New funding to support monitoring of Alaska’s oceans
August 31, 2015
Deborah Mercy
907-274-9698
Oceanographic monitoring from rugged, remote terrain in the Arctic will soon be possible thanks to new funding for a tiny renewable battery for high-frequency radar systems.
In 2010, University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers led by Tom Weingartner developed the first wind- and solar–charged remote power module for oceanographic monitoring.
Recently, UAF researchers received funding to create the RPM-Lite from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Center for Island, Maritime, and Extreme Environment Security. The RPM-Lite should be smaller, faster and easier to deploy than the original RPM.
The RPM delivers energy to operate high-frequency radar systems collecting data in regions that are not hooked up to a stable energy source. Renewable energy for the radars is needed in Alaska, where installation locations ideal for collecting ocean data rarely line up with stable power sources in coastal villages.
High-frequency radars are used all over the United States to map surface ocean currents, predict the flow of oil spills, help with Coast Guard search and rescue missions and increase maritime domain awareness. UAF radar systems use a frequency of 5 megahertz to detect currents up to 200 kilometers offshore.
Remote power modules were created because radar systems require renewable power sources to operate without interruption. The original, highly successful RPM is primarily powered by wind energy.
The new RPM-Lite will use the same wind and solar technology but will be much smaller than the original 16-by-24-foot RPMs.
“Instead of four wind turbines and several solar panels, the RPM-Lite may only use one wind turbine, one or two solar panels, and less batteries than the original RPM. That is something we will figure out in the development stage,” said Rachel Potter, research associate with the physical oceanography group at the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.
The original RPM can be set up on coastlines using a combination of small planes, boats, four-wheelers and snowmachines. The goal is for the RPM-Lite systems to be deployed by a helicopter instead. This opens up a number of new locations for data collection where deployments are challenging, such as on rocky coasts.
High-frequency radars have two antennas — one transmits a signal, and the other receives the signal that bounces back. The radars continuously measure ocean currents by calculating the displacement between the signals that are sent out and received. They can provide new data on surface conditions every hour.
“This kind of data can be used by oceanographers, the military and industry to know what currents are doing. They rely on this data when they want to drill, or perform a search and rescue–type operation or a cleanup operation. A marine vessel can use it to capture the fastest current to save on fuel,” said Potter.
The physical oceanography group has radar systems set up to collect oceanographic data in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. The researchers recently deployed additional radar systems in Antarctica using the original RPMs.
Development of the RPM-Lite is anticipated to take about one year.
ON THE WEB: http://www.ims.uaf.edu/artlab/instruments/RPM.php
CONTACTS: Rachel Potter, rapotter@alaska.edu, 907-474-5709; Lauren Frisch, lcfrisch@alaska.edu, 907-474-5022