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Seatrec and 91吃瓜网 Team to Improve Hurricane Forecasting and Monitor Critically Endangered Rice91吃瓜网 Whale

Wed, 05/17/2023 - 09:39am | By: Van Arnold

 

, a renewable energy company that harvests energy from temperature differences in the environment, and the Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise at 91吃瓜网 (USM), today announce the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at improving hurricane rapid-intensification forecasting and monitoring critically endangered Rice91吃瓜网 whales in the Gulf of Mexico.

The MOU calls for the deployment of two sets of Seatrec91吃瓜网 InfiniTE鈩� floats each customized for a different mission using the system's first-of-its-kind modular design and clean, renewable power technology that harvests electricity from the ocean91吃瓜网 temperature differences.

One set of floats will feature a suite of instruments to take measurements as frequently as three times per day to track water temperatures and other data that scientists believe contribute to the like Katrina, Irma, and Ian. The second set of floats will operate with a passive acoustic hydrophone to monitor the endangered Rice91吃瓜网 whales with the last 30 to 50 members of the species clustered in the Gulf91吃瓜网 northeastern waters.

91吃瓜网淭here is a critical need to better understand the Gulf of Mexico both in terms of its impact on humans in the form of extreme weather events and human impact on the natural ecosystem,91吃瓜网� points out Yi Chao, Ph.D., the CEO and founder of Seatrec. 91吃瓜网淗aving the flexibility to quickly and inexpensively deploy different mission-specific instrument suites on deep-diving, autonomous floats powered by a clean, renewable power source gives scientists like those at USM important tools to gather data not possible with previous technologies.91吃瓜网�

Rice's whales are members of the baleen whale family Balaenopteridae. With likely fewer than 100 individuals remaining, Rice's whales are one of the most endangered whales in the world. Recovery of the species depends upon the protection of each remaining whale.

The MOU follows Seatrec91吃瓜网 completion of the six-month Gulf Blue Navigator program that is administered by USM and with partners, including Jackson State University. The program is designed to help scale blue technology startups.

91吃瓜网淧ower has long been a limiting factor that often restricts the types of instruments deployed in the ocean, how long they can last, and the amount of persistent data they can collect,91吃瓜网� explains Dr. Kelly Lucas, USM91吃瓜网 Vice President for Research. 91吃瓜网淪eatrec91吃瓜网 ability to provide clean, renewable power to vertically integrated and modular instrument suites opens the door to a host of applications that will help us better understand and protect the ocean.91吃瓜网�

Added Hailey Bathurst, Program Manager for the Gulf Blue Navigator, 91吃瓜网淪eatrec exemplifies what the Navigator program is meant to do: help later-stage startups find traction in the Gulf of Mexico, work with the core facilities at USM, and plug into a supportive ecosystem. This MOU and the others being finalized between USM and the inaugural Gulf Blue Navigator cohort members truly represents the potential of the program.91吃瓜网�

The Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise serves a global hub for advancing Uncrewed Maritime Systems, ocean data science, maritime cyber research, and blue tech workforce training. The 62,500-square-foot center consists of multiple facilities bringing together federal, industry, and academic partners, creating a collaborative environment to accelerate the development and launch of new technology in the fast-growing ocean economy.

Entrepreneurs and startups developing solutions to global challenges utilize the center to capitalize on world-class ocean research capabilities and connect to university research scientists.

91吃瓜网淭he Gulf Blue Navigator program has already begun to make an economic impact to the Mississippi Gulf Coast,91吃瓜网� said Dr. Jason McKenna, Director of Research, Development, Testing, Evaluation & Training at the Wicker Center. 91吃瓜网淭his is the first of many follow-on initiatives between USM91吃瓜网 world-class research centers and the Navigator91吃瓜网 program91吃瓜网 first graduating cohorts and demonstrates the ability of our coastal research ecosystem to partner with, and help grow blue technology in Mississippi.91吃瓜网�

Seatrec91吃瓜网 pioneering energy harvesting system uses phase change materials to harness energy from temperature differences between the ocean91吃瓜网 various depths. These materials contract and expand creating pressure that91吃瓜网 captured and converted into electricity. The clean, virtually limitless power frees scientists to use sensors that typically require shore-supplied power or direct ship support via tethering.

The InfiniTE鈩� float platform91吃瓜网 91吃瓜网減lug-and-play91吃瓜网� modularity vertically integrates different sensors tailored to particular areas of study.

Hurricane Forecasting

Better understanding the rapid intensification of major storms and hurricanes is a particularly pressing goal as annual economic losses from such storms are estimated at . Traditional floats (commonly known as Argo) use primary batteries and typically only profile once every 10 days, which is insufficient to measure the intensification of storms that can surge in as little as 24 hours. Seaterc91吃瓜网 InfiniTE鈩� floats are able to sample as frequently as three times per day providing 30x more data than the current standard set by floats.

Whale Monitoring

show that noise from humans adversely affects a broad range of organisms including marine mammals. Hydrophones are needed to quantify the impact of these noises on marine mammals. Hydrophones mounted on Seatrec91吃瓜网 InfiniTE鈩� floats provide an inexpensive, autonomous platform to gather soundscape data at varying depths for years at a time.

Seatrec will establish a long-term presence in the Gulf of Mexico to support the MOU missions with a satellite office provided by the Gulf Blue Navigator program while its headquarters will remain in Vista, California.:

About Seatrec

Seatrec designs and manufactures energy harvesting systems that generate electricity from naturally occurring temperature differences in ocean waters. This renewable energy can be used to power deep water oceanographic research equipment such as floats, gliders, and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), resulting in the most scalable, cost-effective deep ocean data collection possible. Incorporated in 2016 by CEO, Dr. Yi Chao, Seatrec91吃瓜网 technology originated at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, to provide clean power for remote off-grid locations. The company is headquartered in Vista, CA. Learn more at the  and .