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MARINE White
TECHNOLOGY Papers REPORTER A special content edition of MTR
Oceanographic
edition
10 Teledyne Marine
Offering You a Sea of Oceanographic Solutions.
By Margo Newcombe, Director of Marketing, Teledyne Marine Sensors & Systems
Environmental Sensors
ADCPs
Subsea Networks
36 Seaformatics
Empowering the Seafloor
44 SubC Imaging
Vision Underwater
45 Arctic Air
www.marinetechnologynews.com ADIANL is helping Newfoundland and Labradors aerospace, defence and
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47 Replicating the Arctic
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Smart solutions for challenging environments
Contributing Editors
Capt. Edward Lundquist, USN (Ret.)
Claudio Paschoa
William Stoichevski 51 Fisheries and Marine Institute
Production Manager Simulating a world of marine environments
Irina Tabakina
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CIRCULATION
56 Creating Ocean Technology Opportunities
Kathleen Hickey in a Harsh Marine Environment
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60 R&D: The Ultimate Game Changer
Exploring
Vast Opportunities
With the Newfoundland and Labrador
Oil and Gas Industries Association (Noia)
N
ewfoundland and Labradors first oil and gas tion and networking opportunities and events, such as its
well was drilled in 1966 and within a decade widely-attended annual conference. Included in its valuable
came a flurry of oil and gas exploration that services is the distribution of timely industry updates through
lasted into the mid-1980s. It was during this The Daily Barrel, an email bulletin issued directly to members
period of high activity, in 1977, that the New- each day, detailing local, national and international industry
foundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industries Association news, expressions of interest, and a host of other relevant in-
(Noia) was founded to connect local businesses with emerg- formation.
ing opportunities in the industry. Today, Noia is the largest Noia also facilitates information sessions between oil and
offshore petroleum association in Canada over 620 members gas operators and local suppliers and service providers, as
strong with a mission to promote development of East Coast well as hosts its Play on the Edge conference every June in St.
Canadas hydrocarbon resources and to facilitate its member- Johns, Newfoundland and Labradors capital city. The event,
ships participation in global oil and gas industries. Members which has been running for over thirty years, is the premium
include local companies, many companies from other parts of oil and gas conference in Canada and regularly attracts around
Canada, and a significant international membership, signify- 1,200 participants, including delegates from oil and gas juris-
ing the global scope of the provinces oil and gas industry. dictions all over the world.
Noia provides a range of invaluable services to its members, We look at topics related to harsh environments, we look at
from advocacy and industry promotion to business informa- broader social issues like social license, and we take a broad
look at the industry from a geopolitical perspective, says Bob seismic data was collected in Canadian, and Newfoundland
Cadigan, Noias President & CEO. All the things you need to and Labrador waters.
know as a business leader in order to operate in what truly is This has really held back the Newfoundland and Labrador
an international business. offshore and the Canadian offshore industry in general for the
Legislative issues have never been far from the conversation last fifteen to twenty years, says Cadigan. Noia, the Prov-
and Noia has played a key role in lobbying Government for ince and others have lobbied hard.
change where it is deemed necessary. One such matter was The hard work paid off as, in 2010, the Government of Can-
that of legislative impediments to oil and gas exploration in ada made a change to allow seismic vessels practically unfet-
Canadian waters. Due to legislation limiting access for seis- tered access to Canadian waters, ushering in a period that is
mic vessels, these waters were vastly underexplored, particu- seeing some very large seismic programs getting underway to
larly off the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador. finally collect this much needed data.
Seismic data is critical for oil and gas companies interested in One such initiative, started three years ago, is a joint venture
looking at the potential of an area for development; however, between Newfoundland and Labradors power company, Na-
legislation meant that operators of these vessels were unable lcor Energy; Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS), an operator of
to collect the data, which is captured and then made available seismic vessels; and TGS, a company that deals with the sale
for sale to interested parties. This meant that in the critical pe- of the data to interested oil and gas operators. This initiative
riod of the mid-1980s up until recent years, no multi-company garnered international attention as the largest discovery of its
kind in 2013 and has opened up a whole new area for further data available and that is a critical ingredient.
exploration and development. We are now an area that international operators are looking
We will have a library of data available that will run from at investing in. They will invest and we will see a renaissance
the northern tip of Labrador, right down to the Grand Banks of exploration in Newfoundland and Labrador.
and across the boundary with Nova Scotia, the boundary with In a recent land sale, include price one of the existing opera-
Quebec and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, says Cadigan. So tors in the Newfoundland and Labrador offshore, ExxonMo-
well have one of the largest, most modern pools of seismic bil, bid on a parcel of exploration land in the Carson Basin,
ticularly as it relates to operating in cold, harsh and ice-prone conditions has given rise to a great amount of expertise and
environments. innovation. Newfoundland and Labrador is known worldwide
When Hibernia was built, or when the project was envis- for its expertise in ice engineering, surveillance and manage-
aged, there were skeptics as to whether you could produce ment. Its capabilities have evolved to include remote logistics;
oil in an environment that had seasonal sea ice, the fog, the geotechnical, ocean and environmental engineering; marine
sea states, says Cadigan. We were a frontier, at the absolute meteorological services; safety and training; and many more.
edge of whats possible in terms of producing oil and gas in a St. Johns is home to a cluster of private sector ocean tech-
harsh environment. nology companies, public institutions, and R&D infrastruc-
It has led to us being, really, thirty years ahead of the rest of ture. Applied research and development in ocean mapping,
the world in terms of producing oil in a harsh environment that ocean observation systems, ocean instrumentation, and ocean
has many similar conditions to those that exist in the Arctic. intervention is ongoing and the provinces Marine Institute is
The 2008 findings of the United States Geological Survey home to the most comprehensive suite of marine simulation
(USGS) greatly ramped up interest in the Arctic, identifying capabilities in North America, and possibly the world.
1670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, 44 billion barrels of 2014 was a typically active year for Newfoundland and Lab-
natural gas liquids and 90 billion barrels of oil yet to be dis- rador in the oil and gas sector. Nalcor began working with
covered in Arctic waters. Airbus Defence and Space to map oil slicks originating from
This is where about 25 per cent of the worlds remaining oil the seabed on the surface of the ocean using satellite imagery.
and gas resources are located, explains Cadigan. So, I think Nalcor also partnered with Ikon Science Canada to release a
we were lucky in that with the discovery of Hibernia in 1979, comprehensive regional pore pressure study for offshore New-
and first oil in 1997, we were substantially earlier than rest of foundland and Labrador to the global oil and gas industry. The
world in terms of dealing with Arctic-like conditions. We have first large-scale study of its kind for offshore Newfoundland
a head start and thats a positive thing. and Labrador, it is a comprehensive evaluation of the subsur-
The Hibernia platform was the first of its kind, designed to face pressure systems in the provinces eastern frontier slope
withstand the impact of a one million tonne iceberg and the and deep-water basins.
considerable forces of pack ice. Terra Nova brought about in- The study region spans an offshore area from northern Lab-
novations such as a disconnectable turret that could be moved rador to the Flemish Pass in the south, including the newly
out of the way of incoming sea ice, and subsea excavations discovered Chidley, Henley and Holten basins in the Labrador
that protect subsea equipment from iceberg scour. Sea.
Meanwhile, the soon-to-be operational Hebron platform Meanwhile, EMGS (Electromagnetic GeoServices) Canada
will become one of the worlds biggest float-over operations. embarked upon a non-exclusive, four-year electromagnetic
These are all examples of innovations made directly because data acquisition campaign covering a 41,000 sq. km area from
of the Arctic-like conditions found in Newfoundland and Lab- northeast Newfoundland to the Southern Grand Banks.
radors offshore. This activity is in addition to the continuous work being car-
We were the innovators, we have a lead in terms of the ried out on a daily basis in the province, which involves some
thinking, weve done a lot of research, and we have a lot of truly world-leading companies that are counted among Noias
companies that have figured out how to deal with these is- membership.
sues, says Cadigan. They are world leading, world class,
and will be called upon for many of the challenges as oil and Provincial Aerospace (PAL) is a world leader in mari-
gas companies start to move in. time surveillance with over 165,000 hours of airborne opera-
Newfoundland and Labrador is the Worlds Cold Ocean Lab- tions, working on projects in thirty countries globally, spe-
oratoryTM. During the winter season (December to March), cializing in ice management support, iceberg detection and
winds can reach 90 to 100 knots offshore hurricane force. reconnaissance, environmental observation and reporting,
Sea ice, up to 100 centimetres thick, may reach the area from oceanographic measurements, and weather forecasting.
