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Seminar: Research Cruise KM-2312A,B: ACO Service and DWS Deployment
25 October 2023 @ 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Clara Encke, Tyler Inkley, Kei Manabe, Will Robert, Merritt Shepherd, & Guilherme Silva
Department of Ocean & Resources Engineering
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Location Information
**This seminar will be held both in person (Bilger Hall 150) and over Zoom**
https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/95081858686
Meeting ID: 950 8185 8686
Passcode: OREseminar
The ALOHA Cabled Observatory (ACO) 100 km north of Oahu at Station ALOHA (A Long-term Oligotrophic Habitat Assessment) is the deepest (4728 m) power and internet node on the planet, returning oceanographic data from the seafloor in realtime to shore. The ACO has been operational with plug-and-play capability since 6 June 2011. On this cruise we serviced the Observatory, installing a new hydrophone and removing two failed cameras. The provision of any long-term sustainable power on the seafloor is a continuing challenge. The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) successfully deployed three prototype Deep Water Sentinel (DWS) fuel cells that take advantage of the difference in oxygen concentration in sediment (low) and in the water above (high) to generate a small amount of electrical power mediated by microbes in the sediment, ~50 mW. The ROV Lu‘ukai is the sine qua non for performing this work. Several days were devoted to testing before the science use, as it had been out of service during Covid – and ended up performing well. In this talk, graduate students within the Department of Ocean and Resources Engineering will detail their efforts contributed to the success of the science party as well as life on board a research vessel.