[PRESS RELEASE] DeepEcho Module Successfully Integrated on a Seaglider

First Scientific Wide-Band Echosounder on an Ocean Glider Tested in the Mediterranean Sea

Cyprus Subsea Consulting and Services Ltd has advanced the capabilities of the Kongsberg M1 SeaGlider. On 5 June 2019, Cyprus Subsea successfully tested its new DeepEcho Module on a Seaglider off the coast of Limassol, Cyprus, in the Mediterranean Sea.

The DeepEcho Module is the first scientific wide-band echosounder – deployable to a depth of 1000 meters – successfully integrated onto an ocean glider. From copepods, krill and fish larvae to micro and macronekton, including fish, scientific echosounders identify and quantify components of the marine ecosystem on a range of scales. Such echosounders also identify gas bubbles in the water column, from seafloor seeps of CO2 or CH4 or leakages from subsea infrastructure.

CSCS redesigned the compact version of SIMRAD EK80 wideband transceiver (WBT) echosounder in order to fit in the M1 Seaglider payload bay. By reconfiguring the WBT electronics and placing them in a different geometrical configuration, these electronics fit into a cylindrical aluminium pressure housing. In addition to this reconfiguration, the design includes a 333 kHz single-beam transducer further streamlining the design by eliminating the need for one of the processing cards.

Seagliders and their payloads can efficiently and effectively map the oceans and their ecosystems. Steered by pilots on shore, gliders profile the ocean interior in sawtooth-shaped patterns for months at a time. They are inherently acoustically and electrically quiet, facilitating high-quality acoustic data with low levels of noise. Along with the integrated DeepEcho Module’s acoustic measurements, gliders concurrently profile the environmental context (i.e., temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, fluorescence of chlorophyll-a, colored dissolved organic matter, vertical currents, etc.). Unlike ships, the DeepEcho module-equipped Seaglider gliders reach a wide range of depths effectively and efficiently.

Later this year, the DeepEcho Module is scheduled to observe seafloor seeps in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is also planned to carry out surveys in the Norwegian seas to estimate biomass in the mesopelagic zone.

Please send a message to info@cyprus-subsea.com for more information.

Downloadable PDF: DeepEcho Module_Data Sheet_v2

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Cyprus Subsea Consulting and Services C.S.C.S. Ltd (CSCS) was founded in December of 2012 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The company blends academic and technical expertise with seagoing and survey experience to carry out scientific research, commercial and governmental projects in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Middle East, Europe and North America.

CSCS specializes in marine robotics and autonomous systems. Since its beginning, CSCS has been serving the public and private sectors with equipment maintenance, rentals and official resales, as well as data collection, analysis and reporting services. Our prime mission is to develop, operate and maintain ocean gliders and related services for use in science and industry.