Tracking of rhodamine dye in a coastal estuary using autonomous and remotely-operated underwater vehicle technology

The key focus of this project is to deploy and use micro-AUVs (autonomous Underwater Vehicles) and small ROV (Remotely-Operated Vehicles) to capture the temporal and spatial evolution of a surface release of rhodamine dye as it disperses. This information can then be compared to ocean models of surface water dispersion and drift, such as those developed by MEOPAR and the Canadian government. As both the technology and the scientific phenomena

have yet to be explored and therefore understood fully, we hope to address the following questions through participation in this experiment:

1. Are the developed platforms capable of taking measurements that are of sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to capture the dynamics of a coastal estuary?

2. How effective is a micro-AUV at capturing the dispersive behaviour of a contaminant in the marine environment?

3. How can measurements of the same phenomenon from multiple and differing platforms be combined and reconciled to produce a true and complete representation of the phenomenon?