Demonstration of a long-range autonomous underwater vehicle for rapid response to oil spills in under-ice environments

Amy Kukulya1, Brett Hobson2, Brian Kieft2, James G Bellingham3, Robyn N Conmy4 and Daniel Gomez-Ibanez5, (1)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering, Woods Hole, United States, (2)Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, United States, (3)Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Watsonville, CA, United States, (4)U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, United States, (5)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States
Abstract:
Characterizing oil spills in remote and austere Arctic locations is a daunting challenge to first responders. Increasing levels of commercial marine activity in high latitudes creates a heightened risk and a spill will likely occur at a location where first response will be a helicopter, and response ships may be weeks behind. The Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC), a Center of Excellence under Department of Homeland Security is working with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) to adapt MBARI’s helicopter portable Tethys Long Range Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (LRAUV) to support rapid response to incidents of national significance in hard to reach locations for the US Coast Guard.

Our approach adapts the MBARI Long-Range AUV (LRAUV Tethys), modifying it to detect oil in the water and to operate under ice. LRAUVs have over 21,000 hours logged, with deployments exceeding three weeks. Operations are routinely conducted without surface escort vehicles. A goal of this effort is to extend the remote operations model to ice-covered oceans. Remote interactions of the vehicle under-ice are enabled by acoustic communication and navigation buoys, developed collaboratively by WHOI and MBARI. The buoys support under-ice and sensing capabilities along with navigation suitable to support USCG-led Arctic oil spill response. The buoys allow for the vehicle to stay under ice for extended periods acting as a data relay from LRAUV to command control using acoustic and satellite communications. The buoys also include homing capability for docking or recovery in an ice hole.

In June and August 2019, the LRAUV along with its buoy systems were tested in a multi-vehicle exercise in a simulated oil spill response in naturally occurring oil seeps in Santa Barbara, CA. LRAUV swam continuously for up to six days sending back dissolved hydrocarbon heat maps, informing responders where heightened signals were found. This information was then used to inform other AUVs outfitted with in situ sensing capabilities to rapidly redirect to areas of interest. The utility of LRAUV to remain underwater without the need for operator handling makes it a desirable platform for under-ice as well as open ocean spills where broadscale mapping is required.

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