ROSE: development and demonstration of a “Mobile Response Observatory” prototype for subsea environmental monitoring

ROSE project was aimed at defining and studying a system for monitoring polluting wrecks based on the deployment of a set of subsea stations integrated in an acoustic network and communicating with shore through a wireless link. The project scope also comprised the building of a prototype system intended for a near shore demonstration of limited duration. This system comprises: two floating measuring stations anchored at sea bottom, a relay buoy and the operating shore station. Station sensors are shared in pollutant sensors and environmental parameter sensors. The prototype system is fitted with: hydrocarbon fluorometer, CTD sensor, back scattering meter, dissolved O2 sensor and ADCP profiler. The system was deployed in Bay of Douarnenez, at 25 meter during 2.5 months in summer 2006. This deployment enables to draw experience return on at sea operations and system behaviour, data acquisition by the various sensors and operation of the communication system.