Deep Ocean/Seabed Satellite Relay for Long Term Quasi Real-Time Data Transmissions

DURING THE LAST TWO YEARS WORK HAS BEEN UNDERWAY AT THE JRC OF THE CEC ON THE USE OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF DATA FROM INSTRUMENTATION PLACED IN THE OCEAN BED. THE SET UP OF THE TRANSMISSION LINK HAS REQUIRED THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERAL NEW SYSTEMS. THESE INCLUDE AN UNDERWATER VEHICLE CAPABLE OF SUCCESSFULLY EMPLACING INSTRUMENT PACKAGES WITHIN DEEP OCEAN SEDIMENT FORMATIONS, A TRANSMITTER-RECEIVER SYSTEM WHOSE CHARACTERISTICS ARE SUCH AS TO BE ABLE TO SEND ACOUSTIC SIGNALS THROUGH BOTH 50 METERS OF SEDIMENT AND A 6 KM WATER COLUMN, SENSORS WHICH WILL GIVE INFORMATION OF SEDIMENT CHARACTERISTICS, AND A SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM FOR THE AUTOMATIC QUASI-REAL TIME RELAY OF DATA FROM THE EMPLACED INSTRUMENTATION TO THE LABORATORY IN ISPRA (EUROPE). THE PRESENT PAPER WILL DISCUSS THE ACOUSTIC LINK AND THE RELAY/BUOY SYSTEM AND ITS APPLICATIONS TO OCEANOGRAPHY AND METEOROLOGY.

WEYDERT Marco; 

1995-03-15

JRC4861