A solar powered ocean observatory using acoustic and Iridium links

A moderate bandwidth observatory platform has been developed that integrates acoustic and satellite links to provide connectivity between sensors on the seafloor and investigators on shore. The system incorporates high-rate (5300 bps) acoustic modems, solar power generation, a low-power single board computer running Linux, and Iridium satellite modems to provide a lower cost, relocatable alternative to higher bandwidth systems. The prototype system, which supports an ocean bottom seismometer (OBS) and fluid-flow, temperature, and resistivity sensors, has been deployed near the Nootka Fault in 2326 m of water off the coast of Vancouver Island since May 2004. Since deployment, the system has transmitted more than 150 MB of data from the seafloor instruments.