AUV-Aided Data Collection Considering Adaptive Ocean Currents for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks

Autonomous underwater vehicle(AUV)-assisted data collection is an efficient approach to implementing smart ocean.However,the data collection in time-varying ocean currents is plagued by two critical issues:AUV yaw and sensor node movement.We propose an adaptive AUV-assisted data collection strategy for ocean currents to address these issues.First,we consider the energy consumption of an AUV in conjunction with the value of information(VoI)over the sensor nodes and formulate an optimization problem to maximize the VoI-energy ratio.The AUV yaw problem is then solved by deriving the AUV's reachable region in different ocean current environments and the optimal cruising direction to the target nodes.Finally,using the predicted VoI-energy ratio,we sequentially design a distributed path planning algorithm to select the next target node for AUV.The simulation results indicate that the proposed strategy can utilize ocean currents to aid AUV navigation,thereby reducing the AUV's energy consumption and ensuring timely data collection.

An Analysis of Observed Ocean Currents Data and Numerical Simulation in the Offshore Area of Jiaonan

Based on the diurnal consecutively observed data in the offshore area of Jiaonan in 2005, the paper tries to make a preliminary analysis of the specificity of ocean currents, tidal current property and residual current property in the area in observing dates. Then on the basis of observed data analysis and by employing the split-step method, the paper conducts a numerical simulation of the tidal current field, which can show the M2 tidal constituent tidal wave system, current ellipse distribution, maximum current velocity distribution and time-dependent current field. The calculated results agree well with the observed data, which can on the one hand reflect the basic specificities of temporal and spatial distribution of the M2 tidal constituent current field to some extent, and, on the other hand, offer more information about the hydrodynamic condition. So the paper would provide a scientific basis for the making of sea environment protection plans in the offshore area of Jiaonan under certain conditions.

Study on Free-Standing Riser Under Different Working Conditions Based on 3D Co-Rotational Beam Element

When the free standing riser(FSR)is in service in the ocean,its mechanical properties are affected by various factors,including complex ocean current forces,buoyancy of the buoyancy can,and torque caused by the deflection of the upper floating body.These loads have a great influence on the deformation and internal force of the FSR.The static performance of FSR is investigated in this research under various working conditions.The finite element model of FSR is established based on the co-rotational method.The arc length approach is used to solve the model.The load is exerted in increments.The current load on the riser changes with the configuration of the riser.The accuracy of the numerical method is verified by Abaqus software.The calculation time is also compared.Then,the effects of uniform current,actual current and floating body yaw motion on FSR are studied by parameter analysis.Additionally,the influence of the FSR on the ocean current after the failure of part of the buoyancy can chamber is analyzed.The results show that the numerical model based on the co-rotational method can effectively simulate the large rotation and torsion behavior of FSR.This method has high computational efficiency and precision,and this method can quickly improve the efficiency of numerical calculation of static analysis of deep-water riser.The proposed technology may serve as an alternative to the existing proprietary commercial software,which uses a complex graphical user interface.

Impacts of Ice-Ocean Stress on the Subpolar Southern Ocean:Role of the Ocean Surface Current

The mechanical influences involved in the interaction between the Antarctic sea ice and ocean surface current(OSC)on the subpolar Southern Ocean have been systematically investigated for the first time by conducting two simulations that include and exclude the OSC in the calculation of the ice-ocean stress(IOS), using an eddy-permitting coupled ocean-sea ice global model. By comparing the results of these two experiments, significant increases of 5%, 27%, and 24%, were found in the subpolar Southern Ocean when excluding the OSC in the IOS calculation for the ocean surface stress,upwelling, and downwelling, respectively. Excluding the OSC in the IOS calculation also visibly strengthens the total mechanical energy input to the OSC by about 16%, and increases the eddy kinetic energy and mean kinetic energy by about38% and 12%, respectively. Moreover, the response of the meridional overturning circulation in the Southern Ocean yields respective increases of about 16% and 15% for the upper and lower branches;and the subpolar gyres are also found to considerably intensify, by about 12%, 11%, and 11% in the Weddell Gyre, the Ross Gyre, and the Australian-Antarctic Gyre, respectively. The strengthened ocean circulations and Ekman pumping result in a warmer sea surface temperature(SST), and hence an incremental surface heat loss. The increased sea ice drift and warm SST lead to an expansion of the sea ice area and a reduction of sea ice volume. These results emphasize the importance of OSCs in the air-sea-ice interactions on the global ocean circulations and the mass balance of Antarctic ice shelves, and this component may become more significant as the rapid change of Antarctic sea ice.

