The Underway Survey System at the Naval Oceanographic Office

In this presentation, we will describe the design and development of the Underway Survey System (USS) and the BIOLITE photometer. The Naval Oceanographic Office's (NAVOCEANO) T-AGS 60 class ships permanently mount a USS that incorporates a bioluminescence photometer (BIOLITE). The USS is designed with simplicity in mind. It requires minimal user interactions, and its modular design allows the easy incorporation of additional sensors as needed. The USS collects data continuously while the survey vessel is underway. NAVOCEANO has been using bioluminescence photometers since 1975. The first versions were used as "Roll On/Roll Off" instruments. In 1993, BIOLITE photometers were mounted on the survey vessels for several months as an early version of the USS. In 1997, NAVOCEANO began permanently mounting the USS on the T-AGS 60 class ships. Eventually, all T-AGS 60 class ships will incorporate the USS as part of their survey capability. The BIOLITE photometer measures light produced as plankton bioluminescence. The BIOLITE photometer has four photomultiplier tubes that measure the light produced within a 49-millimetre sample chamber. The USS also measures temperature, salinity, fluorescence, and flow rates. The data are recorded, and at the end of a survey, the data are returned to NAVOCEANO for processing, databasing, and product generation.