The SeaKeeper 1000TM Monitoring System to
Address Oil Spill Disaster
Commercial hydrocarbon sensors have been successfully adapted and deployed in existing Seakeeper 1000 installations. Funding is urgently needed to quickly install sensors within the existing fleet in addition to equipping new vessels, and to fund the related research.
In response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, International SeaKeepers Society, in cooperation with their commercial partner YSI, Inc., and the University of South Florida as part of the Florida Institute of Oceanography has adapted a C3 Hydrocarbon sensor from Turner Designs to integrate into its proprietary SeaKeeper 1000 oceanographic and atmospheric data acquisition system. In incorporating the hydrocarbon sensor, the SeaKeeper 1000 unit is now capable of mapping the dilute hydrocarbon (oil) plumes and the extent the oil has spread
Under the leadership of Dr. Mark E. Luther at the University of South Florida, the hydrocarbon sensor has been successfully deployed to the area of the spill on R/V WeatherBird II. SeaKeepers’ ability to gather meteorological and oceanographic data provides a more comprehensive dataset. "The SeaKeeper 1000 system is a powerful ocean observing tool capable of collecting, and both spatially and temporally tagging data from multiple meteorological and in-water sensors from a variety of manufacturers, with real-time data telemetry via satellite," said Dr. Luther, Associate Professor and Director of the USF Ocean Monitoring and Prediction Lab.
The SeaKeepers’ autonomous, flow-through survey system seamlessly merges GPS data with crude oil concentration (and data from other 3rd party sensors) to allow quick mapping of the survey area. All data are logged to the onboard computer and are transmitted to a website, via satellite telemetry. The information is made available, without cost, to marine and atmospheric scientists, enabling further study.
SeaKeepers is actively soliciting funding to monitor and track this unparalleled catastrophe. While the sensor works extremely well in blue water, further refinements are needed for close inshore monitoring due to potential interference of color dissolved organic matter. “The more data that can be gathered from the open and coastal waters of the West Coast of Florida, the Keys, and the East Coast of the United States, the better equipped scientists will be to provide answers on the effects of the oil spill. A base line must be established quickly,” said SeaKeepers President Dean C. Klevan. “Dr. Luther’s research proves that this technology works…and it is ready now.”
The innovative SeaKeepers hydro-carbon solution can greatly enhance the scientific understanding as the spill spreads. This is vital for coastal areas in the Keys and up the east coast of the United States. These deployments represent an important collaboration by private, public, and academic interested parties.
For more information, images and/or interview requests, please contact SeaKeepers at +1 (786) 877-0757 or via email at dklevan@seakeepers.org.
www.seakeepers.org
For information on the research, please contact University of South Florida, Dr. Mark Luther, at +1 (727) 553-1528 or via email at luther@marine.usf.edu.
http://ompl.marine.usf.edu
For technical information, please contact YSI at +1 (727) 565-2201 or via email at tspranger@ysi.com
www.ysi.com
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