Experi mental Study on Vortex-Induced Vibrations of Submarine Pipeline near Seabed Boundary in Ocean Currents

Unlike most previous studies on vortex-induced vibrations of a cylinder far from a boundary, this paper focuses on the influences of close proximity of a submarine pipeline to a rigid seabed boundary upon the dynamic responses of the pipeline in ocean currents. The effects of gap-to-diameter ratio and those of the stability parameter on the amplitude and frequency responses of a pipeline are investigated experimentally with a novel hydro-elastic facility. A comparison is made between the present experimental results of the amplitude and frequency responses for the pipes with seabed boundary effects and those for wall-free cylinders given by Govardhan and Williamson （2000） and Anand （1985）. The comparison shows that the close proximity of a pipeline to seabed has much influence on the vortex-induced vibrations of the pipeline. Both the width of the lock-in ranges in terms of Vr and the dimensionless amplitude ratio Amax/D become larger with the decrease of the gap-to-diameter ratio e/D, Moreover, the vibration of the pipeline becomes easier to occur and its amplitude response becomes more intensive with the decrease of the stability parameter, while tire pipeline frequency responses are affected slightly by the stability parameter.

Evaluation of Mid-Depth Currents of NCEP Reanalysis Data in the Tropical Pacific Using ARGO Float Position Information

The global project of the Array for Real-time Geostrophic Oceanography （ARGO） provides a unique opportunity to observe the absolute velocity in mid-depths of the world oceans. A total of 1597 velocity vectors at 1000 （2000） db in the tropical Pacific derived from the ARGO float position information during the period November 2001 to October 2004 are used to evaluate the intermediate currents of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis. To derive reliable velocity information from ARGO float trajectory points, a rigorous quality control scheme is applied, and by virtue of a correction method for reducing the drift error on the surface in obtaining the velocity vectors, their relative errors are less than 25%. Based on the comparisons from the quantitative velocity vectors and from the space-time average currents, some substantial discrepancies are revealed. The first is that the velocities of the reanalysis at mid-depths except near the equator are underestimated relative to the observed velocities by the floats. The average speed difference between NCEP and ARGO values ranges from about -2.3cm s^-1 to -1.8 cm s^-1. The second is that the velocity difference between the ocean model and the observations at 2000 dB seems smaller than that at 1000 dB. The third is that the zonal flow in the reanalysis is too dominant so that some eddies could not be simulated, such as the cyclonic eddy to the east of 160°E between 20°N and 30°N at 2000 dB. In addition, it is noticeable that many floats parking at 1000 dB cannot acquire credible mid-depth velocities due to the time information of their end of ascent （start of descent） on the surface in the trajectory files. Thus, relying on default times of parking, descent and ascent in the metadata files gravely confines their application to measuring mid-depth currents.

Analysis of the characteristics of offshore currents in the Changjiang(Yangtze River) estuarine waters based on buoy observations

A buoy of 10 m in diameter was used to record the current speed and direction in a vertical profile in the offshore area of the Changjiang（Yangtze River） Estuary（with an average water depth of 46.0 m） for one year.The results include：（1） the currents rotate clockwise and the current direction is consistent in a vertical profile without clear seasonal variations.（2） The horizontal current speeds are generally high,with a maximum of 128.5 cm/s occurring in summer and 105.5 cm/s appearing in winter commonly close to the surface.The average current speeds in the vertical profile fall in the same range（the differences are less than 8.0 cm/s）,with the maximum of47.0 cm/s occurring in summer and 40.8 cm/s in winter.The average current speed during spring tides is twice that during neap tides（26.5 cm/s）.（3） Significant differences of speeds are observed in the vertical profile.The maximum current speed occurs at either surface（spring and winter） or sub-surface（summer and autumn）,with the minimum current speed appearing at the bottom.The maximum average current speed of all layers is 57.9cm/s,which occurs in the 18-m layer during summer.（4） The average speed of the residual currents ranges from7.5 cm/s to 11.3 cm/s,with the strongest occurring in spring and weakest in winter.The residual currents of all layers are eastward during spring and winter,whereas northeastward or northward during summer and autumn.（5） The currents in the offshore of Changjiang Estuary are impacted collectively by diluted Changjiang River discharge,the Taiwan Warm Current,monsoon and tides.

