Page 53: of Marine Technology Magazine (March 2020)

Wirewalker can turn these one-dimensional signals into two- of Naval Research funded projects in the Bay of Bengal, the dimensional depth-time images, enabling much more ocean North Atlantic and North Paci? c, as well as by the Scripps information to be collected and insight to be gained from ex- Institution of Oceanography off the coast of southern Cali- periments.” fornia, USA. The projects have covered two broad areas of

With no need for electronics, motors or computers to control research: 1) characterizing ocean mixed layer velocities free the Wirewalker’s movement, there are fewer moving parts to from the in? uence of surface waves, and 2) obtaining vertical break down. On-board batteries are only used to power the resolution of velocity ? uctuations on small scales over large attached instruments. depth ranges.

Crucially, the Wirewalker does not require a suite of spe- One particular research project where the Wirewalker/Nortek cially designed instruments to capture data. For the most part, combination has been particularly useful focuses on under- researchers can mount their existing instruments on the Wire- standing how internal waves and other small-scale physical walker. “It is a force multiplier,” Pinkel states. “Almost any dynamics drive air–sea exchange. As Lucas explains, “The internally recording instrument can be mounted on a Wire- aim is to improve how the in? uence of the ocean on the at- walker and used without extensive modi? cation.” mosphere, and vice versa, are included in weather and climate

The Wirewalker, which costs less than most of the instru- forecasts.” ments that it can carry, can be deployed as a single ? xed moor- Another research project has successfully demonstrated the ing or as an array of moorings, or can act as a drifter. This critical (and somewhat under-appreciated) role internal waves ? exibility makes it suitable for a range of different research play on processes that control carbon ? xation and productiv- programs. ity.

Since development began in 1998, researchers at Scripps In- stitution of Oceanography have paired the Wirewalker with Improving accessibility several different instruments, including Nortek’s Aquadopp Commercial production of the Wirewalker started in 2015, and Signature current pro? lers, which Lucas says have pro- though Del Mar Oceanographic is continually improving its vided critical, high-resolution measurements of current veloc- usability for researchers, including accessibility to the data ity. captured by any instruments mounted on it. “In many experi- “Nortek has been very helpful in adapting the Aquadopp ments, the data very quickly become more valuable than the and Signature products to the Wirewalker platform,” Lucas Wirewalker and its instruments,” Pinkel says. The company is reports, noting that the vertical movement of the platform pre- currently upgrading the Wirewalker’s ability to transmit data sented a unique set of challenges that needed to be overcome to shore via GSM, VHS and the Iridium satellite constellation. during the Wirewalker’s development phase. In the future, they will also harness wave energy to power the

The Wirewalker/Nortek combination has been used in sev- instruments that the Wirewalker carries, further extending the eral locations around the globe, including by the USA’s Of? ce potential duration of deployments.

The Wirewalker can turn one-dimensional signals into 2D The Signature1000 is a versatile ADCP capable of mea- depth-time images, enabling more ocean information to suring mean currents and turbulence, as well as wave height and direction.

be collected and insight to be gained from experiments.

All Images: NORTEK www.marinetechnologynews.com

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