Some of the most dynamic changes caused by a seafloor
volcanic eruption
occur within days to weeks after the event, often before a ship can be
deployed. The goal for NeMO is to have an AUV stationed at Axial to act
as a first response tool to an event and collect critical data. The AUV
would
be docked most of the time at the base of a mooring attached to a surface
buoy. Scientists would be able to communicate to a satellite on the buoy
to
send instructions to the AUV via an acoustic modem on the instrument.
Within a few years, we hope to have an autonomous underwater
vehicle (AUV) deployed at
Axial. Unlike ROVs which are tethered to a ship, AUVs operate without
a ship nearby as
they are unattached. They are small battery-powered vehicles that can
swim freely and
carry out pre-determined missions with a suite of sensors.
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