Absolute geostrophic currents in global tropical oceans

A set of absolute geostrophic current(AGC) data for the period January 2004 to December 2012 are calculated using the P-vector method based on monthly gridded Argo profi les in the world tropical oceans. The AGCs agree well with altimeter geostrophic currents, Ocean Surface Current Analysis-Real time currents, and moored current-meter measurements at 10-m depth, based on which the classical Sverdrup circulation theory is evaluated. Calculations have shown that errors of wind stress calculation, AGC transport, and depth ranges of vertical integration cannot explain non-Sverdrup transport, which is mainly in the subtropical western ocean basins and equatorial currents near the Equator in each ocean basin(except the North Indian Ocean, where the circulation is dominated by monsoons). The identifi ed nonSverdrup transport is thereby robust and attributed to the joint effect of baroclinicity and relief of the bottom(JEBAR) and mesoscale eddy nonlinearity.

A Numerical Model for Ultimate Soil Resistance to An Untrenched Pipeline Under Ocean Currents

One of the main concerns for pipeline on-bottom stability design is to properly predict ultimate soil resistance in severe ocean environments. A plane-strain finite element model is proposed to investigate the ultimate soil resistance to the partially-embedded pipeline under the action of ocean currents. Two typical end-constraints of the submarine pipelines are examined, i.e. freely-laid pipes and anti-rolling pipes. The proposed numerical model is verified with the existing mechanical-actuator experiments. The magnitude of lateral-soil-resistance coefficient for the examined anti-rolling pipes is much larger than that for the freely-laid pipes, indicating that the end-constraint condition significantly affects the lateral stability of the untrenched pipeline under ocean currents. The parametric study indicates that, the variation of lateral-soil-resistance coefficient with the dimensionless submerged weight of pipe is affected greatly by the angle of internal friction of soil, the pipe-soil friction coefficient, etc.

Numerical simulation of the upper ocean currents in South China Sea

The upper ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean are calculated by using an ocean model with higher horizontal resolution. The large current systems in the Pacific Ocean, such as Kuroshio, Oyashio, NEC, SEC, NECC,Califomia Current and East Australia Current, are well simulated. This paper only gives the numerical simulation results of the upper ocean currents of the representative months in four seasons in the South China Sea (SCS). It showsthat the SCS branch of Kuroshio is the most important current in the northem SCS and it is not only the water resourceof the SCS warm current but also a significant part of the overall SCS circulation. There is a relatively strong northeastward flow entering the SCS through the Taiwan Strait throughout the year except for specific months. Some of thenumerical results have been confirmed by the observational evidences.

Lateral Dynamic Analysis and Motion Control of a Jet Trencher in Ocean Currents

In order to control the lateral motion of a jet trencher which is important for stable trenching operation,the oscillation characteristics of the jet trencher are researched. The jet trencher is simplified into a single degree of freedom model with restoring and damping force. The nonlinear mathematical model of the trencher laterally oscillating in ocean currents is established,and its approximate analytical solution is obtained.Results show that the analytical solution has small differences with numerical solution based on the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method and can effectively describe the underwater oscillation. A double-loop PID controller is designed to control the lateral motion displacement of the trencher to return to the center of the pipeline route which is effective and robust for the propulsion system.

Validation and error analysis of wave-modifi ed ocean surface currents in the northwestern Pacifi c Ocean

By incorporating the wave-induced Coriolis-Stokes forcing into the classical Ekman layer,the wave-modifi ed ocean surface currents in the northwestern Pacifi c Ocean were estimated.Thus,the ocean surface currents are the combination of classical Ekman current from the cross-calibrated multi-platform(CCMP)wind speed,geostrophic current from the mean absolute dynamic topography(MADT),and wave-induced current based on the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts(ECMWF)Interim Re-Analysis(ERA-Interim)surface wave datasets.Weight functions are introduced in the Ekman current formulation as well.Comparisons with in-situ data from Lagrangian drifters in the study area and Kuroshio Extension Observatory(KEO)observations at 32.3°N,144.6°E,and 15-m depth indicate that wave-modifi ed ocean surface currents provide accurate time means of zonal and meridional currents in the northwestern Pacifi c Ocean.Result shows that the wave-modifi ed currents are quite consistent with the Lagrangian drifter observations for the period 1993-2017 in the deep ocean.The correlation(root mean square error,RMSE)is 0.96(1.45 cm/s)for the zonal component and 0.90(1.07 cm/s)for the meridional component.However,wave-modifi ed currents underestimate the Lagrangian drifter velocity in strong current and some off shore regions,especially in the regions along the Japan coast and the southeastern Mindanao.What’s more,the wave-modifi ed currents overestimate the pure Eulerian KEO current which does not consider the impact of waves,and the zonal(meridional)correlation and RMSE are 0.95(0.90)and 11.25 cm/s(12.05 cm/s)respectively.These comparisons demonstrate that our wave-modifi ed ocean surface currents have high precision and can describe the real-world ocean in the northwestern Pacifi c Ocean accurately and intuitively,which can provide important routes to calculate ocean surface currents on large spatial scales.

