Pop-up buoys: improving the enviromental seafloor monitoring capabilities of stand-alone oceanographic platforms

Abstract

The Platform for Long-lasting Observation of Marine Ecosystems (PLOME) project seeks to enhance communication capabilities for stand-alone seafloor platforms. A pivotal innovation within PLOME is the integration of pop-up buoys, enhancing monitoring by transmitting crucial data and enabling its early access. These buoys, evolving from conventional retrieval mechanisms, now incorporate sensing, processing, and communication features, representing a significant advance in marine observation technology. The ongoing development focuses on electronics integration, buoy design, autonomy optimization, release mechanisms, and satellite transmission enhancement, aiming to overcome operational limitations and improve observational capabilities in marine environments.