EAGER: ATMARS, an AuTonomous underwater vehicle with ancillary optics to measure MARine Snow size, concentration, and descent rate.

EAGER：ATMARS，一种带有辅助光学器件的自主水下航行器，用于测量海洋雪的大小、浓度和下降率。

• 批准号: 2311638
• 负责人: Jules Jaffe
• 金额: $ 29.85万
• 依托单位: University of California-San Diego Scripps Inst of Oceanography
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-04-01 至 2025-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2311638&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; ATMARS; AuTonomous; underwater; vehicle

It is well known that the ocean sequesters approximately 25% of atmospheric carbon dioxide which is critical to the mediation of climate change. This therefore promotes the need for enhanced understanding of carbon sequestration and transport in the ocean. Given the importance of oceanic sequestration and the global crisis due to the greenhouse effect, an accurate assessment of carbon flux into the deep ocean is imperative. Despite this need, our capability to calculate the transport of marine snow, a major mechanism for carbon storage, has lagged. A now classic review in 1988 (Aldridge and Silver) outlined the importance of marine snow from many points of view, including both the production and the presence of microbial activity. Interestingly, they state “The greatest challenge to the study of marine snow at present is the development of appropriate technology to measure abundances and characteristics of aggregates in situ.” That challenge remains today. Among the most promising techniques are optical methods. However, advances are needed to enable the optimal translation of imaged marine snow into carbon content and sinking velocities. Specifically, an underwater vehicle is needed that will solve the problem that has vexed the estimate of marine snow descent rates by creating a vehicle that is both “going with the flow” and, at the same time, measuring particle vertical descent velocity. Based on this need, the project goal is to develop a reasonably priced device for measuring carbon flux. To achieve this goal, a relatively inexpensive (~$10k) autonomous, underwater, self-ballasting vehicle with an onboard optical imaging system will be designed and tested. Necessary developments to accomplish this goal are the design, fabrication, and test of a vehicle that can both “see” and “track” particles as they descend throughout the water column without affecting their descent rate. First, the optical imaging system will be tested with water samples obtained from different depths at sea. The researchers will then optimize the imaging system by testing cameras and a variety of lighting options. Considering vehicle design, a vital aspect is to provide images of sinking particles without affecting their descent rate. The researchers will therefore test several vehicle configurations in deep tanks that are filled with appropriately sized particles while the vehicle is moved up and down. A positive result will be the observation of undisturbed particles. Another important aspect of the development cycle will be to create control software that will adjust vehicle buoyancy to follow particles as they sink, thereby maintaining the particles in the field of view of the camera system. Again, the researchers will test this with particle seeded deep tanks. Following successful hardware development and lab tests, the researchers will conduct sea tests to judge the vehicle’s capability to track descending particles. The ensuing data set will be made available to the community.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

众所周知，海洋隔离大约25％的大气二氧化碳，这对于调解气候变化至关重要。因此，这促进了增强对海洋中碳固相和运输的理解的需求。鉴于由于温室效应而导致的海洋隔离和全球危机的重要性，必须准确评估碳通量到深海。尽管需要这种需要，但我们计算海洋积雪的运输的能力却滞后于碳存储的主要机制。从1988年（Aldridge and Silver）进行的一项经典评论概述了从许多角度来看海洋雪的重要性，包括生产和存在微生物活性。有趣的是，他们说“目前对海洋雪的研究的最大挑战是开发适当的技术来衡量原位聚集体的抽象和特征。”今天的挑战仍然存在。最有希望的技术之一是光学方法。但是，需要进步来使成像的海洋雪含量最佳地转化为碳含量和下沉速度。具体而言，需要一辆水下车辆，该车辆将通过创建既“与流动”的车辆以及同时测量粒子垂直下降速度来解决越过海洋下降率的估计的问题。基于此需求，项目目标是开发一种定价合理的设备来测量碳通量。为了实现这一目标，将设计和测试带有板载光学成像系统的相对廉价（约合1万美元）的自主，水下，自我打击的车辆。实现此目标的必要发展是可以在整个水柱中下降的情况下既可以“看到”和“轨道”颗粒的设计，制造和测试，而不会影响其下降速度。首先，将使用从海上不同深度获得的水样测试光学成像系统。然后，研究人员将通过测试相机和各种照明选项来优化成像系统。考虑到车辆设计，重要的方面是提供下沉颗粒的图像，而不会影响其下降速度。因此，研究人员将测试在车辆上下移动时，在深水储罐中测试了几种装有适当尺寸的颗粒的车辆配置。一个积极的结果将是观察不受干扰的颗粒。开发周期的另一个重要方面是创建控制软件，以调整车辆浮力在下沉时跟随颗粒，从而在相机系​​统的视野中保持颗粒。同样，研究人员将用颗粒的深罐测试这一点。在成功的硬件开发和实验室测试之后，研究人员将进行海上测试，以判断车辆跟踪降粒子的能力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准来评估，这一奖项反映了NSF的法定任务。