STCANet:Spatiotemporal Coupled Attention Network for Ocean Surface Current Prediction

Currently,numerical models based on idealized assumptions,complex algorithms and high computational costs are unsatisfactory for ocean surface current prediction.Moreover,the complex temporal and spatial variability of ocean currents also makes the prediction methods based on time series data challenging.The deep network model can automatically learn and extract complex features hidden in large amount of complex data,so it is a promising method for high quality prediction of ocean currents.In this paper,we propose a spatiotemporal coupled attention deep network model STCANet that can extract abundant temporal and spatial coupling information on the behavior characteristics of ocean currents for improving the prediction accuracy.Firstly,Spatial Module is designed and implemented to extract the spatiotemporal coupling characteristics of ocean currents,and meanwhile the spatial correlations and dependencies among adjacent sea areas are obtained through Spatial Channel Attention Module(SCAM).Secondly,we use the GatedRecurrent-Unit(GRU)to extract temporal relationships of ocean currents,and design and implement the nearest neighbor time attention module to extract the interdependences of ocean currents between adjacent times,which can further improve the accuracy of ocean current prediction.Finally,a series of comparative experiments on the MediSea_Dataset and EastSea_Dataset showed that the prediction quality of our model greatly outperforms those of other benchmark models such as History Average(HA),Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average Model(ARIMA),Long Short-term Memory(LSTM),Gate Recurrent Unit(GRU)and CNN_GRU.

Research on Capture Performance of an Induction Type Microplastics Recovery Device

Microplastic wastes in ocean can include the harmful chemical material, and the harmful material is concentrated by marine species. The separation and collecting methods of microplastics in ocean are researched in the world. The authors proposed the microplastics recovery device composed of the plates. Besides, the device consists of the tilted inlet/outlet and the horizontal part. In the water flow such as the tidal and ocean currents, the microplastics can be extracted from the main flow due to the vortex flow generated at the inner part of this device. In this research, the effects of the flow velocity and the inlet/outlet tilt angle on the capture performance were investigated experimentally and numerically. In the numerical simulations using the discrete phase model, the tilt angle was changed in a range between 30 degrees and 150 degrees in increments of 15 degrees, and the particle tracks of plastics were derived in steady condition. On the other hand, the capture performances in three cases of tilt angle 45 degrees, 120 degrees and 150 degrees were compared by circulation type water channel tests in which the plastics denser than the water were swept away 30 times every flow velocity. As the result, it seems that the tilt angle of 120 degrees is suitable for the wide range of the flow velocity in river and ocean.

Observation of ocean current response to 1998 Hurricane Georges in the Gulf of Mexico

The ocean current response to a hurricane on the shelf-break is examined. The study area is the DeSoto Canyon in the northeast Gulf of Mexico, and the event is the passage of 1998 Hurricane Georges with a maximum wind speed of 49 m/s. The data sets used for analysis consist of the mooring data taken by the Field Program of the DeSoto Canyon Eddy Intrusion Study, and simultaneous winds observed by NOAA （National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration） Moored Buoy 42040. Time-depth ocean current energy density images derived from the observed data show that the ocean currents respond almost immediately to the hurricane with important differences on and offthe shelf. On the shelf, in the shallow water of 100 m, the disturbance penetrates rapidly downward to the bottom and forms two energy peaks, the major peak is located in the mixed layer and the secondary one in the lower layer. The response dissipates quickly after external forcing disappears. Offthe shelf, in the deep water, the major disturbance energy seems to be trapped in the mixed layer with a trailing oscillation; although the disturbance signals may still be observed at the depths of 500 and 1 290 m. Vertical dispersion analysis reveals that the near-initial wave packet generated offthe shelf consists of two modes. One is a barotropic wave mode characterized by a fast decay rate of velocity amplitude of 0.020 s^-, and the other is baroclinic wave mode characterized by a slow decay rate of 0.006 9 s^-1. The band-pass-filtering and empirical function techniques are employed to the frequency analysis. The results indicate that ialf frequencies shift above the local inertial frequency. On the shelf, the average frequency is 1.04fin the mixed layer, close to the diagnosed frequency of the first baroclinic mode, and the average frequency increases to 1.07fin the thermocline. Offthe shelf, all frequencies are a little smaller than the diagnosed frequency of the first mode. The average frequency decreases from 1.035fin the mixed layer to 1.02fin the thermocline, implying a trend for the shift in frequency of the oscillations towards f with the depth.

