Spotlight: New Publication on Acoustic Cameras for Marine Energy Monitoring
Acoustic camera image output of a school of fish swimming in the camera’s field view. (Imagery courtesy of Sound Metrics Corporation)
Collision risk—the possibility of animals interacting with moving parts of a marine energy device–remains a significant concern for regulators and decision-makers responsible for marine energy permitting. Specifically, the industry is concerned about the risk of collision between aquatic animals and subsequent injury or harm resulting from interactions with current energy converters, like tidal and riverine turbines. While knowledge of collision risk is advancing, challenges persist regarding collecting empirical data at turbine sites. Low light and turbid conditions are common at sites suitable for current energy converters and are difficult obstacles to overcome; they can limit the effectiveness of tools like video cameras. Acoustic camera technologies have provided new opportunities to observe aquatic animal behavior around marine energy devices. These technologies use sound to generate an underwater “image” without relying on the water clarity and environmental conditions required for optical sensors—think of a fishfinder. With limited opportunities to collect data around operational marine energy devices, researchers continue to investigate the utility and abilities of acoustic cameras to monitor fish to better understand how these tools may be used for collision risk research.
Triton Engineer Emma Cotter and Fish Biologist Garrett Staines recently published an open access review paper in Fish and Fisheries titled “Observing fish interactions with marine energy turbines using acoustic cameras.” The paper synthesizes the use of acoustic cameras to monitor fish in a variety of applications to inform best practices for their use at tidal or riverine turbine sites. The authors identify acoustic cameras to be well suited to collect collision risk data in some scenarios with appropriate study design and data analysis. This paper intends to be a valuable reference for researchers, regulators, and other marine energy stakeholders.
Isabella Pestovski from the University of Washington places a model of a marine mammal in the flume during initial experiments. (Photograph by Molly Grear | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
Triton researchers are back at the University of Washington Alice C. Tyler flume conducting a proof-of-concept laboratory study that will build knowledge around collision risk without putting any marine animal in harm’s way. The Integrated Collision Detection and Mitigation (ICDM) project, led by Triton Engineers Molly Grear and Emma Cotter, aims to explore if strain gauges integrated into turbine blades can be utilized to detect an animal’s presence and mitigate potential impact.
A flume is an open water channel that can be used to test current energy devices in a laboratory setting. Recent experiments in the flume have used silicone models of marine mammals to create collisions with a laboratory-scale turbine that has been instrumented with strain gauges or sensors built into turbines used to measure the resistance or strain on the device. To date, Triton’s researchers have collected measurements of over 100 collisions with marine mammal models. Analysis of these data will help the team to better understand relationships between the movement of the marine mammal models and the resulting measurements made by the strain gauges.
Laboratory experiments like this are an example of how researchers can collect valuable data in a controlled, simulated setting. This data will inform future studies that can help mitigate impacts to wild marine animals. Ideally, this proof-of-concept research will lead to future work focused on the development of systems that can quantify collision risk in the field, or better yet, potentially trigger a turbine to slow down or stop, minimizing a collision’s impact. But for now, the team will continue conducting experiments in the flume.
The University Marine Energy Research Community (UMERC) is hosting its 2nd annual conference from October 4 – 6, 2023, at the University of New Hampshire. Isabella Pestovski is a University of Washington masters student who is presenting a poster on her research supporting Triton’s ICDM project. For the past year, Pestovski has been working with Emma Cotter and Molly Grear on flume experiments and data analysis for the ICDM project.
To learn more about UMERC 2023 or to register, visit the conference website here.
Science Communication Makes Waves at OSM 2024
Triton has a dedicated science communication team that helps share the project’s research results and pull back the curtain on research processes and the people who bring the science to life. Research Associate Rachael Gallodoro shares, “communication improves impact and creates a wave effect where the ideas and research we share can have a measurable impact on our audiences and the industries we support.”
Last month, we shared that the Triton team is leading a session at the 2024 Ocean Science Meeting, entitled “ED011 - Making Waves with Communication: Approaches to Communication, Outreach, and Engagement for Ocean Sciences” and co-chaired by Gallodoro and Triton Communications Lead Cailene Gunn. In this session, we hope to discuss creative communications strategies, challenges, and lessons learned to improve science communications efforts for ocean related research topics. For the Triton communications team, communication and outreach has helped share results, processes, partnerships, and mission with a diversity of audiences in the marine energy industry and beyond! We look forward to sharing about our efforts and connecting with other science communication enthusiasts in the field of ocean science.
In Other Energy News: OES-E Workshop at EWTEC 2023
OES-Environmental and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are hosting a workshop, “Environmental monitoring for marine energy: instrumentation for devices and arrays,” on September 6, 2023, from 16:00 – 17:30 UTC as part of EWTEC 2023 in Bilbao, Spain. This workshop will explore monitoring technologies and work towards recommendations for preferred sets of instruments and data systems that will support consenting decisions and post-installation monitoring programs. The workshop will also provide guidance on the proper use of monitoring systems for tidal and wave installations when considering key environmental interactions.
Answers from ‘Ask Triton!’
From Ask Triton: Will the Triton Talks webinar be back?
The Triton team is currently busy conducting field and laboratory studies, analyzing data, and writing up results for peer-reviewed publications. As the team’s research is published, we are working together to determine the best ways to share those results with the world. That means we may host a webinar in the coming months to share some of Triton’s latest findings, but we are exploring a host of creative ways to share the research and why it matters.
Triton is designed to support the development and testing of more precise and cost-effective environmental monitoring technologies for marine energy. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory leads Triton on behalf of the Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office.
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