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How ACG's under-ice sound communication system works.

How ACG's under-ice sound communication system works.
How ACG's under-ice sound communication system works.
How ACG's under-ice sound communication system works.
How ACG's under-ice sound communication system works.
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290631
Taylor, Eric S.
How ACG's under-ice sound communication system works.
Illustration
05/09/2008
Freitag.jpg
Caption in Oceanus magazine, Vol. 52, No. 2, pg. 49:
Warmer water enters the Arctic Ocean from both the Atlantic side and the Bering Sea on the Pacific side, trapping a layer of cold Arctic water in between. The cold layer acts as a sound duct, channeling sound waves that refract from the warm layers. The sound waves remain in the duct and travel long distances. WHOI engineer Lee Freitag and colleagues tested a new under-ice sound system using buoys that suspend sound beacons and receivers into the sound duct. Using acoustic signals, underwater vehicles can navigate and communicate with the buoys, which can transmit signals to scientists on shore.
Image Of the Day caption:
WHOI engineers led by Lee Freitag have developed and tested a long-distance communications system that would transmit and receive signals under Arctic Ocean sea ice. They exploited a naturally occurring layer of cold water that forms in the Arctic Ocean, bounded above and below by warmer layers. This acts as a "sound duct" that channels sound waves over long distances. Sound beacons suspended in the channel emit signals that travel to other buoys and to autonomous underwater vehicles, enabling them to navigate and collect data in ice-covered areas where ships and people cannot easily travel. Data is relayed from the buoys to scientists via satellite.
Oceanus online caption:
The long-range under-ice sound communication system developed by WHOI engineer Lee Freitag and his colleagues: In the Arctic Ocean, a cold water layer bounded above and below by warmer layers acts as a "sound duct" that channels sound waves over long distances. Sound beacons suspended in the channel emit information-carrying sound signals that travel to other buoys and to autonomous underwater vehicles under the ice. Data is relayed from the buoys to scientists via satellite.
Illustration by Eric S. Taylor, WHOI Creative
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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