BOT PRESS RELEASE: FEBRUARY 1998

BEDFORD INSTITUTE AND BROOKE OCEAN TECHNOLOGY DEVELOP NOVEL SENSOR PLATFORMS

Brooke Ocean Technology Ltd (BOT) of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada (http://www.brooke-ocean.com) and the Bedford Institute of Oceanography have teamed up to develop two leading edge sensor platforms which will significantly improve how data is collected from vessels and moored platforms.

1) The Moving Vessel Profiler (MVP™) was developed as a method of measuring water column parameters from an underway vessel. MVP™ utilizes a recoverable free fall fish, computer controlled winch and davit system. The free fall fish can be outfitted with a CTD sensor or Sound Velocity sensor. Alternatively a multiparameter free fall fish can be instrumented with a CTD, fluorometer and Laser Optical Plankton Counter (LOPC). Because the fish is allowed to free fall during its descent, it is possible to achieve much greater depths than a comparable towed system. MVP™ is capable of collecting a profile to a depth of 200 m while the vessel is underway at a speed of 12 knots. Higher speeds and greater depths are also possible. MVP™ is PC controlled and can be set to automatically collect a profile at preset time intervals or on command by clicking an icon on the control interface. Operational safeguards including a bottom avoidance algorithm have been incorporated into the system.

Two MVP™ systems are now in service; one is used to collect sound velocity profiles while the other operates a multi-parameter fish. Recently a MVP™ system equipped with a sound velocity sensor was used to collect 256 SV profiles in 5 hours as part of a multibeam survey. The hydrographers operating this system report that MVP™ is saving 3 hours per day of ship time, with additional benefits resulting from decreased post processing and increased allowable swath width.

The multi-parameter system was recently used to collect over 100 profiles (CTD, plankton and fluorometry) at depths between 50 and 200 meters over an 8 hour period. Survey speed was 8 knots. A paper will be presented at Oceanology '98 which will present the data collected.

The Bedford Institute has recently announced that MVP™ will be replacing towed undulating profilers presently in operation at that facility.

2) The SeaHorse(TM) is a moored profiling system which utilizes surface wave energy to travel down a taut mooring wire. Once SeaHorse reaches the bottom of the mooring the computer controller will wait for its next preprogrammed ascent time before disengaging the climbing mechanism. Once disengaged, the buoyant package floats to the surface. During the ascent the instrumentation is activated and a water column profile is collected.

SeaHorse permits a complete vertical profile to be obtained with a single sensor, thus eliminating the need for multiple sensors and ensuring continuous data coverage. It can be used for long term monitoring of the water column parameters for physical and biological oceanography and toxic bloom monitoring.

SeaHorse was recently outfitted with a CTD, fluorometer and turbidity sensor and moored at the landfall site for the Sable Offshore Energy Project's natural gas pipeline. It completed more than 400 return trips from the surface to near bottom over a 5 week period.

BOT will be showcasing both products at Oceanology International 98, 10-13 March 1998, Brighton, UK.

	For further information contact:
		Brooke Ocean Technology Ltd. 50 Thornhill Dr., Unit 11, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada B3B 1S1 Tel: (902) 468-2928 Fax: (902) 468-1388 sales@brooke-ocean.com