Description
The U.S. Geological Survey is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research on evaluating the operational readiness of a low-cost autonomous underwater vehicle called the JaiaBot BIO. The project aims to examine the operational readiness of commercially available autonomous underwater vehicle technology coupled with in-situ water quality sensors for quantifying the distribution and severity of events that compromise water quality in near real time. The project will be conducted in Lake Champlain and will involve the use of four JaiaBot BIO autonomous underwater vehicles. The expected deliverables include raw data collected using the AUVs and field meters, and a summary report containing a summary of findings.
Key aspects of the project include:
* Conducting targeted data-informed drone deployments to quantify the distribution of water constituents of interest in Lake Champlain
* Conducting targeted data/model-informed drone deployments to quantify the distribution of cyanobacteria and bottom water hypoxia during summer low flow conditions in eutrophic bays of Lake Champlain
* Comparing insights gleaned from AUV to those gleaned from satellites and fixed monitoring platforms to determine strengths and limitations of this technology relative to more conventional applications
The project duration will be 24 months from the receipt of funds, and the total estimated funding for this project is $299,971.