Development of a Winter Ecosystem Observations Capability Using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

A Saab Sabertooth autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) was deployed in Lake Michigan at the beginning of meteorological winter successfully navigating from NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory's (GLERL) Lake Michigan Field Station through the Port of Muskegon pier heads. After an offshore data collection demonstration, the AUV returned to a docking station for recharge and data transfer. Winter ecosystem observations in the Laurentian Great Lakes are difficult to obtain relative to summer open‐water periods as research vessels are not designed for winter operations in ice cover and during vessel icing conditions. In response, capabilities are being developed using uncrewed technologies for winter and under-ice physical, chemical, and biological measurements. Team members included representatives from NOAA, Hibbard Inshore, Saab, the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, the USGS Great Lakes Science Center, and Teledyne Energy Systems. Development is being performed in three phases: Phase I demonstrated autonomy and limited data collection (accomplished June 2022), Phase II demonstrated fully autonomous navigation, offshore data collection, autonomous docking, and partial data transfer into GLERL's Real-time Coastal Observation Network (ReCON) node at Muskegon MI (accomplished December 2022) , and phase III will include routine operational data collection in winter and under ice with a fully integrated docking, charging, and data transfer station.