GHD has begun using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUD),
called a Seaglider, in what is believed to be the world’s
first commercial application of this advanced technology.
The instrument, which previously has been used mainly by
oceanographic research institutions, offers offshore operators a
new, reliable and cost-effective way of collecting high quality
spatial and temporal data for ocean and estuary environmental
monitoring without the costly and sometimes dangerous use of ship
time.
GHD has an exclusive agreement with the equipment owner, AUV Pty
Ltd, to apply the Seaglider to offshore commercial applications,
including using the data collected for environmental management and
compliance, and engineering design.
GHD has applied the Seaglider on three projects so far: a short
deployment to monitor effluent near a wastewater treatment outfall
north of Perth, and two deployments to characterise the coastal
conditions for proposed desalination plants for Perth and
Melbourne.
As Jose Romero, Manager Aquatic Sciences explains, “This new
marine monitoring technology is easy and safe to deploy, retrieve,
control remotely and provide real-time data display via satellite
telemetry.”
The instrument powers itself underwater using a ‘porpoising’
motion and can be deployed for up to a month and over a distance of
more than 1000km.
Jose Romero reports that his team is currently considering
attaching a small acoustic device developed for monitoring whales
to help determine suitable offshore drilling locations away from
the migrational pathways of whales.
“Having the Seaglider constantly moving over a wide area, as
opposed to the current process of monitoring via fixed buoys, or
the very expensive alternative of using ships, makes the process
dramatically more effective. We are sure there will be many more
exciting applications for this technology.”