continuously collect data through time and gliders sample the area between the moorings. The Station Papa site is one of four high latitude open ocean locations in the OOI that provide observations to gain better insight into global ocean circulation and climate.\nThe Station Papa Profiler Mooring contains two Wire-Following Profilers that house instrumentation. The Wire-Following Profiler moves through the water column along the mooring riser, continuously sampling ocean characteristics at a high vertical resolution over a specified depth interval (156-2090 meters and 2129-4063 meters deep). 
    more » « less