Buoy to measure the health of the sea

2003/07/28 Agirre Ruiz de Arkaute, Aitziber - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Teknologia
• Osasuna
• Ozeanografia
• Ikerketa-zentroak

The buoy has been developed by the company Ursat and the technological centers INASMET and AZTI. Buoy is a small floating laboratory that performs analysis at all times. It collects the sea water and analyzes its physical-chemical characteristics, that is, turbidity, temperature, acidity, oxygen content and salts, etc. He then performs analysis and sends the data via radio to the control center, specifically to the Aquarium. In addition, the buoy has a wide range of communications: you can send data both by radio, GSM and satellite. Thus, from the Aquarium you can control at all times the state of the water and, before any change, you will know at the moment.

In the future it is expected to replace the buoy batteries with solar panels, so that it is energetically autonomous.

The buoy, in addition to the aforementioned measuring system, has a hydrocarbon sensor. This sensor sends electromagnetic waves to the water and, by an electromagnetic difference, is able to distinguish the presence of a layer of hydrocarbons. This data will be sent to the controller, which would send the alarm signal to the control point indicating the presence of hydrocarbons in the water.

But the buoy will also perform other analyses. Human activities on the coast cause the emission of numerous organic compounds to the sea, which can cause excessive growth of algae. Thus, the new buoy can measure the concentration of nutrients and geniuses in the water.

It will also perform bacteriological analysis. Until now, every 15 days they went on board and took a sample of water for their transfer to the laboratory for their study. Now the buoy will. It can detect bacteria harmful to human health, especially those common in stool. The probe that measures it will be hung from the buoy. In fact, ultraviolet rays from the sun kill bacteria from the surface of the water, so bacteria are more abundant than on the surface. The probe will then hang under the buoy.

With all this data, the buoy will communicate via satellite the exact status of marine water.

More information: Basque Research website of the Elhuyar Foundation.