Explorer AUV missions in coastal Newfoundland

The Marine Environmental Lab for Intelligent Vehicles (MERLIN Lab) at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) operates a survey class autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) available for scientific research within a wide range of disciplines. The MUN Explorer is 4.5 meters in length, 0.69 meters in diameter, weighs 650 kg and displaces 660 kg. This International Submarine Engineering Ltd. (ISE) Explorer class vehicle has the capacity to handle 200 kg of scientific payload. With a range of up to 100 km at speeds of up to 2.5 m/s and depths to 3000 metres, the vehicle is ideal for environmental surveys where bathymetric and mapping sonar, physical and chemicals sensors, cameras and acoustic devices are carried. The paper focuses on the capabilities of the MUN Explorer AUV and plans to build collaborative projects. Data will be presented on vehicle performance during habitat mapping in coastal Newfoundland. Habitat mapping was conducted with Fisheries and Oceans Canada by using a single frequency acoustic system adapted to the AUV. The aim is to evaluate the potential to cost effectively classify seabed habitats as well as to monitor fish and zooplankton abundance and distributions in association with these habitats. The work detailed in this paper concerns the preliminary evaluation of the AUV as a research tool in this context.