May 2007 - Alliance for Coastal Technologies publish AQUAlogger 210TY evaluation
Aquatec Group has been taking part in the ACT turbidity sensor evaluation. During this one year period the AQUAlogger210TY has undergone
rigorous lab and field trials to ascertain its ability to measure turbidity. Aquatec loaned four units for the trial, and now they have all
been returned and the results of the tests published by ACT. You can view these results here:
Janurary 2007 - Aquatec to attend the National Surface-Water Conference and Hydroacoustic Workshop
Aquatec Group will be represented at the conference to be held on April 2-6, 2007 at St. Louis, Missouri. In addition to the exhibition, a member of the Aquatec Group team will be presenting a paper entitled
"How Multi-Frequency Acoustics Improves Measurement of Suspended Sediment Size Distribution and Load Profiles" and we will be welcoming questions on the AQUAscat 1000, high frequency
acoustic backscatter instrument after this presentation.
The Aquatec Group are delighted to be taking part in the inaugural Ocean Business technology training and procurement forum set for 27 - 29 March 2007 at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, England.
The three day event provides more than just another opportunity to host an exhibition stand. Aquatec will also be offering two 1-hour training programmes to coincide with the two days of the Offshore Survey 07 conference. The programmes will cover Aquatec's acoustic and optical instrumentation for suspended sediment studies and surveys.
On the eve of Oceanology International 2006, the Aquatec Group received an order for AQUAlogger 520 Temperature and Pressure Loggers that takes the number of AQUAloggers sold past the 1000 mark. The latest consignment will be heading to Sydney, Australia.
The Sydney Offshore Reference Station (ORS Mk2)
Sydney's Offshore Reference Station (ORS Mk1) has been recording met-ocean data since 1989 to fulfill Sydney Water's licensing condition for operating the city's three deep-water outfalls. (An early photograph of the surface buoy is shown ).
In 2005, Sydney Water contracted Oceanographic Field Services Pty Ltd to trial an autonomous monitoring system to address Sydney Water's needs for the next three years. One of the trial's key objectives was to obtain reliable temperature profiles with an accuracy of better than 0.5°C. After examining the market, OFS selected AQUAlogger 520 series loggers, stringing eleven units at 4m spacing, starting 1m above the bottom. A further two units were purchased as back-up.
The trial results were impressive (data example) , with the AQUAloggers providing detailed input for Sydney Water's routine dilution models. On the back of this, OFS went on to win the final contract to design and operate the ORS Mk2, due to be commissioned in April 2006. As such, a further 19 AQUAloggers have recently been ordered, tipping AQUAlogger sales past 1000.
April 2006 - Aquatec takes part in the ACT technology evaluation
Aquatec group has provided four AQUAlogger 210TY (Turbidity loggers) to the ACT technology evaluation of turbidity sensors. The four units will be deployed at various sites to assess performance of the sensor and how the units cope with aggressive biofouling conditions.
Paul Randall from the Aquatec Group visited San Francisco to demonstrate how to the use the instrument, please visit the ACT website for further information.
March 2006 - Aquatec to exhibit for the 10th time at Oceanology
The Aquatec Group is delighted to return to ExCel, London for their 10th Oceanology exhibition from the 21st to 23rd March. The show will provide an opportunity for a significant product launch, a showcase for state of the art acoustic telemetry research, and the chance for visitors to learn more about Aquatec's instrumentation for sediment, pressure, and temperature monitoring and marine mammal activity recording.
The focus for Oceanology will be in the following areas: -
- ) A New Sediment Dynamics Instrument
- ) Showcasing Acoustic Telemetry Research
- ) Compact Oceanographic Instrumentation
January 2006 - Acoustic communication under ice - Aquatec's role in the DAMOCLES project confirmed
As concern grows for the shrinking Arctic ice cap, European scientists are embarking on an ambitious project to discover what's causing its decline. The study is bringing together experts on the polar atmosphere, the oceans below, and the ice cap itself. Taking measurements in any of those areas poses significant problems, but it is the oceanographers who face the toughest challenge: how can they get their subsea data back to the surface?