February to April, two to three years out of every ten. Icebergs
pass through the area from March to July. Fog from April to Virtual Marine Technologies (VMT) was incorporated
August can reduce visibility and impact crew changes by heli- in 2004 and emerged from collaboration between the oil and
copter. Air temperatures can dip to minus-18.5C. gas industry, Memorial University and the National Research
Living and working for generations in these challenging Council, in recognition of the importance of safety and surviv-
Teledyne Marine
Offering you a Sea of Oceanographic Solutions
By Margo Newcombe, Director of Marketing, Teledyne Marine Sensors & Systems
Introduction
Teledyne Technologies growth in the marine industry began Sensors: Oceanographic Data Collection
with the acquisition of RD Instruments in 2005, quickly fol- Teledyne Marine offers a wide array of highly innovative,
lowed by Benthos in 2006. These two entities joined Teledyne field proven sensors designed to collect critical data regard-
Geophysical Instruments, which was already a long-standing ing the health and welfare of our worlds oceans and its vast
Teledyne company. With the cooperation and foresight of resources.
these three companies, Teledyne Marine was formed. Since
those initial acquisitions, Teledyne has gone on to acquire Ocean Current and Wave Measurements
twenty-oneadditional marine organizations, as well as several In 1982, RD Instruments developed and delivered the indus-
product lines and technology partnerships, propelling Tele- trys first self-contained Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler
dyne into one of the leading brands within the marine industry. (ADCP),a revolutionary device capable of profiling currents
Teledyne Technologies Incorporated is a publicly-held com- at 128 individual depths in the water column. Prior to this ad-
pany that provides a wide array of sophisticated electronic vancement, scientists were only able to calculate the speed
components, instruments and communications products for and direction of currents at a few depths in the water column
defense, industrial, aeronautical and environmental applica- where current meters were located. The ADCP is arguably the
tions. The company is structured to serve niche market seg- biggest game-changer to date for oceanographers tasked with
ments where performance, precision and reliability are cru- studying this highly dynamic physical environment. Over
cial. Thus, its really no surprise that Teledyne set its sights the past 30+years, Teledyne RDI has developed a full line of
on the marine industry back in 2005. Thisindustrys unique ADCPs capable of collecting critical ocean current data, as
technology, proven products, and innovative, talented indi- well as wave height and direction for a wide array of oceano-
viduals are exactly what Teledyne aspires to add to its team. graphic applications, including: climate change research, cur-
Teledynes philosophy is to select and acquire key companies rent modeling, biological / fisheries studies, ocean observato-
that are highly successful in their own right, with core tech- ries, recreational activities, and weather studies and prediction
nologies and capabilities that lend themselves to co-operative --just to name a few. ADCPs can be used to collect data from
development and shared, consistent growth and technology environments ranging from less than one meter of water to full
based, solution advancement. ocean depth, and can be deployed on the surface, the seafloor
Each company, while retaining the attributes of its successful or anywhere in between.
business, is able to leverage the expanded science, technol-
ogy, distribution channels, and manufacturing capabilities of Conductivity Temperature and Depth (CTD)
the collective Teledyne entity; thus making each organization Measurements
more relevant and valuable to their customer base. A CTD is used to measure the three parameters necessary
The Teledyne Marine companies service a wide array of to determine salinity, density and speed of sound: conductiv-
markets and applications, with the oceanographic market- ity, temperature and depth. CTDs measurements have perhaps
ing being a common focus. Virtually every Teledyne Marine the longest history and are the most ubiquitous of all oceano-
company provides an innovative product or technology thats graphic sensors.Like ADCPs, CTDs are used throughout the
used to enhance this critical field of study. worlds oceans for a variety of purposes, including: environ-
With hundreds of products available to serve oceanographic mental monitoring, fisheries studies, hydrographic surveys,
applications, Teledyne Marines offerings canbest be orga- ocean observatories, climate change research, and ocean mod-
nized into four categories: eling. Teledyne RD Instruments offers a full line of Citadel
1. Sensors oceanographic data collection devices CTD products which can be used alone, or in concert with
2. Systems oceanographic data platforms ADCPs or other oceanographic sensors.
3. Navigation oceanographic platform tracking
4. Communication and Infrastructure oceanographic Underway Conductivity, Temperature and
interconnect/data/powertransmission Depth Measurements
Teledyne SeaBotix vLBV300 Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) on Coral Reef Research Mission.
Moorings
Teledyne Marine Interconnect Solutions
Oceanographic sensors can also be deployed via surface or
sub-surface moorings. Teledyne Benthos offers a wide array
dyne Atlas Hydrographic and Odom Hydrographic offer sub- of solutions for oceanographic moorings, including glass flota-
bottom profiling systems that can be installed onboard large tion spheres for buoyancy, acoustic releases for mooring recov-
research vessels and/or deployed via a towed or autonomous ery, and acoustic modems for subsea communications. These
vehicle, depending upon your application. items can be used independently, or together, for applications
Teledyne Webb Research Slocum glider RU26 deployment from the Ross Sea ice edge, Antarctica
Profiling Floats
Profiling floats are a versatile tool for oceanography. Per-
haps best known is Teledyne Webb Researchs APEX float,
an autonomous drifting profiler used to measure subsurface
currents and make profile measurements in the global Argo
array. The float descends to drift at an assigned depth for up
to nine days, then quickly descends to 2000m and ascends to
the surface while collecting data. APEX Argo carries a CTD
to collect temperature and salinity profiles; other sensor op-
tions are available. While on the surface, the APEX floatcan
be geo-located using GPS, and telemetersdata via the Argos
or Iridium satellite communication systems. Iridium provides
two-way communication to update mission and data collection
parameters. APEX floats are frequentlyused as platforms for
Gliders
An underwater glider is an autonomous underwater vehicle
that uses small changes in its buoyancyin conjunction with
wings to provide a long-endurance ocean monitoring platform
with mission lengths measured in months rather than hours. A
thruster option ensures the typical yo-yo dive pattern can be
augmented with other maneuvers as required.Teledyne Webb
Researchs Slocum G2 glider is a highly versatile remote sens-
ing vehicle used for ocean research and monitoring. The long
range and duration capabilities of Slocum gliders make them
ideally suited for water column observation at the regional
scale. Slocum gliders can operate on preprogrammed routes,
surfacing to transmit data while downloading new instructions
via the Iridium satellite system, at a substantial cost savings
compared to traditional vessels. Modest capital acquisition
and operation and maintenance costs enable fleets of gliders to
study and map dynamic (temporal and spatial) ocean features ly accurate velocity information. In addition to providing speed
in entirely new ways. over ground and speed through water, the instrument uses other
Slocum gliders can support a wide array of Teledyne and sensors to provide position updates for both subsea and surface
third-party ocean sensors. Typical options include CTDs, AD- platforms. The DVL provides information by collecting, com-
CPs, and optical biological and environmental instruments. piling, and processing a full range of data parameters which
Teledyne RD Instruments and Teledyne Webb Research have include: velocity, depth, pitch and roll, altitude, heading, and
also collaborated on the development and integration of a new temperature. The DVL can be used as a stand-alone navigation
ADCP for the Slocum glider called the Explorer ADCP. system or incorporated into an existing marine navigation sys-
tem to significantly enhance system performance. Teledyne
Navigation: Oceanographic Platform Tracking RD Instruments designed and manufactured the industrys
As noted in the previous section, the Teledyne companies of- first BroadBand DVL back in 1994, and has since gone on to
fer a variety of remote platforms designed to house any num- provide a full line of DVLs for precision navigation onboard
ber of oceanographic sensors, whether they be Teledyne, or AUVs, ROVs, towed vehicles and surface vessels.
other innovative solutions. The challenge then becomes navi-
gating these systems within the depths of the unknown. To Inertial Navigation Systems
be viable, underwater vehicles need to understand where they For operations requiring autonomous and accurate navigation,
have been, where they are going, and how to pinpoint an ex- a DVL can be integrated into an Inertial Navigation System.
act location of interest. There are many tools and techniques An inertial navigation system (INS) is a navigation aid that
to address this need, but perhaps the best known methods in- uses a computer, motion sensors (accelerometers) and rotation
clude Doppler aided navigation. sensors (gyroscopes) to continuously calculate via heading,
orientation, and velocity (direction and speed of movement) of
Doppler Velocity Logs (DVLs) a moving object. Teledyne TSS and Teledyne CDL have many
A DVL is a multi-function acoustic sensor that provides high- years of experience providing INS solutions to the industry.
