The location of lost or entangled fishing gear, known as derelict gear, is detected. The motion or change of position of a buoy attached to fishing gear is determined via sensors mounted on the buoy and compared to typical buoy motion. If the buoy has moved beyond a threshold value from its original location, an alert is sent to the fisherman. The available sensor data will be used to determine the likelihood of loss or entanglement. This alert facilitates recovery of lost or entangled gear by identifying where immediate retrieval efforts should be focused. The number of traps lost to the ocean that otherwise would continue to trap or entangle marine life may be reduced.

An underwater data capture and transmission system has a base configured to sink in water, at least one sensor configured to capture data while submerged in water, a processing unit configured to receive data collected by the sensor, and a variable buoy. The variable buoy has a ballast system configured to adjust a depth of the variable buoy in the water, and a communication device configured to transmit data to a remote communications device. The system further has at least one tether connecting at least the base, the processing unit, and the variable buoy.

A bathythermograph buoy and an associated method of operation are provided to measure temperature and/or optionally other parameter(s) within an ocean or another body of water. A bathythermograph buoy includes a housing and one or more sensors carried by the housing and configured to repeatedly measure one or more respective parameters as the bathythermograph buoy descends. The bathythermograph buoy of one example also includes a memory carried by the housing and configured to store representations of the one or more respective parameters measured by the one or more sensors. The bathythermograph buoy further includes a buoyancy modification device configured to increase buoyancy of the bathythermograph buoy to permit the bathythermograph buoy to ascend.

A system for supporting timely, informed decision making with respect to commencing and terminating offshore construction operations within a predetermined zone using a situational awareness tool not compromised by weather, poor-visibility, or a simple protected species observer (PSO) conundrum of not being able to see all things at all times, and for identification of marine mammalian species present at an offshore construction site that is sensor and platform agnostic comprises a plurality of sensors, a predetermined subset of the plurality of sensors operational without requiring daylight, the sensors operative to deliver data from which targets are determined and from which their position information can be derived; a data communicator operative to allow provide real-time data to a data viewer; a data processor operatively in communication with the plurality of sensors and the data communicator; and a display operatively in communication with the data communicator and operative to display a representation of real-time data, the display comprising a visual interface operatively connected to the data processor and comprising a human machine interface centralized display.

The present invention discloses an air-sea buoy monitoring system towards mid-latitude ocean including a meteorological data acquisition system, an underwater data acquisition system and a central processor. It collects data through different sensors via both meteorology and underwater data acquisition systems, and then transmits data to a central processor. The data collected by meteorology and underwater data acquisition systems will be analyzed and visualized via an information processing system and an image processing system. An alarm module is provided to alarm when meteorological data/value exceeds a certain threshold. This buoy monitoring system ensures the long term, continuous and simultaneous observation of multi-level/multi-factors for the air-sea interface and underwater oceanic environment at a fixed point, with the data being transmitted to shore-based data center in real time via communication satellites.

An acoustic monitoring system characterizes, classifies, and geo-locates anthropogenic and natural sounds in near real time. The system includes a compact array of three acoustic vector sensors, which measures acoustic pressure and the three-dimensional particle velocity vector associated with the propagation of an acoustic wave, thereby inherently providing bearing information to an underwater source of sound. Beamforming techniques provide sound source localization, allowing for characterization of the acoustic signature of specific underwater acoustic sources.

An acoustic monitoring system characterizes, classifies, and geo-locates anthropogenic and natural sounds in near real time. The system includes a compact array of three acoustic vector sensors, which measures acoustic pressure and the three-dimensional particle velocity vector associated with the propagation of an acoustic wave, thereby inherently providing bearing information to an underwater source of sound. Beamforming techniques provide sound source localization, allowing for characterization of the acoustic signature of specific underwater acoustic sources.

A container for housing and launching sonobuoy having a diverter and a casing divided into two portions by a cap. The container is configured to make a presence or an absence of the cap selective so as to be adapted to house and launch a single buoy of class A.

The present disclosure relates to drifters that float and take measurements at, or very near, a surface of a body of water. The drifters may have a design that reduces wind force effects but does not diminish Stokes drift force effects. The drifters may have two opposing exterior surfaces with antennas and sensors on each of the opposing surfaces so that the drifters may always utilize at least some of the antennas and sensors, regardless of the drifter's orientation in the water.

A submergible wave energy converter and method for using the same are described. In one embodiment, the wave energy converter may be used for deep water operations. In one embodiment, the submergible wave energy converter is an autonomous unmanned vehicle that enables remote ocean power generation. In one embodiment, the wave energy converter apparatus comprises an absorber having a body with an upper surface and a bottom surface and at least one power take-off (PTO) unit coupled to the absorber and configured to displace movement of the absorber body relative to a reference, where the power take-off unit is operable to perform motion energy conversion based on displacement of the absorber body relative to the reference in response to wave excitation, and where the power take-off unit is operable to return the absorber body from a displaced position to a predefined equilibrium position and to provide a force acting on the absorber body for energy extraction.