Integration of fisheries acoustics surveys and bathymetric mapping to characterize midwater-seafloor habitats of US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico (2008-2010)

NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation program (CRCP) develops coral reef management priorities by bringing together various partners to better understand threats to coral reef ecosystems with the goal of conserving, protecting and restoring these resources. Place-based and ecosystem-based management approaches employed by CRCP require that spatially explicit information about benthic habitats and fish utilization are available to characterize coral reef ecosystems and set conservation priorities. To accomplish this, seafloor habitat mapping of coral reefs around the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) and Puerto Rico has been ongoing since 2004. In 2008, fishery acoustics surveys were added to NOAA survey missions in the USVI and Puerto Rico to assess fish distribution and abundance in relation to benthic habitats in high priority conservation areas. NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) have developed fisheries acoustics survey capabilities onboard the NOAA ship Nancy Foster to complement the CRCP seafloor habitat mapping effort spearheaded by the Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment Biogeography Branch (CCMA-BB). The integration of these activities has evolved on the Nancy Foster over the three years summarized in this report. A strategy for improved operations and products has emerged over that time. Not only has the concurrent operation of multibeam and fisheries acoustics surveys been beneficial in terms of optimizing ship time and resources, this joint effort has advanced an integrated approach to characterizing bottom and mid-water habitats and the fishes associated with them. CCMA conducts multibeam surveys to systematically map and characterize coral reef ecosystems, resulting in products such as high resolution bathymetric maps, backscatter information, and benthic habitat classification maps. These products focus on benthic features and live bottom habitats associated with them. NCCOS Centers (the Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research and the Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research) characterize coral reef ecosystems by using fisheries acoustics methods to capture biological information through the entire water column. Spatially-explicit information on marine resources derived from fisheries acoustics surveys, such as maps of fish density, supports marine spatial planning strategies and decision making by providing a biological metric for evaluating coral reef ecosystems and assessing impacts from pollution, fishing pressure, and climate change. Data from fisheries acoustics surveys address management needs by providing a measure of biomass in management areas, detecting spatial and temporal responses in distribution relative to natural and anthropogenic impacts, and identifying hotspots that support high fish abundance or fish aggregations. Fisheries acoustics surveys conducted alongside multibeam mapping efforts inherently couple water column data with information on benthic habitats and provide information on the heterogeneity of both benthic habitats and biota in the water column. Building on this information serves to inform resource managers regarding how fishes are organized around habitat structure and the scale at which these relationships are important. Where resource managers require place-based assessments regarding the location of critical habitats along with high abundances of fish, concurrent multibeam and fisheries acoustics surveys serve as an important tool for characterizing and prioritizing coral reef ecosystems. This report summarizes the evolution of fisheries acoustics surveys onboard the NOAA ship Nancy Foster from 2008 to 2010, in conjunction with multibeam data collection, aimed at characterizing benthic and mid-water habitats in high priority conservation areas around the USVI and Puerto Rico. It also serves as a resource for the continued development of consistent data products derived from acoustic surveys. By focusing on the activities of 2010, this report highlights the progress made to date and illustrates the potential application of fisheries data derived from acoustic surveys to the management of coral reef ecosystems.

Integration of submersible transect data and high-resolution multibeam sonar imagery for a habitat-based groundfish assessment of Heceta Bank, Oregon

In the face of dramatic declines in groundfish populations and a lack of sufficient stock assessment information, a need has arisen for new methods of assessing groundfish populations. We describe the integration of seafloor transect data gathered by a manned submersible with high-resolution sonar imagery to produce a habitat-based stock assessment system for groundfish. The data sets used in this study were collected from Heceta Bank, Oregon, and were derived from 42 submersible dives (1988–90) and a multibeam sonar survey (1998). The submersible habitat survey investigated seafloor topography and groundfish abundance along 30-minute transects over six predetermined stations and found a statistical relationship between habitat variability and groundfish distribution and abundance. These transects were analyzed in a geographic information system (GIS) by using dynamic segmentation to display changes in habitat along the transects. We used the submersible data to extrapolate fish abundance within uniform habitat patches over broad areas of the bank by means of a habitat classification based on the sonar imagery. After applying a navigation correction to the submersible-based habitat segments, a good correlation with major boundaries on the backscatter and topographic boundaries on the imagery were apparent. Extrapolation of the extent of uniform habitats was made in the vicinity of the dive stations and a preliminary stock assessment of several species of demersal fish was calculated. Such a habitat-based approach will allow researchers to characterize marine communities over large areas of the seafloor.

