By Lighthouse R&D
On January 3rd, the Lighthouse Ocean Research Initiative II (LORI II) completed two years of operation. The system is rated to 4000 m and the three deployed moorings lie along the 3000 m contour line off the coast of Ras al Hadd, Sultanate of Oman. This is a very dynamic region where several bodies of water converge. The cutting-edge cabled observatory provides physical marine environmental information on a real-time basis.
Throughout the water column, current speeds and directions, temperature, pressure, derived salinity, dissolved oxygen contents, and turbidity are recorded hourly and instantly transmitted to an unmanned shore station. From the shore station, both the physical oceanographic data and system health information is relayed immediately to Lighthouse headquarters in Houston, Texas. Full duplex capability allows for sampling rates or instrument settings to be modified remotely; troubleshooting can also be carried out remotely. Another benefit of the system is that it is not exposed on the water’s surface, eliminating the possibility of weather damage, theft or vandalism.
The real-time data delivery allows for decision makers to rapidly respond to transient conditions and events. The two-year operational history of the project means that scientists have a long, continuous time series of oceanic data – this helps them to differentiate natural seasonal or annual fluctuations from unusual events. Easier identification of unusual events leads to faster, more appropriate action being taken to mitigate the often harmful consequences of inaction.
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Lighthouse R & D Enterprises, Inc. focuses on the research and development of technical applications for the marine environment and sources innovative ideas and technical breakthroughs that can be applied or modified to support the acquisition of reliable time-series data using the latest advances in technology.
