Zooglider - an Autonomous Vehicle for Optical and Acoustic Sensing of Marine Zooplankton

Mark D Ohman1, Russ E Davis2, Jeffrey T Sherman2, Kyle Grindley2 and Benjamin Michael Whitmore2, (1)Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States, (2)Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, La Jolla, CA, United States
Abstract:
We will present results from early sea trials of the Zooglider, an autonomous zooplankton glider designed and built by the Instrument Development Group at Scripps. The Zooglider is built upon a modified Spray glider and includes a low power camera with telecentric lens and a custom dual frequency sonar (200/1000 kHz). The imaging system quantifies zooplankton as they flow through a sampling tunnel within a well-defined sampling volume. The maximum operating depth is ~500 m. Other sensors include a pumped CTD and Chl-a fluorometer. The Zooglider permits in situ measurements of mesozooplankton distributions and three dimensional orientation in relation to other biotic and physical properties of the ocean water column. Zooglider development is supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
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