Multi-purpose Autonomous Surface vessels for Polar marine research

(MASP)

The goal of MASP project is to develop uncrewed surface platforms for acquisition of oceanographic, bathymetric and other types of data in remote and challenging Polar marine environments, such as uncharted shallow-water coastal zone and areas near the tidewater calving glacier margins. The focus is on robustness, versatility and mobility. The project is a collaboration between UNIS, Stockholm University and The Royal Institute of Technology.

Background

The Polar seas, especially the coastal zone, are rapidly becoming societally and economically important but are currently poorly charted
In the warming world, the glaciers and ice sheets are the main contributors to the rising sea level, and the ice loss from nearly every glacier on Earth is speeding up
Large part of the glacier ice is lost at their marine margins through melting and calving but these processes are poorly understood and are therefore inadequately incorporated in the ice sheet and sea level models
Poor understanding of the complexity and interaction of the processes in these uncharted waters is largely related to the dangers of field data collection

Motivation

A variety of marine data (geological, glaciological, bathymetric, oceanographic etc.) are critical for quantifying the physical processes controlling the dynamics of the coastal zone and the marine-terminating glacier margins.

Acquisition of data in these uncharted shallow waters and in difficult ice conditions with traditional methods, such as crewed surface vessels, is time-consuming, costly and risky.

Experiences and Approach

Advances in marine autonomous survey technology and navigation systems have resulted in widespread development of uncrewed platforms for marine investigations. The current challenges are mainly related to the integration of appropriate hardware and development of algorithms that are best suited for specific tasks in a particular environment. "Off-the-shelf" uncrewed vessels have often relatively short mission time due to limited battery power, especially in cold climate. They also rely on pre-programmed (waypoint based) survey plans and do not tackle well the complex task of mapping uncharted iceberg-infested waters with rapidly changing water depth and oceanographic conditions.

Design considerations

Need to acquire data in the harsh Arctic environments dictated the basic requirements for the design of the Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV). The focus was on the robustness of the hardware and software, and modular build that did not require heavy (and expensive) transport for deployments in remote locations. Another important design aim was development of machine-learning navigation algorithms that require minimal human interference and are adaptable for various missions in the uncharted, iceberg-infested shallow coastal seas, lakes and at tidewater glacier margins.

Key features

Modular build and mobility to allow easy transport to, and launching in remote areas
Robustness and endurance of both, hard- and software
Navigation and mapping algorithms adjustable to survey environment and mission goal

We currently operate two different platforms