An error free passive UHF RFID system using a new form of wireless signal distribution

A wide area and error free ultra high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogation system based on the use of multiple antennas used in cooperation to provide high quality ubiquitous coverage, is presented. The system uses an intelligent distributed antenna system (DAS) whereby two or more spatially separated transmit and receive antenna pairs are used to allow greatly improved multiple tag identification performance over wide areas. The system is shown to increase the read accuracy of 115 passive UHF RFID tags to 100% from <60% over a 10m × 8m open plan office area. The returned signal strength of the tag backscatter signals is also increased by an average of 10dB and 17dB over an area of 10m 8m and 10m × 4m respectively. Furthermore, it is shown that the DAS RFID system has improved immunity to tag orientation. Finally, the new system is also shown to increase the tag read speed/rate of a population of tags compared with a conventional RFID system. © 2012 IEEE.

Wide Area Passive UHF RFID System using Antenna Diversity Combined with Phase and Frequency Hopping

This paper presents a long range and effectively error-free ultra high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogation system. The system is based on a novel technique whereby two or more spatially separated transmit and receive antennas are used to enable greatly enhanced tag detection performance over longer distances using antenna diversity combined with frequency and phase hopping. The novel technique is first theoretically modelled using a Rician fading channel. It is shown that conventional RFID systems suffer from multi-path fading resulting in nulls in radio environments. We, for the first time, demonstrate that the nulls can be moved around by varying the phase and frequency of the interrogation signals in a multi-antenna system. As a result, much enhanced coverage can be achieved. A proof of principle prototype RFID system is built based on an Impinj R2000 transceiver. The demonstrator system shows that the new approach improves the tag detection accuracy from <50% to 100% and the tag backscatter signal strength by 10dB over a 20 m x 9 m area, compared with a conventional switched multi-antenna RFID system.

An Error Free Passive UHF RFID System using a New Form of Wireless Signal Distribution

A wide area and error free ultra high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogation system based on the use of multiple antennas used in cooperation to provide high quality ubiquitous coverage, is presented. The system uses an intelligent distributed antenna system (DAS) whereby two or more spatially separated transmit and receive antenna pairs are used to allow greatly improved multiple tag identification performance over wide areas. The system is shown to increase the read accuracy of 115 passive UHF RFID tags to 100% from <60% over a 10m x 8m open plan office area. The returned signal strength of the tag backscatter signals is also increased by an average of 10dB and 17dB over an area of 10m x 8m and 10m x 4m respectively. Furthermore, it is shown that the DAS RFID system has improved immunity to tag orientation. Finally, the new system is also shown to increase the tag read speed/rate of a population of tags compared with a conventional RFID system.

A Novel Passive UHF RFID Real Time Location Sensing System

Ubiquitous in-building Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) today are limited by costly active radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and short range portal readers of low cost passive RFID tags. We, however, present a novel technology locates RFID tags using a new approach based on (a) minimising RFID fading using antenna diversity, frequency dithering, phase dithering and narrow beam-width antennas, (b) measuring a combination of RSSI and phase shift in the coherent received tag backscatter signals and (c) being selective of use of information from the system by, applying weighting techniques to minimise error. These techniques make it possible to locate tags to an accuracy of less than one metre. This breakthrough will enable, for the first time, the low-cost tagging of items and the possibility of locating them at relatively high precision.

A Fully Integrated 900-MHz Passive RFID Transponder Front End With Novel Zero-Threshold RF-DC Rectifier

This paper presents a fully integrated CMOS analog front end for a passive 900-MHz radio-frequency identification (RFID) transponder. The power supply in this front end is generated from the received RF electromagnetic energy by using an RF-dc voltage rectifier. In order to improve the compatibility with standard CMOS technology, Schottky diodes in conventional RF-dc rectifiers are replaced by diode-connected MOS transistors with zero threshold. Meanwhile, theoretical analyses for the proposed rectifier are provided and verified by both simulation and measurement results. The design considerations of the pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) demodulator and the backscatter modulator in the front end are also discussed for low-power applications. The proposed front end is implemented in a 0.35-mu m 2P4M CMOS technology. The whole chip occupies a die area of 490 x 780 mu m(2) and consumes only 2.1 mu W in reading mode under a self-generated 1.5-V supply voltage. The measurement results show that the proposed rectifier can properly operate with a - 14.7-dBm input RF power at a power conversion efficiency of 13.0%. In the proposed RFID applications, this sensitivity corresponds to 10.88-m communication distance at 4-W equivalent isotropically radiated power from a reader base station.