For the past 16 months, AML Oceanographic has watched their sensors protected by UVXchange biofouling control tech-
nology produce accurate data. AML instruments were originally deployed in October of 2013 at Ocean Networks Canadas
Folger Pinnacle site and continue to operate today, suggesting a big step forward for environmental sensing.
When it came time to put their new UV biofouling control tech- To demonstrate the efficacy of UV light as an antifoulant,
nology to the test, AML approached Ocean Networks Canada three MetrecX instruments were deployed at the Folger Pin-
(ONC) about deploying instrumentation on one of their plat- nacle observatory near Folger Passage off the coast of Vancou-
forms. Ocean Networks Canada operates the worlds most ad- ver Island, Canada (Figure 1). Two instruments were equipped
vanced cabled ocean observatories off British Columbias coast with UVXchange to protect them from biofouling,and one
and the Arctic for the advancement of science and the benefit was left unprotected as a control. A Sea-Bird SBE-19 PlusV2
of Canada. These observatories supply continuous power and was also deployed on the platform. Originally scheduled for
Internet connectivity to a broad suite of subsea instruments from a one year trial to finish October 2014, the deployment re-
the coast to the deep sea, allowing researchers to operate instru- mains operational today with the AML sensors protected by
ments remotely and transmit real-time, digital data globally. UVXchange continuing to produce consistent data.
Got Fouling?
Ocean Networks Canada did.
With the incredible results of the AML Oceanographic CTD and UV anti-biofouling
system we are very pleased to be deploying these systems across coastal BC as part
of the Smart Oceans program. High biofouling areas in the coastal zone create a
huge challenge in ongoing operations and maintenance costs for any observatory,
especially in remote locations. AML Oceanographic has made a
revolutionary advance in anti-biofouling technology with this new product.
Scott McLean
Director, Ocean Networks Canada Innovation Centre
1-250-656-0771
conductivity / sound velocity / pressure / temperature / turbidity / biofouling control
www.AMLoceanographic.com
The demonstration has many highlights. Perhaps most spec- speed profiling for over 15 years. With some recent changes
tacular is the longevity of good conductivity data from AML to the electrodes, AML has optimized its performance for in-
unit #1. The instrument has been running continuously with situ measurements when used with UVXchange. The design
no maintenance for over 480 days. Only UV antifouling tech- is conducive to UV biofouling protection due the accessibil-
nology has been used; no chemicals or mechanical wipers. ity of the electrodes and open flow characteristics. Where the
Tom Dakin, Sensor Technology Officer at Ocean Networks electrodes of other conductivity sensors are buried within the
Canada was impressed: walls of a long tube, the electrodes and volumetric regions of
I am quite astounded by the results of this test. I CXchange are exposed. This allows UV light to reach all of
expected the UV antifouling system to be a significant the critical regions of the cell, giving stability to the sensing
improvement, perhaps doubling the time between volume and thus maintaining its performance.
required maintenance, but I did not expect it to out- An ONC camera has provided footage of the demonstration
perform the TBT protected CTD. We operate our since commencement. As can be seen in the time-lapse video
CTDs continuously on the Observatory. The pumped to date (Figure 3), UVXchange has kept all critical surfaces
CTDs, protected with TBT, last about 7 or 8 months free of fouling. Note the various cycles of growth, as well as
before the TBT is depleted and we also wear through the marine life that inhabits the installation area.
the pumps. Near hydrophones, where we cannot use Critical areas of the AML sensors are not the only surfaces
pumps, the CTDs last 2 months at best. The UV pro- still clean at the demonstration site. Areas on various appa-
tected CTD at our most challenging site has lasted ratus in and around the platform up to 47 cm away and at
over 15 months and shows no loss of accuracy yet. a wide diameter have remained clean, proving the scope
of UVXchange and sister product Cabled UV to be much
AMLs conductivity sensor, CXchange, is unique to the greater than first envisioned. This capability suggests the po-
industry with its 4 electrode transverse design. Originally de- tential for use on a much broader variety of applications than
veloped at the Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS) Canada, this just sensors.
sensor design has been used with AML instruments for high True to AMLs collection of XSeries instrumentation
A graph of the conductivity data vs time of all four instruments is shown in Figure 2, with notations on various events
within the test period. Figure 2. Image courtesy: Ocean Networks Canada
and field-swappable XchangeTM sensors, the modularity of silence. Noise-making instruments equipped with pumps and
UVXchange and Cabled UV enables unrivaled adaptability wipers interfere with hydrophones, which are becoming more
to prevent biofouling on a variety of surfaces and devices. prevalent in mammal tracking, ship fingerprinting, and sur-
With LEDs that can rotate 360 and be stacked and flipped veillance.
over to reverse the angle, the UV light can be directed in al- Servicing in-situ platforms is critical to maintaining accurate
most any direction. Coupled with mounting on a flexible ca- data and keeping equipment operational. The cost, however,
ble as with Cabled UV, the applications are boundless. While can be extreme. Thousands of dollars can be spent on a single
UVXchange is ideal for protecting XchangeTM and third party platform recovery and refit. The costs skyrocket when chang-
sensors on XSeries instrumentation, prime candidates for ing weather and currents cause delays due to safety concerns.
Cabled UV include ADCPs, LISST instruments, SVPs in a By reducing maintenance intervals, system costs can be dra-
vessels sea chest, cameras, and other peripherals. Being non- matically reduced. According to Tom Dakin, The cost of the
contact and non-toxic, UV is an ideal antifoulant for sensi- UV system is about 25% of one maintenance trip to the Folger
tive environmental parameters such as turbidity, chlorophyll, Pinnacle site, so this technology will have a significant im-
pH, and dissolved oxygen. Another unique advantage is the pact on the operations budget, in addition to improving the
data quality. By using UVXchange or Cabled UV to prevent pleased to be deploying these systems across coastal
fouling, not only can intervals between service be extended, BC as part of the Smart Oceans program. High
but the time involved in servicing can be condensed due to the biofouling areas in the coastal zone create a huge
reduced the amount of scraping and cleaning! challenge in ongoing operations and maintenance
The success of AMLs UV systems and resulting sensor costs for any observatory, especially in remote loca-
performance has prompted ONC to utilize this technology in tions. After 15 months and still going, at our worst
upcoming projects, including the Smart OceansTM program. bio-fouling site, the sensors remain clean and operat-
Smart OceansTM is being developed by Ocean Networks Can- ing fine. We are all absolutely amazed. AML Oceano-
ada, an initiative of the University of Victoria, to harness its graphic has really made a revolutionary advance in
data and create data products that will improve marine and anti-biofouling technology with this new product.
public safety, as well as enhance environmental monitoring
along the British Columbia coast. More information on the AML technology development and
Scott McLean, Director of ONCs Innovation Centre, had related products can be found on AMLs website at http://
this to say: www.amloceanographic.com/Biofouling
More information on Ocean Networks Canadas activities,
With the incredible results of the AML Oceano- installations and a host of other resources is available at www.
graphic CTD and UV anti-biofouling system in oceannetworks.ca/
our technology demonstration program we are very
Figure 4.On the dock at Bamfield, BC, during the July 2014 summer maintenance of Folger Pinnacle platform.
large distances. And the things being carried affect us. The
heat and momentum conveyed by ocean currents affect our
living environment. Examples include global climate change
(e.g., ice ages) and weather events (e.g., El Nino, hurricanes).
