Everyday experimental marine research needs a greater volume of environmental data with better resolution than what can be collected using oceanographic vessels, buoys, or sensors deployed on the seabed. The seafloor observatories can acquire data with great resolution uninterruptedly during long time periods. With this information, scientific community can analyze as well annual tendencies as singular events. (SARTI)

The aim of the project was to design a seismic buoy by making it small, light and compact with an automatic deployment system which is easy to deploy and recovery. The buoy must also be able to transmit real-time data back to the SARTI lab. Along with the project, the description of the deployment procedure and the 3D design of the moored buoy will be delivered.  

The project was broken down into several component parts to allow us to focus our efforts on the most critical factors first, before bringing the overall design together. These include the Seismic or seabed buoy design which needs to be compact, modular and easy to transport, deploy and recover. The communications strategy and the process for sending real-time data from the Seismometer located on the seabed to the surface buoy and in turn to the SARTI lab. The surface buoy redesign to make it more modular compact and easier to transport and deploy and finally the transportation process for each of the component parts to be moved from location to location.     

The proposed design concept introduced several new elements into both the buoy design but also the process for which it is transported, deployed and recovered. In certain aspects of the design, several potential solutions were identified to which further scrutiny was placed for the final design to be concluded. Some of which include, moving to a wireless communications strategy to remove all interference with to the Seismometer to reduce the number of false positive readings ensuring accurate seismic activity data is transferred. A self-contained modular seabed unit housing not only the Seismometer by all the necessary equipment for communications and the automated recovery process.