BOSTON ENGINEERING CORPORATION — Department of Commerce SBIR Phase I: There are currently no inexpensive observing systems that detect temperature, salinity and

Description

There are currently no inexpensive observing systems that detect temperature, salinity and currents under the ocean's surface - all important factors in predicting the intensity of hurricanes. Boston Engineering proposes to develop the Multi-Purpose Above Surface/Below Surface Expendable Dropsondes (MASED). Our design builds on the highly successful air dropsondes already in use, combined with an innovative yet inexpensive underwater sonde that has the ability to measure all underwater parameters of interest, and surface and dive several times using a controlled buoyancy system. The major benefits of our proposed approach are: low cost components, a buoyancy control system to allow several dive/surface trips, a modular design to add or remove certain sensors, a structure that can withstand the impact of hitting the ocean surface after deployment from an aircraft, and integrating the technology from the widely used dropsondes on the market.