Strong currents also affect the choice of routes taken by
shipping. Reducing travel time for a voyage can save large
amounts of money in the competitive commercial arena.
Water currents carry biological and chemical constituents
that affect life in and out of the sea. Currents can cause a glob-
al transfer of organisms, ranging from fish larvae to croco-
diles. And currents can provide a virtual pipeline for nutrients,
pollutants, and sediments.
2. ADCP Technology
The speed and direction of ocean currents can change in sev-
eral dimensions: with depth, position, and time. ADCPs use ments reach as deep as 1200 m. Current speed and direction
sound to measure these changes. There are key advantages change quite a bit from top to bottom and left to right. As well
to using sound. It can measure remotely (even at great dis- as the spatial variation seen in this snapshot, the flow changes
tances), there are no rotating parts to foul, and sound changes from week to week and over longer time scales.
predictably with ocean conditions. Like the radar gun used to
catch speeding cars, ADCPs use the Doppler Effect to mea- 3. Marine Monitoring
sure motion. A compelling example of scientific surveys that use ADCPs
This is the change in pitch of returning echoes compared is the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations
to the transmitted sound. These echoes tell how fast particles (CalCOFI). Quarterly cruises are conducted off southern &
carried by the water currents are moving and in what direc- central California. Researchers collect a suite of hydrographic
tion. And the measurements are made at many depths, all at and biological data on station and underway. Started in 1949,
the same time, creating an ocean current profile. CalCOFI originally studied ecological aspects of the collapse
When mounted on ships and boats, ADCPs provide real-time of the sardine population off California.
data to aid decision-making at sea and to adapt field opera- Now the scope of the study/work is broader. It includes
tions. But what sets the ADCP apart is the surveying of ocean studying the marine environment off California, managing its
and coastal currents from moving vessels. Seeing the 2-d dis- living resources, and monitoring indicators of El Nino and cli-
tribution of currents -- along-track and through depth -- re- mate change. The ADCP data are used together with objective
veals the details of ocean circulation patterns. mapping routines to create snapshots of the circulation pat-
terns. Later processing yields impressive color-coded maps
This section shows why the ancients likened the Gulf Stream to a of sea-surface height. Eddies, which transport biological and
river flowing in the ocean. chemical properties, are clearly seen. (http://adcp.ucsd.edu/
calcofi).
In the adjacent graphic, you can see ADCP data from a long
transect that crossed the Gulf Stream. At the left hand side, 4. Coastal Currents
the *hot spot* is the Gulf Stream. The upper panel shows the Strong tidal flows around sharp headlands can generate pro-
near-surface region (200 m) of the lower panel. Warm colors nounced eddies that span a kilometer or more. Due to their no-
signify strong northward currents while cool colors represent table lateral shear, these eddies can stir and redistribute local
moderate flows headed south. The black region shows the sea water properties. Moreover, the lifespan and long-term role of
bed; you can see significant variation in water depth across these eddies can vary considerably depending on the bottom
the panel. At the right hand side, the ADCPs current measure- friction they experience.
An intriguing example of using ADCP-based surveys in a study the three-dimensional structure of the currents. For cre-
process study was conducted in Puget Sound, Washington. In ating a map of the eddy field, the vessel traveled a rectangular
conjunction with surface drifters, ADCPs were used to de- circuit about once an hour through much of a tidal cycle. For
scribe the spatial pattern of a tidally-generated eddy and to examining the effects of strong lateral shears, the vessel trav-
examine its spin down. Different survey plans were used to eled a bow-tie circuit centered on a drifter.
A shipboard ADCP enabled repeat sampling of the Gulf Streams structure in a long-term program.
Citation: The Oleander Project (05/02-05/04, 2008) due to T. Rossby (University of Rhode Island)
and C. Flagg (State University of New York).
Networked Systems
Enable Ocean Observation
By Justin Manley, Teledyne Marine Systems
RAPIDLY EVOVLING TECHNOLOGIES for a purpose. Awareness of progress toward mission goals is a
The ocean environment challenges the designs of engineers key requirement for risk mitigation. Timeliness of information
and the skills of sailors and seafarers. Pressure, temperature is also important to survey, inspection and observation activi-
and corrosion impact mechanical systems and impede most ties, even if complete data sets must await a physical return
communications and positioning technologies. Until very re- of the UMV. Connectivity and networked operations are key
cently even vessels afloat were removed from the networked enablers of undersea operations, especially ocean monitoring.
world ashore. This is changing as new technologies, and evo-
lutions of old ones, advance techniques for ocean observation. CONNECTIVITY: TELEMETRY AND
Unmanned maritime vehicles (UMVs) have been under de- POSITIONING SUBSEA
velopment for decades. Since the late 1990s several systems Connectivity
have evolved beyond research labs and become commercial While wireless networks and satellite navigation have rev-
realities. Businesses have bloomed and technical advances olutionized life ashore, acoustic systems bring similar ca-
thought impossible are proving no match for todays UMVs. pabilities to undersea operations. Advances in digital signal
These tools are now in routine use for scientific, commercial processing have seen venerable tones and pings give way to
and military applications. broadband schemes. These systems offer reliable connections
With robust vehicles available, connectivity is becoming a between many platforms and can also provide positioning in-
key element of UMV operations. All operators deploy UMVs formation. Wise application of such technology reduces risk
Figure 3. A long endurance UUV enables ocean observation. (Courtesy Ben Allsup, Teledyne Webb Research)
the cable, new instruments could be employed without com- GLIDERS: GROWING FLEETS AND CAPABILITIES
plex intervention. The original instruments were Remotely Ocean observing has traditionally relied on vessels and
Operated Vehicle (ROV) deployed but the concept of ad hoc moorings, with significant logistic investments required. To-
network assembly was also demonstrated. During operation day, extended endurance UMVs (Figure 3) and autonomous
it was discovered that one of the nodes, was not communicat- profiling floats offer broad spatial and temporal coverage, af-
ing well with the hard-wired hub some 500 meters away. fordably. Using buoyancy engines, these UMVs can remain at
Strong local noise conditions were suspected to be the root sea for months or years and do not demand large infrastructure
cause. Communications were essentially faint and unable to support their operations. These systems have demonstrated
to provide reliable connectivity to the main modem. By using endurance to cover large distances or loiter in place for ex-
another modem, in a self-contained housing (Figure 2) as a tended periods. Some simply drift with the currents for years.
repeater, it was possible to restore connectivity and continue Physical oceanography has most commonly been the focus of
the operation of the experiment. A short day trip, enabled by these platforms, due to available sensors and limited payload
the easy deployment of the modem node, provided a low cost energy budgets. However, new biogeochemical sensors are
solution to what might have otherwise required an ROV in- routinely being demonstrated on long endurance platforms.
tervention. The most significant demonstration of the economic impact
The capabilities of acoustic telemetry are diverse and wor- of UMVs on ocean observing is the US Navy Littoral Bat-
thy of significant review in their own right. This example is tlespace Sensing - Glider (LBS-G) program. This program of
simply offered as a real world case where the flexibility of record is acquiring and deploying 150 gliders to support Navy
an acoustic repeater provided a significant operational benefit operational observations, with another 150 planned for the fu-
to an ongoing research project. Combining acoustic telemetry ture. While the low capital and operational costs of these tools
with mobile undersea systems, especially Unmanned Under- is a clear benefit to the economics of ocean observation, there
water Vehicles (UUVs), yields additional benefits to subsea is another, subtle, effect of great value. Academic or govern-
operations. ment programs can, and do, share data collected by these plat-
Figure 4. Gliders and modes enable expanded options for data telemetry.
Proling Floats
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Autonomous Undersea Gliders that Deliver...
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forms freely and often online. With hundreds of gliders and UMV operators look forward to in the future? Today a typical
thousands of floats in routine operation there is a large user smart phone user can carry their device anywhere in the world
base to advance new scientific concepts and challenge tech- and make voice calls, read email, surf the web and navigate
nologies. The sharing of data and wide user community make maps. They can also draw upon a host of specialized apps
ocean observing UMVs highly leveraged investments. Further for advanced tasks such as making hotel reservations or cur-
leverage can be obtained by interfacing these stand-alone sys- rency calculations. This capability is built upon enabling de-
tems with subsea networks. velopments in hardware, especially compact processors and
The National Science Foundation has embarked upon the op- power sources, and accepted standards for connectivity. Such
erational use of gliders with acoustic telemetry for its Ocean a reality is coming to the undersea realm.