Shallow gas in the muddy sediments of Eckernförde Bay, Germany

The seafloor of central Eckernförde Bay is characterised by soft muddy sediments that contain free methane gas. Bubbles of free gas cause acoustic turbidity which is observed with acoustic remote sensing systems. Repeated surveys with subbottom profiler and side scan sonar revealed an annual period both of depth of the acoustic turbidity and backscatter strength. The effects are delayed by 3–4 months relative to the atmospheric temperature cycle. In addition, prominent pockmarks, partly related to gas seepage, were detected with the acoustic systems. In a direct approach gas concentrations were measured from cores using the gas chromatography technique. From different tests it is concluded that subsampling of a core should start at its base and should be completed as soon as possible, at least within 35 min after core recovery. Comparison of methane concentrations of summer and winter cores revealed no significant seasonal variation. Thus, it is concluded that the temperature and pressure influences upon solubility control the depth variability of acoustic turbidity which is observed with acoustic remote sensing systems. The delay relative to the atmospheric temperature cycle is caused by slow heat transfer through the water column. The atmospheric temperature cycle as ‘exiting function’ for variable gas solubility offers an opportunity for modelling and predicting the depth of the acoustic turbidity. In practice, however, small-scale variations of, e.g., salinity, or gas concentration profile in the sediment impose limits to predictions. In addition, oceanographic influences as mixing in the water column, variable water inflow, etc. are further complications that reduce the reliability of predictions.

Periodical mixing of MORB magmas near East Pacific Rise 13N: evidence from modeling and zoned plagioclase phenocrysts

Thirty-six basalt samples from near East Pacific Rise 13N are analyzed for major and trace elements. Different types of zoned plagioclase phenocrysts in basalts are also backscatter imaged, and major element profiles scanned and analyzed for microprobe. Basalts dredged from a restricted area have evolved to different extents (MgO=9.38wt%-6.76wt%). High MgO basalts are modeled for crystallization to MgO of about 7wt%, and resulted in the Ni contents (28 ppm) that are generally lower than that in observed basalts (> 60 ppm). It suggests that low MgO basalts may have experienced more intensive magma mixing. High MgO (9.38wt%) basalt is modeled for self-"mixing-crystallization", and the high Ni contents in low MgO basalts can be generated in small scale and periodical self-mixing of new magma (high MgO). "Mixing-crystallization" processes that low MgO magmas experienced accord with recent 226Ra/230Th disequilibria studies for magma residence time, in which low MgO magmas have experienced more circles of "mixing-crystallization" in relatively longer residence time. Magma mixing is not homogeneous in magma chamber, however, low MgO magmas are closer to stable composition produced by periodical "mixing-crystallization", which is also an important reason for magma diversity in East Pacific Rise. Zoned plagioclase phenocrysts can be divided into two types: with and without high An# cores, both of which have multiple reversed An# zones, suggesting periodical mixing of their host magmas. Cores of zoned plagioclase in low MgO (7.45wt%) basalt differ significantly with their mantle in An#, but are similar in An# with microlite cores (products of equilibrium crystallization) in high MgO (9.38wt%) basalt, which further shows that plagioclase phenocryst cores in low MgO basalts may have formed in their parental magmas before entering into the magma chamber.

Estimation of suspended sediment concentrations using Pulse-coherent Acoustic Doppler Profiler (PCADP)

The objective of the study is to investigate the suitability of using Pulse-coherent Acoustic Doppler Profiler (PCADP) to estimate suspended sediment concentration (SSC). The acoustic backscatter intensity was corrected for spreading and absorption loss, then calibrated with OBS and finally converted to SSC. The results show that there is a good correlation between SSC and backscatter intensity with R value of 0.74. The mean relative error is 22.4%. Then the time span of little particle size variation was also analyzed to exclude the influence of size variation. The correlation coefficient increased to 0.81 and the error decreased to 18.9%. Our results suggest that the PCADP can meet the requirement of other professional instruments to estimate SSC with the errors between 20% and 50%, and can satisfy the need of dynamics study of suspended particles.