Underwater acoustics experts, Aquatec Telemetry Ltd (Hartley Wintney, UK) have been tasked with developing a range of acoustic modems as project partners in the EC-funded DAMOCLES project (Developing Arctic Modelling and Observing Capabilities for Long-term Environmental Studies). Aquatec's MD, Andy Smerdon commented:
"The under-ice communication needed for this project will push the boundaries of current acoustic technology, which is normally limited to a few kilometres in ideal conditions. In an environment where 30km is considered 'short-range', where most instruments will be operating in sub-zero water temperature, and where instrument deployments may last several years, we do not expect this to be straightforward. However, we will be building on the successes of a similar project in the Baltic Sea last year, in which our AQUAmodem technology operated over many kilometres in extremely shallow and difficult conditions."
SWARM is a European funded project setup under the fifth framework. Details of the project can be found at www.seaswarm.com. Central to the project is the idea of multiple floats all communicating acoustically with each other to detect and track poisonous algae blooms in shallow Baltic waters
The Aquatec Group Limited had the task of supplying five modems for the SWARM project, to work within the harsh Baltic environment. Range trials of the modems were carried out in local waters around Tvarminee, Finland, in conjunction with the Helsinki University of Technology and the Finnish Institute of Marine Research.
The largest problem affecting modem operation was the Baltic environment. CTD profiles at one trials site showed an 11 degree Celsius change in water temperature through a 35m channel, giving rise to a 30m/s variation in the speed of sound from the surface to the seabed. The key to the successful design was to take these factors into account and use simulation to trace the sound propagation through the water, prior to implementation.
The summer trials in the Baltic were very encouraging - with successful modem data transfer over 5km.
September 2005 - Offshore Europe a Resounding Success
The Aquatec Group had a successful show at Offshore Europe, with much interest in Aquatec's unique product range. Special interest was paid to Aquatec's acoustic CP Monitoring systems, of which you can find further information at these links: -
CP Monitoring Applications
June 2005 - Aquatec's pingers aim to save fishermen's haul from snacking whales
For long line fishermen, the presence of whales and dolphins during fishing operations can spell economic disaster. Although their methods are not fully understood, these sea mammals can strip the fishing lines of their catch before it ever reaches the fishing vessel's deck. The problem has become so severe for the Spanish longline fleet that the Vigo Ship-owners' Cooperative - ARVI, has secured government funding to investigate methods of deterring the animals from attacking their lines, and at the same time reducing the risk that they may become entangled.
Earlier this month, the Aquatec Group embarked on a new phase of co-operative development of their AQUAmark marine mammal deterrent technology to bring about a solution to the problem. Working with UK consultants Chelonia, zoologists at Aberdeen University, Spanish consultants MG Otero, and the Spanish conservation NGO, CEMMA, Aquatec's researchers will be seeking to understand how the whales detect and prey on the hooked fish, and what can be done to deter them.
Speaking to the Spanish press, Aquatec's MD, Andy Smerdon outlined the principle behind acoustic deterrents. "Using our acoustic deterrents - pingers - on gill nets, we have shown that the accidental capture of small marine mammals such as the harbour porpoise can be almost eliminated. The pingers emit very low levels of sound, but the trick is to present something unfamiliar to the animal to warn it away. It's simply not acceptable to subject them to intolerable noise levels in the interest of reducing bycatch. However, more sophistication is needed when the animals are preying on the fishermen's catch, and we have turned to interactive techniques to tackle problems in the pair trawl fishery. Once we understand more about how the whales find and raid the fishermen's haul, we will be able to test a range of different deterrent techniques."
The project is set to last three years. When it ends, the fishermen will hope that their catches have improved, and that the whales will no longer be consuming ready meals at their expense.