Observatories Initiative (OOI). OOI is a multi-scale observa- UMVs in coming years will draw upon acoustic telemetry to
tory designed to utilize a network of sensor systems to collect network into ever more productive roles. Drifting and en-
physical, chemical, geological and biological data from the ergy harvesting surface platforms will provide overhead cov-
ocean and the seafloor on coastal, regional and global scales. erage for acoustic telemetry and positioning to heterogeneous
The data will be made available to anyone with an internet undersea systems. Integrated networks of undersea wireless
connection. This information will increase understanding of technologies will provide low bandwidth but reliable cover-
climate change, ocean and coastal ecosystems, environmental age much like first generation cellular networks. Full data
health and climate, and biodiversity. While both coastal and sets may reside on local UMV solid state drives but status
open ocean OOI elements will make use of gliders, the high information and key data identified through onboard analytics
latitude Global Arrays of the OOI will make use of gliders will be exchanged across the network, ensuring operators are
employing acoustic telemetry. These gliders will be used to informed and support assets are deployed for maximum effi-
provide connectivity between subsea mooring systems and ciency. It will be possible to create the equivalent of tweets
satellite communications to shore similar to Figure 4. between systems and across the undersea domain.
As a preliminary step towards the OOI installation, a number
of tests were conducted 2012 to quantify communications be- CONCLUSION
tween a Teledyne Webb Research Slocum glider equipped with UMVs are currently capable systems offering significant
a Teledyne Benthos acoustic modem and the Scripps CORC value to marine operations. When viewed through the lens of
IV mooring located off the coast of southern California at an connectivity the potential value of UMVs is just beginning
approximate depth of about 5000 meters. Many of the tests to be revealed. Just as smartphones changed daily life, net-
were conducted with the glider sitting at the surface process- worked UMVs will bring more capability to ocean observing.
ing manual commands sent over Iridium satellite link. Others There are challenges to this vision, some are technical and
were conducted with the glider in an autonomous mode div- others tied to policy questions. But none are insurmountable.
ing to a particular depth. The slant range to the mooring var- New technology developments can be counted on to appear,
ied from about 2500 meters (with the glider at depth) to over probably sooner than anyone expects. To harness those devel-
7000 meters. Data transfer rates were tested between 15360 opments the UMV community will need to collaborate effec-
bps PSK (phase-shift keying) and 300 bps MFSK (multiple tively to create the networks. Engineers and business leaders
frequency-shift keying). Since then, two OOI Open Ocean will need to see the value in standards, potentially open proto-
gliders spent 330 days each at Station Papa transferring data cols and interoperability across platform types and businesses.
from the moorings. Operationally the combination of acoustic Regulators also will need to understand the technology, ap-
telemetry and gliders is proving effective. preciating the benefits and rapid pace of technical evolution.
A future UMV ecosystem is exciting to consider, the path for-
THE FUTURE: UNDERSEA NETWORKS ward is apparent, if not clear, and the value to ocean observing
Considering a comparison to mobile phones, what might will be substantial.
Seaformatics
Empowering the Seafloor
The Seaformatics project is led by a team of researchers and It is a versatile instrumentation platform designed to monitor
engineers based out of the St. Johns, NL campus of Memo- the subsea and seabed environment, and can support a vari-
rial University (MUN). Seaformatics began life as a project ety of sensors. In addition to the original targeted applications
targeted at applications such as subsea geological imaging and such as geological imaging and earthquake detection, the sys-
earthquake detection, but its evolution has seen a greater em- tem can also be utilized in other marine science, environmen-
phasis placed on subsea power harvesting technology, a key tal monitoring and security/defense applications.
area of interest to those seeking to pursue ventures in cold When deployed as an array, the Pods are able to communi-
ocean conditions, particularly in the Arctic. This focus has cate with each other and to the surface via an acoustic net-
resulted in the creation of an innovative seabed instrumenta- work, facilitating ocean monitoring from the shore.
tion platform with unique power harvesting capabilities and The advantage of an array is that you can cover a wide area
diverse potential commercial and research applications. with a number of sensors, explains Cook. Also, some wide
Seaformatics began in 2007as an Atlantic Canada Opportu- area systems now are cabled, but the cost is extremely high,
nities Agency (ACOA) Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF) proj- so this is a kind of middle ground that spans the gap between
ect, and was led by Dr. Vlastimil Masek of the Faculty of En- battery-only powered systems and cabled systems in terms
gineering and Applied Science. of the power and communications bandwidth available. The
The power-harvesting Seaformatics Pod is the groups team has also developed a novel fibre-optic-based 3D seis-
crowning achievement and is rapidly approaching the stage mometer, but it is the power-harvesting Pod that is currently
of real-world commercial application. The Pod utilizes a pat- the groups main focus.
ented 1.5m diameter floating horizontal-axis turbine and flex- Early on we also focused on sensors, but as time went on we
ible attachment which harvests energy from ocean currents saw the really high value part was the idea of not having to go
and stores the energy in an attached battery pack. The flexible offshore and change batteries, or in harsh environments where
attachment mechanism not only tethers the turbine to a 600kg battery changes are difficult, says Cook. Now we are really
base which sits on the seabed, but also allows it to orient with focused on power harvesting technologies, and thats the tech-
water flow while resisting twist. nology that were going to take and spin out of the university.
So its able to harvest power from low speed flows in basi- Seaformatics is currently engaged in advanced discussions
cally any direction, explains Seaformatics Project Manager about bringing this unique technology to market, and is an
and Co-founder, Andrew Cook, who adds that they are tar- example of the kind of innovative, world-leading cold ocean
geting up to two-year deployments for the pods, which are research and development, with a focus on practical applica-
retrievable thanks to an acoustically-activated release system tions, that is prevalent throughout the province of Newfound-
that allows the floating turbine to rise back to the surface. land and Labrador.
Equipment
The bathymetric survey systems employ a unique set of
components. Primary systems (AC/DC power, computer,
dryend sonar, IMU, heading, etc.) are housed in a waterproof
aluminum dry box on a 7m and 5m inflatable pontoon (snout)
raft powered by a 50 horsepower outboard motor (Figure 3).
The sonar heads are mounted on a swivel-mast assembly
and all components are easily broken down and secured for
running the rapids (Figure 4). We use a Reson 7125 system
for multibeam surveying and a 200 kHz sonar for singlebeam
operations. Heading and motion data are collected using an
Inertial Navigation System. Poor GPS reception within the
deep canyon walls renders kinematic GPS positioning prac-
tically impossible and we use the 1pps signal from a GNSS
receiver for system timing only. A line-of sight, robotic total
station is used for positioning and elevation control for all Figure 3
surveys. The robotic total station is set on benchmarks along
the shoreline, transmits positioning information to the survey
vessel via radio modem with a 20 Hz update rate, and has a
maximum range of about 500m, depending on environmen-
tal conditions. Surveys are processed in elevations, and the
20 Hz elevation track of the vessel is used to compensate for
heave. Reference surface calibrations using this system show
depth differences (between the reference surface and one full
sweep) of 0.03 m to 0.05 m across all beam angles at the 95%
confidence level (figure 5).
Results
Figure 6 (next page) shows results from a multibeam sur-
vey for an approximately 400m long pool directly below
Cave Springs rapids that highlights the capabilities of the Figure 4
SubC Imaging
Vision Underwater
Canatec
Leading-edge technology to the rescue
A relatively new addition to the Newfoundland and Labrador The technology gives operators real-time data, improving the
ocean technology cluster, Canatec has a deep history of cold- safety and survivability of both offshore workers and search
ocean and arctic research and development, having been in and rescue personnel. Such data can also widen the windows
business for twenty-two years. Headquartered in Calgary, Al- of operations, allowing helicopters to fly in areas and condi-
berta, Canada, Canatecs primary business has been in the safe tions that were not previously considered viable due to safety
design of ocean structures and vessels that will be constructed concerns.
and deployed in harsh environments. Their St. Johns, NL In creating their highly qualified St. Johns team, Canatec
office was founded with another focus in mind: repurposing has pulled from nearby Memorial University, one among the
their existing iceberg monitoring technology for use in search many advantages of being stationed in Newfoundland and
and rescue (SAR) operations. Labrador, says Tiffin.
