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Technology and Support of Ocean and Atmospheric Research

Underwater Plane

Scripps researchers have redesigned an existing towed instrument package to track specific paths through the ocean. SeaSoar is a remotely controlled hydroplane that carries an instrument to measure ocean temperature, salinity, and pressure. Equipped with a pair of stubby, upside-down wings that double as diving planes, the craft is "flown" through the water.

Ocean Conditions on the Web

The Scripps Marine Observatory is providing scientists and San Diego-area boaters with real-time data on coastal ocean conditions via the Internet. The 33-foot-diameter observatory, a converted NOAA weather buoy, is approximately three miles off Point La Jolla, California, and a second buoy was deployed about 15 miles off this coast. The buoys provide the latest air temperature, water temperature, wind speed, wind direction, surface wave, and humidity readings. Scientists use the floating research platforms to study everything from the distribution of phytoplankton in the ocean to long-term changes in ocean temperature and El Niño events.

Ocean Imaging with Laser Precision

Scientists in the Scripps Marine Physical Laboratory are developing underwater cameras and other high-tech remote-sensing devices that are pushing the boundaries of ocean imaging. One instrument, "3-D Sea Scan," uses a sophisticated scanning device and laser technology to produce vivid three-dimensional "movies" of life on the seafloor. This level of detail gives scientists a new tool for understanding marine ecology and depicting biological activity. 3-D Sea Scan is an optical imaging system that can view objects and organisms with a range of accuracy down to the thickness of a penny and lateral resolution to 1/25th of an inch. The U.S. Navy has sponsored the development of 3-D Sea Scan to help detect underwater mines. Other commercial uses for 3-D Sea Scan include three-dimensional sensing of underwater pipes used in oil and gas lines. 3-D Sea Scan also can give marine archaeologists a way of three-dimensionally characterizing sunken ships, wreckage, and other objects.

Research Diving Program

The research diving program at Scripps is the oldest research diving program in the United States. Scripps pioneered the use of self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba) in research diving and was the first oceanographic institution to use scuba on a research expedition. Scripps held the first nonmilitary scuba class in the United States during the summer of 1951. The Scripps research diving program trains and certifies all staff, students, and faculty who require scuba diving as part of their research. The Scripps diving safety officer is responsible for the safety of all Scripps divers, locally and throughout the world.

Acoustic Daylight

Scripps researchers have developed new imaging technology that allows them to "see" underwater using naturally occurring sounds. Called acoustic daylight, the technology uses the sound generated by bubbles formed at the surface of the ocean and by biological sources such as snapping shrimp. These sounds bounce off objects they come in contact with and the reflected sounds are detected and focused to form an image of the object, which can then be displayed on a monitor. Acoustic daylight will be useful for underwater navigation and salvage in poor light conditions, and because the technology is not detectable, it may also prove useful for defense purposes such as detection of mines and submarines and for protecting harbors and moored ships.

Satellite Maps of the Polar Regions

The Scripps Arctic and Antarctic Research Center (AARC) maintains an extensive archive of high-resolution satellite imagery of the polar regions. Satellite overpasses are tracked by antennas located at McMurdo and Palmer stations in Antarctica, and by U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers, and the recorded data are sent to AARC for archiving and dissemination to the oceanographic research community. AARC's satellite data have been used by researchers worldwide, working in many disciplines, including Antarctic ecology, sea-ice studies related to climate change, polar meteorology, and space physics. AARC also provides near-real-time maps of Antarctic sea-ice concentrations for distribution to research vessels operating at southern high latitudes.

Wireless Technology Aids Earthquake Studies

Scripps researchers are using a prototype high-performance, wide-area wireless network to study earthquakes. The three-year, multi-institutional project is being led by the San Diego Supercomputer Center and geophysicists from Scripps IGPP. Points in the wireless network include a number of mountaintops in San Diego County, such as Mt. Woodson, Mt. Laguna, Mt. Palomar, and Toro Peak. The network will help in monitoring earthquake sensors, which researchers have deployed along the earthquake faults that cut through the deserts and mountains of southern California.

Hydraulics Laboratory

The Scripps Hydraulics Laboratory is a one-of-a-kind facility to support physical and biological oceanographic research. Some of the specialized equipment and facilities it offers include a 44.5-meter-long wind wave channel, a large-wave basin to simulate beach formation and erosion, a 33-meter-long glass-walled wave channel, a 10.5-meter-deep seawater tank, a 30-meter-long stratified flow channel, and a pressure test chamber.

The Scripps Fleet

The Scripps Fleet of four oceanographic research vessels and the research platform FLIP make up one of the largest academic fleets in the world. The institution's newest research vessel, the 274-foot R/V Roger Revelle, is named for the former director of Scripps and founder of the University of California, San Diego. Scripps ships have state-of-the-art research instruments to study marine life, the oceans, the seafloor, and the atmosphere. Cruises vary from local trips to expeditions as long as two-and-a-half years. Scripps research ships, available to scientists around the world, have steamed more than 6 million nautical miles in support of science and the academic community.

Finding a Hole at the Bottom of the Ocean

Scripps scientists and engineers have developed the capability of installing and removing equipment in small holes on the ocean floor. Using a special control vehicle, logging tools and seismometers have been lowered into existing holes as small as one to four meters in diameter in 8,200 to 16,400 feet of water from research ships such as Roger Revelle and Melville. In the past, such operations could only be carried out from drill ships or manned submersibles. In an upcoming operation, this system will be used to place two 984-foot-long equipment strings in adjacent boreholes in 13,000 feet of water off Costa Rica to carry out studies of how water permeates and circulates in Earth's crust.

FLIP

The one-of-a-kind, 355-foot-long FLIP (FLoating Instrument Platform) was designed at Scripps to provide a stable platform for acoustic research. After being towed to a designated research location, the ballast tanks are flooded, causing it to "flip" into a vertical position. With 300 feet of structures below the ocean surface, FLIP is an extremely stable platform for conducting a variety of research projects.