L4 Autonomous Buoy back on station
21 June 2024
Following the planned major overhaul and sensor upgrades, the L4 Autonomous Buoy has now been deployed back on station at the L4 sampling site, 4 nautical miles South of Rame Head.
L4 autonomous buoy deployment - image credit: Jani Pewter, Instrument and Data Technician
Our Operations at Sea Manager, John ‘Mac’ McDonald said:
"We'd like to share a special thanks to everyone who has supported this evolution; in particular, to the Crew of Plymouth Quest, who's applied professionalism has demonstrated yet again, why they are so integral to PML operations, and also to the Smart Sound Team who's technical ‘know-how’ ensure that PML remain at the forefront of this technology."
"The L4 autonomous buoy now has a sophisticated winch system that will profile a suite of sensors through the water column, measuring temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, CDOM and turbidity. Additional to the profiler, the buoy will measure in water pH, ADCP for current measurements and has a wave sensor. Above water, the buoy measures radiometry and in collaboration with the Met Office, a full suite of meteorological sensors. The L4 buoy is now integrated into the new Steatite Wave Relay, regarded as the most powerful, scalable, and versatile Mobile Ad-Hoc Network (MANET) datalink in the world. Combined with this, L4 will be the fundamental surface link supporting the Sonardyne subsurface communications and positioning network."
L4 autonomous buoy deployment - image credit: Jani Pewter, Instrument and Data Technician
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