Canatec also has an office in The Hague and has extensive This is a place where not only is there production offshore,
experience working off the east coast of Russia, in the Caspian which drives a lot of activitybut it is a place where there is
Sea, as well as off Greenland and Newfoundland and Labra- a consensus between Government, the population at large and
dor. Their work is largely for the offshore petroleum industry, industry to work together to invest in research and develop-
utilizing robotics and specialized software. ment, and innovation. This is the best place we could possibly
We have developed instrumentation with the potential for be in Canada to do this very large innovation project.
much broader spinoffs for global markets, says Dr. Scott Tif- Canatec is one among many ocean technology companies
fin, Partner and Project Manager of Canatecs St. Johns Op- finding a home in Newfoundland and Labrador. The environ-
eration. This is the project Im leading here, making decision ment in the province both physical and in terms of support
support systems for maritime search and rescue operations. is proving to be conducive to world-leading cold-ocean and
The St. Johns Canatec team is a highly qualified research arctic research. Its sub-arctic conditions, the steady supply
and development arm of the core company, some thirteen peo- of skilled professionals from Memorial University and other
ple strong, comprising three PhDs and ten Masters. The team academic institutions, and the strength and support of its long-
is engaged in a number of iceberg monitoring- and manage- established ocean technology cluster and Government make
ment-focused projects, but it is the search and rescue applica- Newfoundland and Labrador the Path to the ArcticTM for
tion of their technology that is top of their agenda. companies like Canatec.
Provincial Aerospace
Eyes in the skies
Provincial Aerospace (PAL) has been flying maritime sur- PAL is particularly well versed in the key area of ice manage-
veillance aircraft for over thirty-five years for government, ment, having provided such services to operators off Canadas
military, and industry clientele. In the 1980s, the company east coast for over twenty years. It provides oil and gas opera-
underwent a shift from basic visual surveillance and mapping tors with visibility regarding the whereabouts and anticipated
to more advanced radar-based methods and has evolved to movements of sea ice and icebergs that may be a threat to
become a world-leader in developing and operating airframe- their assets. In turn, early ice management measures can be
based radar, surveillance, and ice management technologies. taken, such as redirecting an iceberg, or, in extreme cases, dis-
PALs 1980s metamorphosis is owed much to the forward connecting and moving a platform. Such systems are critical
thinking of one of its owners, Gus Ollerhead, who first had the to avoid an incident that could have environmental or worker
vision to put anti-submarine radar on an aircraft, something safety implications, and to limit expense.
that had never been attempted before. We take a layered approach, using all the tools in the box,
Radars designed to pick up periscopes in the Cold War hap- says Trainor; tools that include satellite imagery, manned sur-
pened to be very effective for picking up ice and icebergs too, veillance flights, surveillance from seafaring vessels and off-
explains PAL Chief Operating Officer, Jake Trainor. shore platforms, as well as highly accurate predictive models.
It was the kind of innovative thinking that has become the We have decades of data on ice movement, so we can cre-
hallmark of Newfoundland and Labrador-based ocean tech- ate predictive maps, kind of like a weather forecast, Trainor
nology companies like PAL, and for Trainor, the environment explains. Heres where the ice is today, heres where it will
both physical and in terms of infrastructure, collaboration be in 24 hours, and heres your 48-hour risk pattern. Thats an
and support that is ideal in the province. ongoing activity.
We have a rich tradition in dealing with conditions in the As the Arctic continues to become an increasing area of in-
North Atlantic, and the support of the sector to help develop terest for exploration and development, PAL is set to play a
these capabilities, says Trainor. key role in the North.
PAL is able to create tailored solutions for clients in diverse In addition to its ongoing search and assist capabilities and ice
sectors including defense, offshore oil and gas, maritime domain management, modeling and detection business, PAL is already
enforcement, fisheries enforcement, and search and rescue, put- heavily involved in ongoing resource exploration and is set to
ting together the best combination of sensor systems to achieve play a key role in future Arctic development and production.
the desired goal, then mating it with the aircraft that is best suited As development continues in the North, there will be a need
to the task. Altitude, endurance, payload, range, and number of for additional awareness of whats going on, says Trainor.
crewmembers on board are all factors that feed into the decision. Its a vast space and were well positioned to take the tech-
As we continue to evolve and develop, we are becoming nology we have developed here and extend that into the North.
more and more a data-driven company that happens to know There will be a need for existing services and new services
something about aircraft, says Trainor. In essence, we are that were already engaged in research and development on.
producing sensor systems that happen to have wings. In every segment of our business, were looking to the North.
C-CORE
Smart solutions for challenging environments
Founded in 1975 as a partnership between Memorial Univer- where icebergs will go if their course is unaltered, and allow
sity of Newfoundland (MUN) and the oil and gas industry, C- comparison of this scenario to the outcomes of multiple po-
CORE (Centre for Cold Oceans Research and Engineering) is tential mitigation strategies.
known around the world for its depth of knowledge and exper- It is very important when you have multiple facilities, as
tise surrounding the behaviour and prevalence of sea ice and you dont want to take away a risk from one facility and create
icebergs, and risk mitigation through remote sensing and ice a risk for another facility, says Ralph. I can plan ahead, look
management. Strategically located on the MUN Campus in St. at risk profiles and optimize a strategy that reduces that risk.
Johns, NL, C-CORE works in collaboration with industry to CARD is hoping to soon add a new tool to this kit in the form
nurture a skilled talent pool that in turn has access to world- of a towing decision support tool, which will take into consid-
class expertise and facilities. C-CORE encompasses two Arc- eration factors like iceberg size and drift trajectory, and vessel
tic-related centres of excellence: CARD and LOOKNorth. tow power and direction to predict how the tow will look.
CARD (Centre for Arctic Resource Development) is the only LOOKNorth (Leading Operational Observations and Knowl-
independent, industry-guided research and development initia- edge for the North) is also unique in Canada as it is the only
tive in Canada dedicated to responsible, cost-effective hydrocar- national centre of excellence for remote sensing research, in-
bon development in Arctic regions. It is concerned with applied novation and commercialization related to northern resource
research to create innovations that can aid industry and places development. LOOKNorth utilizes satellite radar technology
a lot of focus on engaging experts in the ice engineering world. to track and predict ice movements.
They are fewer rather than in abundance, says CARD Ex- The technology is also being employed to map out areas of
ecutive Director, Freeman Ralph. So being at MUN is quite the Arctic and provide information on the always-changing
strategic and attractive for us, through research and develop- landscape. This data is invaluable for keeping inhabitants of
ment, helping develop folks who can take the engineering the Arctic (and the increasing eco tourism presence) abreast
challenge to the next level. of the ever-evolving ice environment.
CARD has been responsible for the development of a number They can go to Parks Canada in the morning to review this in-
of marine technology tools that have become industry standards formation and then safely go out to the edge of the ice to hunt and
over the years. A current focus is the continued development of fish, says Dr. Charles Randell, C-CORE President and Chief Ex-
a sophisticated toolkit to monitor and forecast iceberg move- ecutive Officer. It is an extremely high-tech way to help people
ments and execute the most effective mitigation strategy, taking preserve a way of life they have enjoyed for centuries.
into consideration a whole host of environmental factors. C-CORE houses one of the largest centrifuges in the world,
Weve been working on tools to monitor the environment used to simulate Arctic phenomena. The effect of years of freez-
and forecast where icebergs are going to go, to understand the ing and thawing on ocean equipment such as platforms, ves-
forecast and, if I am to initiate a mitigation strategy, how does sels, and pipelines can be accurately tested using precisely con-
that new risk profile now look? explains Ralph. structed scale models. The utility of such advanced equipment
It is a simulation-based toolbox based on mathematical mod- requires an extremely high level of expertise, which is grown
els of current ice movement and forecasting that will simulate and nurtured in the academic halls of Memorial University.
