The team proposes to develop a near real-time, ocean thermal energy conversion (otec) powered, directional profiling float that is designed for persistent, long-endurance, deep-water ocean passive…

The team proposes to develop a near real-time, ocean thermal energy conversion (otec) powered, directional profiling float that is designed for persistent, long-endurance, deep-water ocean passive acoustic observations. Deep-water acoustic observations are difficult to obtain due to logistical constraints involved with deploying and retrieving technology in often-remote locations, but observations of deep-water soundscapes can provide insight into marine mammal distributions, seismic and volcanic activity, illegal fishing activity, and more. The researchers plan to address this difficulty by integrating ocean hindcast models to inform deployment location and navigate in real time by taking advantage of ocean currents. Their design also includes otec to power sensors on the float, reducing the number of toxic batteries needed at sea, and the capacity to allow real-time acoustic processing for the identification of components of interest. Anticipated outputs from this project include an…