Newsletter May 2003
Sensors for the Sea
The second issue of the 'Marine Scientist, carries an article on 'Making sense of the Sea'; a review of progress on the Seasense programme launched in 1996. Many of the systems developed are for in-situ monitoring of the marine environment. One of these called 'FOOTPADS' is based on the fibre optic observation of temperature profile and depth. The partners involved are Southampton University, Qinetiq and Sensor Dynamics, together with the oceanographic sensing experience of the Southampton Oceanographic Centre. The first at-sea demonstration off the UK coast occurred two years ago, when the data gathered compared well with that from more conventional reference sensors. The article notes that the University of Southampton and Qinetiq are also developing the system to aid in the study of damage detection and strain sensing in composite ship hulls.
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