C-CORE and Memorial University are at the
core of a dynamic and growing ocean technology
cluster in Newfoundland and Labrador, increas-
ingly regarded as the Worlds Cold Ocean Labo-
ratoryTM. The province provides the sub-arctic
conditions and prevalence of sea ice and icebergs
that make it the ideal proving ground for this kind
of research. The resulting collection of world-class
facilities and expertise, infrastructure, government
support, and local offshore industry further bolster
this burgeoning ocean technology presence.
C-COREs CARD is the only independent, industry-
guided research and development initiative in
Canada dedicated to cost-effective hydrocarbon
development in Arctic regions.
Whitecap Scientific
Adding a new dimension to underwater imaging
Whitecap Scientific Corporation is a St. Johns, Newfound- the frame, it will completely obstruct a standard video image,
land and Labrador-based developer of intelligent visualization but with Whitecaps technology, the obstruction is diminished
systems for the ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) industry. Es- and removed. The system has a multitude of potential appli-
tablished in 2011, Whitecap has created the worlds first live cations, allowing oil and gas operators to create detailed 3D
3D video inspection system, ROV3DTM. This technology al- models of their underwater assets. In environmental remedia-
lows industry standard cameras to be used to create a three- tion and surveying, the technology can be flown over a seabed
dimensional model that can be analyzed spatially, in addition to create a detailed reconstruction.
to standard two-dimensional video imaging. For example, You can get a 3D model of, say, a harbor ba-
This is the pilots window into the remote world, says Dr. sin, you can do biodiversity studies, you can examine the ef-
Sam Bromley, Whitecap Co-Founder and Managing Director. fect of an operation that goes into a field and then assesses
They can see the areas theyve already recorded, the shape of the impact and how quickly it is remediated once it has been
the model, and they can zoom in on a certain point of interest decommissioned, says Bromley.
in more detail. 3D visual modeling has great potential for applications in
The system works by placing two cameras side-by-side, with cold-ocean and Arctic environments, where conditions are
software then building a three-dimensional image of an under- more extreme and the importance of regular maintenance, in-
sea site. ROV pilots are also able to place pins and annota- spection, and a true understanding of the subsea environment
tions in areas of interest that can later be explored and exam- is of heightened importance.
ined, with complete and highly detailed textures of the full 3D Theres no better technology that brings this accessibility to
image created. Whitecap considers this to be complimentary all of these operators, because they use their existing camera
technology for anyone shooting video underwater, with some systems, flying video inspection as they always have, but they
distinct advantages: The 3D system provides direct feedback get all this additional information of full 3D capture, explains
on areas already surveyed, with any gaps in the model clearly Bromley. Year after year, they can then bring up one model,
visible to the pilot. This feature removes the potential expense superimpose another one, align them perfectly, and see whats
of having to return to the site if an area of importance has changed. Doing that with video is very difficult.
been missed. he system also helps to remove visual noise, Whitecap Scientific Corporation is one of many Newfound-
shooting thirty frames per second. Every frame is processed, land and Labrador-based startups that have grown from the
all the data adding up constructively to lessen noise and pro- provinces vibrant ocean technology cluster. For Bromley,
vide a truer image. For instance, should a jellyfish move into theres no place like home to be developing this kind of
groundbreaking technology.
We have a very healthy, collaborative envi-
ronment, he says. You have a lot of compli-
mentary companies in the region. Theres an
attitude that, were here to build something
thats greater than any one company. Theres a
lot of support from government agencies to fos-
ter innovation. Overall its just a perfect place
to develop ocean technology.
A natural Path to the ArcticTM, and the
Worlds Cold Ocean LaboratoryTM, positions
Newfoundland and Labrador as a breeding
ground for new, innovative, and paradigm-
shifting ocean technology companies.
The Autonomous Oceans Systems Laboratory (AOSL) is have that corrective GPS signal anymore.
a research facility within Memorial Universitys Faculty of The proposed answer involves taking a sequence of altitude
Engineering and Applied Science, based in St. Johns, New- measurements and comparing back to a map to determine the
foundland and Labrador, which was founded in 2010 by En- AUVs location. It is a similar system to that which is used to
gineering Professor Dr. Ralf Bachmayer, its current Director. navigate cruise missiles. All of AOSLs research is driven by
Masters and Doctoral students from the university play a key the desire and the need to attain more data in hard-to-reach
role in driving AOSLs research and development, which is areas of the ocean, such as those found in the Arctic. This in-
focused on the advancement of persistent unmanned systems cludes projects such as acoustic measurement of sea ice thick-
technology in harsh environments. This includes exploring ness and mapping icebergs both above and under water.
new and innovative ways to utilize autonomous underwater One of things were interested in is observation of icebergs
vehicles (AUVs), unmanned surface craft (USC) and un- and sea ice, says Dr. de Young. Ships are not always in the
manned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in cold and harsh environ- right place at the right time and dont always have the right
ments with sea ice and icebergs. instruments on board to make the kinds of measurements we
Autonomous vehicles dont complain about the tempera- want. An iceberg is mostly underwater and underwater is the
tures being minus-ten and the wind being 70 knots, but thats hardest place to make the measurements.
exactly when you need to make the measurements, says De- By utilizing a smart surface vehicle in unison with the AUVs,
partment Head of Physics and Physical Oceanography, Dr. algorithms can be fed back and forth and 3D mapping of the
Brad de Young, explaining that it is critical to understand the iceberg can be achieved both above and below the water. The
most extreme conditions that will be present when considering data can then be analyzed onshore to more accurately predict
ventures into harsh, ice prone environments like the Arctic. how the iceberg will react and where it will move, taking into
AOSL researchers are developing technology that will ex- account its shape and size in addition to factors such as sea
tend the mission duration of AUVs and utilize bathymetry and state, water current, and weather conditions.
GPS to accurately track their location, in addition to technol- Better observations make better strategies for managing the
ogy that will allow for navigation of AUVs underneath ice ice, says Dr. de Young, adding that the ability to replace ships
where GPS position fixes at the surface cannot be used to up- which have their limitations in environments like the Arctic
date navigation of the vehicle. This has been a key area of with autonomous vehicles offers a great deal of opportunity
research for Ph.D student, Brian Claus. to better understand any threats to operations such as offshore
If you want to travel underneath the ice, then youre not able oil and gas platforms. Mitigation strategies can then be em-
to stick your tail out of the water and connect to those (GPS) ployed, enabling operations to continue undisturbed.
satellites, explains Claus. So the focus of my thesis was to Dr. de Young says there is no better place than Newfound-
be able to run the AUVs underneath the ice where we dont land and Labrador to conduct this kind of research and devel-
opment.
What you have here are real opportunities to
study a sub-polar environment where you can
live year-round, have good technical access,
and where theres a lot of support, as opposed
to in the high Arctic and the open ocean, where
its very difficult to work.
AOSL is one among many examples of world-
class ocean technology research that is being
conducted in Newfoundland and Labrador, con-
tributing to the provinces status as the Worlds
Cold Ocean LaboratoryTM and the Path to the
ArcticTM.
AOSL technology extends the mission duration
of AUVs and utilizes bathymetry and GPS to ac-
curately track their location.
Even in the interconnected world of the 21st century, physi- Blue Tech Summit in San Diego, California, says Snow. He
cal location is still a vital factor in determining opportunity. presented alongside such leaders as Rick Spinrad, the Chief
As the Path to the ArcticTM, Newfoundland and Labradors Scientist at the United States National Oceanic and Atmo-
location means significant opportunities. The most easterly spheric Administration (NOAA) and Kevin Forshaw, Head of
province in Canada, the provinces cold and iceberg-riddled Enterprise and Research Impact at the United Kingdoms Na-
waters are testament to the fact that this is as far south as the tional Oceanography Centre (NOC).
