Characterizing the Self-Noise of a Seaglider AUV Using a Passive Acoustic Monitor

The Seaglider is a relatively quiet vehicle in comparison with propelled Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) making it a desirable acoustic receiving platform; however, Seaglider operations such as pumping oil to change buoyancy, shifting the battery to change pitch/roll, and oceanographic data collection do produce some self-noise. Data were analyzed from two separate missions, one in the Gulf of Mexico and one off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, to identify and characterize the self-noise produced by the vehicle during operation. Sources of Seaglider self-noise include roll changes, pitch changes, buoyancy changes, temperature conductivity and depth sensor measurements, and altimeter pings. Sound produced by these functions range from over 3 minutes of continuous broadband noise resulting from the buoyancy pump, to 0.75 second tonal signals produced by the integrated conductivity temperature and depth sensor. Self-noise characterization contributes to furthering the Seaglider platform as a cutting-edge technology in the field of underwater acoustics.