Background Information

Sandy Hook Bay, New Jersey


Acquiring information about the oceans and other bodies of water is hard for scientists. The act of continuously traveling to the body of water they need information from is much too tedious. It is also extremely complicated to ensure the data is all taken during the same tides and other important factors. The slight differences lend themselves to error in the data.

I researched a sea sampling vessel named The Observer to compare costs of building a buoy versus continuously making trips to obtain water samples. The first (and most obvious) cost is the vessel itself. Some of the less obvious costs of using a vessel include fuel, ice, supplies, food, water, bait, oil, and equipment. Not only this, but the people going on the constant trips must coordinate times and locations that they can all get together at.

Not only is data complicated to acquire, but it is vital for scientists to keep track of. The slightest changes in salinity or temperature can majorly affect species living in the water. Fish and other sea-bound organisms are adapted to the environment they live in. They are easily affected by changes in the water. Some of the smallest changes can be fatal for certain species. This is why it is important for scientists to have a constant flow of information sent to them. They can easily view and analyze information being sent to their computers from a research buoy.

Because the buoy is meant to spectate and analyze water samples, it is very important that it be environmentally friendly. If the buoy itself is disturbing the environment, sending it into a body of water would be moot. The buoy must take water tests while not disturbing any organisms that live in that specific area.

My task is to design a research buoy that will do the work for scientists. It must take all important water tests, such as temperature, pH, salinity, and more. The buoy will be electronically wired to send the acquired information to a team of scientists. These scientists can now analyze the data in a much simpler manner than ever before.
The buoy must be anchored to the body of water it lies in. The design I will create should be logical and coincide with the electrical aspect. By building this research buoy, the data is guaranteed to be consistent with little or no error.

NOAA Research Buoy

Above is a buoy constructed by NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]. This buoy was constructed after a Tsunami in Indonesia raised the death toll to almost 300,000 people. NOAA's buoys are constructed to not only take water quality tests, but also to help predict phenomenons such as tsunamis and earthquakes.