Arctic comes. Local entrepreneurs, researchers, and support- Snow says, while he was grateful for the opportunity to meet
ing partners have developed the necessary infrastructure, ex- these world leaders in ocean technology, he was struck by
pertise, and the collaborative spiritto not only survive, but to what they saw as an imperative to try and inspire a unified
thrive in this harsh marine environment. voice for national and global interests in ocean technology--a
Nowhere is this spirit of successful collaboration more evi- blue voice. This had such an impact on him because, Here
dent than in Newfoundland and Labradors ocean technology in Newfoundland and Labrador we already have a blue voice,
sector. It has developed into a leading globalinnovation he says. While our cluster is focused mainly on products and
cluster. For the past decade, OceansAdvance has served as the services for the harsh marine environment, nevertheless our
voice of the provinces ocean technology innovation ecosys- constituencies of research, academia, government, and the pri-
tem. vate sector are proactively engaged. We speak in unison. All
hands are on deck and its powerful, he explains.
AN OCEAN TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION
ECOSYSTEM LIKE NO OTHER COLLABORATIING FOR INNOVATION,
Executive Director of OceansAdvance, Barry Snow says that COMMERCIALIZATION AND EXPORT
he is consistently humbled by how highly OceansAdvance is OceansAdvance was founded in 2005 by a group of New-
regarded around the world. The Oceans 14 MTS/IEEE Con- foundland and Labrador ocean technology leaders whocame
ference, held in the provincial capital of St. Johns in Sep- together to create amanagement organization to underpin the
tember 2014, attracted a record number of exhibitors and emerging ocean technology cluster. Its initial mission was to
delegates. And this past November, we were invited to pres- unite and excite the development of an ocean technology sec-
ent the compelling back story of our innovation cluster to a tor that could speak with one voice. They understood even
highly-influential group of leaders at the Maritime Alliances then that by aligning themselves toward a shared long-term
development for harsh marine environments, there is no other da, specializing in marine simulation training solutions.This
ocean technology innovation ecosystem like Newfoundland synergy would not be possible outside the specific ocean tech-
and Labradors in the world, says Snow. We have a head start nology innovation ecosystem that ten years of collaboration
on Arctic researchand we have adepth of innovative technolo- have created, he says.
gies and researchersto prove it. Not only does Newfoundland We are constantly looking to add incremental innovators to
and Labrador have the necessary subarctic conditions, says this ecosystem, says Snow. And one of the best waysto enter
Snow, but we also have the land-based infrastructure such as this environment is to go to our website. (www.oceansad-
the ice tanks, tow tanks, flume tanks, simulators and capabili- vance.net) He says those with an interest in ocean technology
ties for modeling and full scale testing that is reflective of our would benefit by checking out their sites innovator profiles
brandas a live cold-ocean laboratory. on people like Dan Brake of EMSATor Adam Gobi of SU-
We are enriched through innovation partnerships with LIS Subsea Corporation, or Dr. Michael Graham of the Wave
similar organizations around the world such as the Maritime Energy Research Centre, or by visiting their online company
Alliance, and others in the United States, Ireland, Iceland, directory, or perusing the sites deep bank of hundreds of news
Norway, Denmark to name but a few. They are interested in stories and features with local, national and international rele-
collaborating with us to focus on what must be long-term, vance for ocean technology interests.Our organization main-
mutually-beneficial activities, says Snow.Weare focusing on tains a strong commitment to communications. Its one of our
finding answers to such questions as: How can we continue to secret sauces he says.
add value to all the constituencies in our respective clusters? This is arguably the best time in our history to enter New-
Where are the business-to-business opportunities? Where are foundland and Labradorsocean technology cluster, says
the collaborative research opportunities? Snow, with the supports, expertise, and a brand that contin-
ues to grow and attract international partners. He believes
THE SYNERGY OF LEADERSHIP that this is evidence of a dynamic innovation ecosystem. Lo-
Snow points to locally grown Virtual Marine Technology cated where we are on the Arctic pathway, with such a range
Inc. (VMT)as a classic example of a company that arose from of individual expertise in harsh ocean environments, and a
a market opportunityin this case to provide marine simula- successful history of collaboration among our four constituen-
tion training. Due in large part to an evolving collaborative cies, it is no small wonder that others intuitively sense theres
relationship with Memorial University, the National Research something special happening here.
Council, and the Offshore Safety and Survival Centre, VMT Our blue voice continues to grow and its far from a whis-
is now the largest manufacturer of marine simulators in Cana- per.
R&D
The Ultimate Game Changer
T
he 2013 World Economic Forum stated in poration with a mandate to strengthen R&D for the long-term
its Global Competitiveness Reportthat firms economic development if the province.
must,design and develop cutting-edge products RDC is committed to making strategic investments in busi-
and processes to maintain a competitive edge and ness-led and academic-led R&D,with a focus on increased
move toward even higher value-added activities. private-sector investment. This commitment provides tremen-
This progression requires an environment that is conducive to dous opportunities for innovative, results-oriented companies
innovative activity and supported by both the public and the in Newfoundland and Labrador and from around the world.
private sectors. In particular, it means sufficient investment in
research and development (R&D) Funding Programs
While R&D may require funding and hard work, it is essen- To achieve results, RDC offers a full suite offunding pro-
tial for generating higher value economic activity, prosperity, grams and targeted initiatives aimed at enhancing thequality
and improved quality of life. and quantity of business-led and collaborative R&D.One of
RDCs main priorities is to increase thelevel of business in-
Taking Action vestment in R&D in theprovince to match the higher levels
In 2009, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador achievedin leading national and internationaljurisdictions.
took decisive action to embrace this economic principal with a RDC aims to increase R&D in its priority sectors of energy,
groundbreaking R&D initiative to build a stronger knowledge- mining and minerals, and ocean technology to capitalize on
based economy and plot a course toward sustained prosperity. the provinces competitive strengths and maximize the poten-
The initiative resulted in the creation of the Research and tial for economic impact. The province welcomes proposals
Development Corporation (RDC), an arms-length crown cor- and initiatives that will bring new R&D projects to the prov-
ment by industry. Most notably, in March 2013 Statoil estab- harsh environment is corrosivity. Wind, wave, salt spray,
lished a $5 million Arctic R&D Step Up initiative in collabo- fog, freezing & thawing, frozen precipitation of all forms, all
ration with RDC. This initiative represents not only a major help make this province a deeply corrosive environment. And
boost to the local R&D landscape, but also Statoils first major again, it is also an accessible environment.
investment in R&D outside of Norway. RDC recognizes that it can enhance R&D capacity through
How valuable is harsh environment R&D? the development of new R&D assets that leverage this prox-
Consider the case of the Hibernia oil platform, the worlds imity to harsh environments. These assets can be owned by
first offshore gravitybased structure (GBS) built to withstand RDC, academia or private enterprise. The assets can help
an iceberg impact. Built with the latest technology available industry solve technical challenges, such as corrosion. They
at the time, it was engineered and constructed to withstand a can also help support the attraction and development of busi-
strike from six-million ton iceberg. nesses and leading researchers, and strengthen the provinces
But in the 20 years since Hibernia was constructed, signifi- competitive position in areas such as Arctic and harsh-envi-
cant advancements in ice management, monitoring, and engi- ronment technologies.
neering have taken place through R&D. As a result, construc- RDCs Atmospheric Corrosion Test Site is one such oppor-
tion requirements for the next offshore GBS could be safely tunity. The new site offers year-round fieldtesting to advance
reduced. The result: the Hebron GBS could be designed and the development of solutions and technologiesthat protect
built two-thirds the size of Hibernia, resulting in a saving of vital industry assets. This facility iswell suited for corrosion
approximately $1 billion in construction costs. research and development projects.Its location at the exposed
headlands of the southern AvalonPeninsula in the North At-
New Opportunities in Corrosion Research lantic Oceanrepresents one of the harshest and most corrosive
Another characteristic of Newfoundland and Labradors naturalenvironments in North America. The site is strategical-
Exposed to the Elements: RDCs Atmospheric Corrosion Test Site is being established in North Americas most
corrosive environment, where monthly maximum wind speeds exceed 100 Km/h, annual precipitation tops 1,350 mm and the fog rolls
in more than 200 days a year. It is ideally suited for corrosion-related R&D projects. (Photo by Dave Howells for RDC)
ly located in Argentia,just 90 minutes from the globally rec- supported R&D initiatives continue to improve innovation
ognized R&Dfacilities and institutions in the St. Johns area. and productivity within the province over a longer term.
MARINE White
TECHNOLOGY Papers REPORTER A special content edition of MTR
Oceanographic
edition
The End
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