Narragansett, R.I. -- April 30, 2001 --
Two URI scientists have been awarded
$250,000 by the Navy to purchase a Remote
Environmental Monitoring UnitS (REMUS), an
autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that
will be used to map chemical sources in
coastal marine waters.
Chemical oceanographer Dr.
Alfred
K. Hanson of Jamestown and ocean
engineer Dr.
James
H. Miller of Kingston will use the
un-manned, five foot long submarine-shaped
vehicle to remotely detect, characterize,
and map man-made and natural chemical
concentrations, or plumes, and track them
to their sources in Narragansett Bay and
other coastal locations.
The REMUS will be equipped with
Side-Scan Sonar, an Acoustic Doppler
Velocity Current Profiler, an Optical
Sensors, Conductivity, Temperature, and
Depth sensors, and an external tracking
system. The complete REMUS will be used as
a test-platform for new oceanographic
sensors and for field research on chemical
plume dynamics in coastal waters.
"We are very excited about this new
project," said Hanson, "because the REMUS
vehicle will provide unique opportunities
for URI students and scientists in the
oceanography and ocean engineering
disciplines to gain research experience
with contemporary AUV and environmental
sensor technologies."
Hanson and Miller expect to demonstrate
the feasibility of automatically tracing
and mapping chemical plumes, and detecting
and localizing mine-like objects in very
shallow water environments by adapting new
chemical and acoustic sensors to AUVs.
They are collaborating on this project
with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in
Newport and the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution.
"This project is a synergistic one,"
said Miller. It combines oceanography and
ocean engineering, chemistry and sonar. It
has the potential to break new ground in
marine science and technology."
The URI Graduate School of Oceanography
is one of the country's largest marine
science education programs, and one of the
world's foremost marine research
institutions. Founded in 1961 in
Narragansett, RI, GSO serves a community
of scientists who are researching the
causes of and solutions to such problems
as acid rain, global warming, air and
water pollution, oil spills, overfishing,
and coastal erosion. GSO is home to the
Coastal Institute, the Coastal Resources
Center, Rhode Island Sea Grant, the Ocean
Technology Center, and the National Sea
Grant Library.
Established in 1966, the URI Department
of Ocean Engineering was the first of its
type in the United States and is
nationally and internationally recognized
as one of the leaders in the field. The
department, located on the URI Bay Campus,
provides a challenging and diverse
intellectual environment offering academic
programs leading to B.S., M.S., and Ph.D.
degrees. The more recently established
undergraduate program is one of a limited
number of ABET-accredited programs in the
country.
Contact: Lisa Cugini, (401) 874-6642,
lcugini@gso.uri.edu
Back to
GSO
News
