Hydro International: September-October 2019

Mapping Submarine Groundwater Discharge with Thermal Infrared Imaging

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is a significant part of the water cycle that delivers anthropogenically derived and naturally occurring nutrients to coastal waters. As part of the drive to develop methods for preventing the degradation of coastal water quality, research conducted at the University of North Carolina Wilmington attempts to address the ambiguity associated with SGD point source locations. This case study outlines how cutting-edge high-resolution unmanned aerial system (UAS) thermal infrared (TIR) imaging methods have been coupled with the newest technology for continuous and autonomous SGD monitoring. Read on...

World War One Submarine Wreck

In order to guarantee nautical depths, the Rijkswaterstaat survey department runs an annual seabed monitoring programme. In July 2019, research vessel MS Arca left its home port of Scheveningen, the Netherlands, to conduct a shipwreck survey that included a World War One submarine. Read on...

Bathymetric Dam Imaging

Inspection of dams is a high-risk task for divers because of strong currents and eddies. Using emerging technologies such as USVs equipped with echosounders and sonars can lower those risks. Such systems can perform subsurface dam inspections quickly without putting humans at risk. Read on...

The Biggest Arctic Expedition of All Time?

On 20 September 2019, the German research icebreaker Polarstern left Tromsø, Norway, for what could be the biggest Arctic research expedition of all time. Once she reaches the destination, the ship and her crew will become trapped in the ice and spend an entire year drifting through the Arctic Ocean. Read on...