March 2005 - Acoustic leak detectors delivered
The Aquatec Group has delivered its first field deployable acoustic leak detectors. They are designed to be used by an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle)
and their purpose is to check acoustic activity around subsea pipe joints. This allows normally un-detectable leaks from joints to be found. For further information
please contact Neptune Oceanographics Ltd.
March 2005 - Interactive pinger for pair trawlers tested in Sweden
Our latest research effects have been in collaboration with BIM (Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Irish Sea Fisheries Board), and with the use of the Dolphinarium at Kolmarden Wild Animal Park . It has involved extensive research into an interactive pinger to use
on pair trawlers in the Tuna fisheries, but the technology will have many other future applications. The testing involved checking the unit's ability to
log sonar click activity from bottlenose Dolphins. During the tests no sound was introduced to the Dolphin
enclosure to ensure no disturbance to the cetaceans. The unit is shown on the right.
The sonar click activity that is used by the cetaceans is logged on the unit to enable thorough testing as well as giving the research team valuable data
during deployment of the unit on pelagic trawls.
February 2005 - New website now fully operational
Our updated website with details of all our standard products has now been launched.
Please use one of our feedback forms to make an enquiry about our products or services, we now have the facility on our website to provide you with quotes for products along with application ideas which will be updated regularly.
January 2005 - AQUAmark On-Site Tester Launched
The new AQUAmark Tester has now been used by many different customers with great sucsess. The
tester is a handheld unit with a changeable PP3 battery, it has an audible indication of the test AQUAmark's signal
as well as highly visable display which displays the AQUAmark under tests battery life.
The unit also encorporates a 3.5mm headphone jack to enable the envelope of the AQUAmark's signal to be assessed.
This is primarily intended for users who would like to know what in-audible signals on the AQUAmark 100 sound like, as
well as being a convenient way of listening to units that are deployed in open water.
In 2005, Sydney Water contracted Oceanographic Field Services Pty Ltd to trial an autonomous monitoring system to address Sydney Water's needs for the next three years. One of the trial's key objectives was to obtain reliable temperature profiles with an accuracy of better than 0.5°C. After examining the market, OFS selected AQUAlogger 520 series loggers, stringing eleven units at 4m spacing, starting 1m above the bottom. A further two units were purchased as back-up.
The trial results were impressive 
Aquatec group has provided four AQUAlogger 210TY (Turbidity loggers) to the ACT technology evaluation of turbidity sensors. The four units will be deployed at various sites to assess performance of the sensor and how the units cope with aggressive biofouling conditions. 
As concern grows for the shrinking Arctic ice cap, European scientists are embarking on an ambitious project to discover what's causing its decline. The study is bringing together experts on the polar atmosphere, the oceans below, and the ice cap itself. Taking measurements in any of those areas poses significant problems, but it is the oceanographers who face the toughest challenge: how can they get their subsea data back to the surface?
Underwater acoustics experts, Aquatec Telemetry Ltd (Hartley Wintney, UK) have been tasked with developing a range of acoustic modems as project partners in the EC-funded DAMOCLES project (Developing Arctic Modelling and Observing Capabilities for Long-term Environmental Studies). Aquatec's MD, Andy Smerdon commented:
The Aquatec Group Limited had the task of supplying five modems for the SWARM project, to work within the harsh Baltic environment. Range trials of the modems were carried out in local waters around Tvarminee, Finland, in conjunction with the Helsinki University of Technology and the Finnish Institute of Marine Research.
The Aquatec Group had a successful show at Offshore Europe, with much interest in Aquatec's unique product range. Special interest was paid to Aquatec's acoustic CP Monitoring systems, of which you can find further information at these links: -
Our latest research effects have been in collaboration with 
The new AQUAmark Tester has now been used by many different customers with great sucsess. The
tester is a handheld unit with a changeable PP3 battery, it has an audible indication of the test AQUAmark's signal
as well as highly visable display which displays the AQUAmark under tests battery life.