Marine Renewable Energy Seascape

Energy production based on fossil fuel reserves is largely responsible for carbon emissions, and hence global warming. The planet needs concerted action to reduce fossil fuel usage and to implement carbon mitigation measures. Ocean energy has huge potential, but there are major interdisciplinary problems to be overcome regarding technology, cost reduction, investment, environmental impact, governance, and so forth. This article briefly reviews ocean energy production from offshore wind, tidal stream, ocean current, tidal range, wave, thermal, salinity gradients, and biomass sources. Future areas of research and development are outlined that could make exploitation of the marine renewable energy （MRE） seascape a viable proposition; these areas include energy storage, advanced materials, robotics, and informatics. The article concludes with a sustainability perspective on the MRE seascape encompassing ethics, leg- islation, the regulatory environment, governance and consenting, economic, social, and environmental constraints. A new generation of engineers is needed with the ingenuity and spirit of adventure to meet the global challenge posed by MRE.

Wave Breaking Phenomena of Irregular Waves Combined with Opposing Current

Experimental study and theoretical analysis show that the critical value of relative wave height (H / d)b given by Goda and the critical wave steepness (H / L)b given by Michell and Miche can be adopted as the spilling breaking indices of regular waves. According to the same principle, a systematic theoretical analysis and experiment of irregular wave have been done by the authors in order to solve the breaking problem of irregular waves. It is indicated that the authors' method for determining wave breaking of regular waves can also be used for irregular waves.

Impacts of Different Dynamic Factors on the Saltwater Intrusion in the Northern Branch of the Yangtze Estuary

A 3-D baroclinic numerical model is established to study the temporal and spatial distribution of salinity in the Northern Branch(NB) of the Yangtze Estuary(YE) in response to river runoff, wind and currents. The idealized,process-oriented studies show that the lower river runoff in the dry season is the main driving factor for the spilling over from the NB to the Southern Branch(SB). The NB takes longer time to get in dynamic stable state compared with the SB, as the runoff transfers from the wet season to the dry season. The vertical stratification intensity of the NB has obvious periodic phenomena in the dry season, and the stratification strength is enhanced under the action of low runoff and north wind, which further weakens the vertical transport of water. Momentum balance analysis suggested that the landward net flux increases when considering the influence of the moderate north wind, and the landward flux will enhance if considering the boundary current during the spring tide. With the influence of the boundary current, increases the average salinity of the NB, as well as the intrusion degree from the NB to the SB.This indicates that the nearshore ocean current of the Yellow Sea is an important factor affecting the saltwater intrusion in the NB of the YE.

Influence of wave and current on deep-sea mining transporting system

As a solution to the breaking of pipeline under high axial force,carbon fiber composite pipe with low density and high intensity is applied to deep-sea mining transporting system.Based on the fact that the transporting pipe is under the forces of gravity,inner liquid,buoyancy as well as hydrodynamic force,geometric nonlinear finite element theory has been applied to analyzing the transporting system.Conclusions can be drawn as follows.Under the interaction of waves and currents,node forces FX and FZ acted by the transporting pipe on the mining vehicle are less than 2 kN,which indicates that waves and currents have little influence on the spatial shape of the transporting pipe and the mining vehicle movement.On the other hand,the horizontal force acting on the mining ship could be as large as 106 830 N,which has great influence on the mining system.

Spatio-temporal variations in the siphonophore community of the northern South China Sea

To understand how hydrological and biological factors affect near-to off-shore variations in the siphonophore community,we sampled zooplankton at 82 stations in the northern South China Sea during summer,winter,and spring.Forty-one species of siphonophore were collected by vertical trawling.The species richness of siphonophores increased from the nearshore to offshore regions in all three seasons of investigation,with maximum richness in summer and minimum richness in winter.The abundance of siphonophores was also higher in summer than in spring and winter,concentrated in the nearshore region in the warm season and scattered in the offshore region in the cold season.Four siphonophore groups were classified according to the frequency of occurrence:nearshore,near-offshore,offshore,and tropical pelagic.Among them,the nearshore group had higher abundance nearshore compared with the offshore.The tropical pelagic group had higher species number offshore than nearshore.Spatial and temporal fluctuations in taxonomic composition and abundance of siphonophores were due to the influence of the coastal upwelling and surface ocean currents of the South China Sea,driven by the East Asia monsoonal system.