Validation of RADARSAT-2 fully polarimetric SAR measurements of ocean surface waves

C band RADARSAT-2 fully polarimetric (fine quad-polarization mode, HH+VV+HV+VH) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images are used to validate ocean surface waves measurements using the polarimetric SAR wave retrieval algorithm, without estimating the complex hydrodynamic modulation transfer function, even under large radar incidence angles. The linearly polarized radar backscatter cross sections (RBCS) are first calculated with the copolarization (HH, VV) and cross-polarization (HV, VH) RBCS and the polarization orientation angle. Subsequently, in the azimuth direction, the vertically and linearly polarized RBCS are used to measure the wave slopes. In the range direction, we combine horizontally and vertically polarized RBCS to estimate wave slopes. Taken together, wave slope spectra can be derived using estimated wave slopes in azimuth and range directions. Wave parameters extracted from the resultant wave slope spectra are validated with colocated National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) buoy measurements (wave periods, wavelengths, wave directions, and significant wave heights) and are shown to be in good agreement.

A new model to estimate significant wave heights with ERS-1/2 scatterometer data

A new model is proposed to estimate the significant wave heights with ERS-1/2 scatterometer data. The results show that the relationship between wave parameters and radar backscattering cross section is similar to that between wind and the radar backscattering cross section. Therefore, the relationship between significant wave height and the radar backscattering cross section is established with a neural network algorithm, which is, if the average wave period is <= 7s, the root mean square of significant wave height retrieved from ERS-1/2 data is 0.51 m, or 0.72 m if it is >7s otherwise.

Wave parameters retrieved from QuikSCAT data

A new algorithm is proposed to estimate significant wave height from QuikSCAT scatterometer data. The results show that the relationship between wave parameters and the radar backscattering cross section is similar to that between wind and the radar backscattering cross section. Therefore, the relationship between significant wave height and the radar backscattering cross section is established with a neural network algorithm. If the average wave period is less than or equal to 7 s, the root mean square errors of the significant wave height retrieved from QuikSCAT data are 0.58 m for HH polarization (HH-pol) and 0.60 m for VV polarization (VV-pol). If the average wave period is greater than 7 s, the root mean square errors of the significant wave height retrieved from QuikSCAT data are 0.83 m (HH-pol) and 1.10 m (VV-pol), respectively.

A new method for the estimation of oceanic mixed-layer depth using shipboard X-band radar images

Shipboard X-band radar images acquired on 24 June 2009 are used to study nonlinear internal wave characteristics in the northeastern South China Sea. The studied images show three nonlinear internal waves in a packet. A method based on the Radon Transform technique is introduced to calculate internal wave parameters such as the direction of propagation and internal wave velocity from backscatter images. Assuming that the ocean is a two-layer finite depth system, we can derive the mixed-layer depth by applying the internal wave velocity to the mixed-layer depth formula. Results show reasonably good agreement with in-situ thermistor chain and conductivity-temperature-depth data sets.

Wind-vector estimation for RADARSAT-1 SAR images: Validation of wind-direction estimates based upon geometry diversity

In this letter, a new wind-vector algorithm is presented that uses radar backscatter sigma(0) measurements at two adjacent subscenes of RADARSAT-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, with each subscene having slightly different geometry. Resultant wind vectors are validated using in situ buoy measurements and compared with wind vectors determined from a hybrid wind-retrieval model using wind directions determined by spectral analysis of wind-induced image streaks and observed by colocated QuikSCAT measurements. The hybrid wind-retrieval model consists of CMOD-IFR2 [applicable to C-band vertical-vertical (W) polarization] and a C-band copolarization ratio according to Kirchhoff scattering. The new algorithm displays improved skill in wind-vector estimation for RADARSAT-1 SAR data when compared to conventional wind-retrieval methodology. In addition, unlike conventional methods, the present method is applicable to RADARSAT-1 images both with and without visible streaks. However, this method requires ancillary data such as buoy measurements to resolve the ambiguity in retrieved wind direction.