Wave-Powered Rapid Vertical Profiling System for Accurate Water Column Observation

United States of America
Del Mar Oceanographic

Wave-Powered Rapid Vertical Profiling System for Accurate Water Column Observation

Del Mar Oceanographic is an expert developer of ocean science technologies and the creator of the Wirewalker vertical profiling system. With roots in the Ocean Physics Group at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, we are passionate about wave-powered technology and the scientific advancements that it enables.

Our expert and ever-expanding team of oceanographers, engineers, and technicians is dedicated to making accurate water column observation accessible to a wide range of users, and to improving our knowledge and understanding of the world’s oceans

The Wirewalker

Versatile wave-powered platform for vertical ocean profiling

Wirewalker rapid vertical profiling system

The Wirewalker is a rapid vertical profiling system designed to gather a wide variety of oceanographic data. The system itself is 100% mechanical and powered solely by the waves, with batteries used only to power the internal instrumentation.

Designed to operate under a wide range of wave conditions, the Wirewalker is effective under short period wind chop as well as in large waves during powerful storms.  Offering fast and continuous profiling, it allows rapidly-evolving small-scale phenomena to be monitored over longer climatological time scales.

Wirewalker oceanographic profilerThe modular system can be easily equipped with custom sensor suites to suit the requirements of virtually any application. Sensors that our clients are currently using in the field include:

  • CTDs (conductivity, temperature, and depth)
  • Dissolved oxygen sensors
  • Fluorometers (such as Chlorophyll-A and FDOM)
  • Turbidity, backscatter, and other optical parameters
  • Radiometers and PAR
  • Plankton Imagers
  • ADCP (acoustic Doppler current profiler)

How the Wirewalker works

Wirewalker underwater profiling systemThe Wirewalker utilizes a compact and lightweight buoy that offers a significant amount of buoyancy. Attached to this is a profiling wire, held taut and vertical by a downweight and allowing a profiling unit to descend along its length and ascend again.

For real time applications, the insulated wire allows an inductive modem to transfer data from the profiling unit up to the telemetry system in the buoy.

Watch the video below for a visualization of the Wirewalker in action:

The system is capable of profiling to within a meter of the surface and at depths of down to 1000 meters, with typical rates of around 10 meters per minute or over 100 kilometers in a week.

In addition to being allowed to drift freely with the currents, the Wirewalker can also be moored to the sea floor via a number of different arrangements. These moorings have been proven from just a few meters depth to full ocean deployments in thousands of meters. Two Wirewalker units can even be deployed on a single mooring, allowing ultra-high resolution data capture of the upper water column to be undertaken concurrently with readings of the deeper ocean.

Why use the Wirewalker?

A traditional mooring with multiple sensors captures information at particular depths throughout the water column. However, with limited vertical resolution much of the full picture is missing. We know the ocean is dynamic, non-homogenous nor perfectly stratified. It is complex, with dynamic interplays between layers of warmer, less dense and cooler, more dense layers of water.

Wirewalker Illustration

By moving fast sampling sensors vertically through the water column, and providing rapid profiling relative to the oscillations in the ocean, the Wirewalker captures a detailed and accurate view of the oceans interior. The resultant two-dimensional image captured over both depth and time enables observers to gain a new level of intuition and understanding of the physical variability of the ocean.

For examples of real-world data profiles collected using the Wirewalker, look at these case studies on our website:

  • Free drift – a two-week deployment in the Bay of Bengal collecting profiles of temperature, salinity, chlorophyll and turbulent kinetic energy at depths of down to 100m
  • Coastal mooring – a 25-day study of breaking internal waves off the coast of Southern California

Applications

Wirewalker Accurate Water Column Observation

The potential use cases for the Wirewalker are virtually limitless. While our roots are in research and academia, our versatile solution has also been deployed in a variety of commercial, industrial and defense applications.

Examples include:

  • Detection of harmful algal blooms that can affect drinking water, aquatic recreation, and marine ecosystems. View case study >
  • Monitoring of turbid plumes created by natural phenomena or dredging operations. View case study >
  • Limnological data-gathering in lakes and other bodies of fresh water. View case study >
  • Detection, measurement and characterization of oil spills. View case study >
  • Monitoring wastewater and pollution and measuring the impact of human activity upon ocean environments. View case study >
  • Studying biophysical and biogeochemical interactions and their effect on climate change. View case study >
  • Real-time water quality measurement for ensuring the health of fish and aquaculture stocks. View case study >
  • Measurement of internal waves, which display much larger amplitudes and wavelengths than what is seen on the surface. View case study >
  • Observing the characteristics of the mixed layer and upper ocean biogeochemical processes. View case study >
  • Tactical oceanography for enhanced situational awareness during naval operations. View case study >

Products

Wirewalker

Wave-Powered Rapid Vertical Profiling System

Regional Offices & Locations
Del Mar Oceanographic United States of America 10477 Roselle St., Suite D San Diego, CA 92121 +1 858-524-3300 Contact Website