Project: AUV-based geoacoustical mapping of benthic habitats in Delaware Bay (R/ECO-6)

Principal Investigators: Arthur Trembanis and Doug Miller, University of Delaware

Researchers Art Trembanis and Doug Miller are using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to learn more about specific habitats on the bottom of Delaware Bay. Some of these habitats support diverse communities of organisms and are known as fishing hotspots by recreational anglers, but scientists don’t know much about them.

The AUV is a torpedo-shaped robot that can swim untethered through the water to collect data. It uses sophisticated sonar sensors to take acoustic “pictures” of the seafloor and gathers water quality information and other data that will help the scientists determine the factors contributing to the areas’ ecological productivity.

See below for the full project abstract.