SeaSense - Issue #3

July 2012. Welcome to Issue 3 of SeaSense. As they say in the cricket world. it has been a long time between drinks, but the team at MSI have been very busy since issue 2 travelling the country and selling many specialist oceanographic instruments during this time.

Evidence of this is contained In this edition where we introduce you to our "Million Dollar Man" - Ryan Lowe of UWA who wihout realising it, took MSI passed the $1m mark of RBR sales in Australia.

We also showcase new loggers from RBR (with more power and memory you can now measure for longer and measure more) and detail recent awards to CSIRO (as part of IMOS) and AMSA for the provision of Self Locator Datum Marker Buoys - a valuable "Search and Rescue" tool. MetOcean's and RBR's involvement with James Cameron's record dive also features - proof of how strong and reliable these manufacturers products are.

More details of these and other news stories are posted on our website so please visit www.metoceanservices.com regularly for updates.

MetOcean iSLDMBs for AMSA 

As exclusive agents for MetOcean Data Systems (MetOcean), MSI is pleased to announce the award of a multi-year tender for the provision of Self-Locating Datum Marker Buoys (SLDMB) for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).

An SLDMB is designed to measure surface currents, sea-surface temperature and provide a GPS position at specified time intervals. MetOcean developed the first-generation of SLDMB’s more than two decades ago. The SLDMB’s original design was based on the proven CODE (Coastal Ocean Dynamics Experiment) style drifter, also referred to as a Davis Drifter. MetOcean’s SLDMB continues to be utilized around the world by search and rescue organizations, oceanographic institutes, environmental agencies, military organizations, and offshore oil and gas companies. MetOcean recently launched its third-generation SLDMB, the A-Size Iridium SLDMB (iSLDMB). The iSLDMB has been extensively tested to meet the stringent requirements of the search and rescue (SAR) community. The iSLDMB meets all NATO specifications as well as being equipped with real-time Iridium satellite telemetry, making the iSLDMB a truly valuable SAR tool.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is the Australian Government agency responsible for maritime safety, protection of the marine environment and aviation and marine search and rescue.

MetOcean designs and produces state-of-the-art data acquisition and remote telemetry systems. Established in 1985, MetOcean has been a global leader in integrated systems used for real-time monitoring and has developed niche markets to support a wide array of scientific, private and commercial applications.

For additional information regarding any of MetOcean’s products, or any of the other products that we sell in Australia, please contact us.

RBR Launches Next Generation Data Loggers – Measure More / Measure Longer! 

MSI is pleased to announce the release of RBR's next generation dual and single channel loggers, the RBRduo and the RBRvirtuoso. Built through years of experience and innovation, the new loggers have been redesigned to improve their reliability and usability. The next generation loggers support longer deployments and true USB download and large capacity memory.

The main features include:

• Long deployment with eight CR123A batteries (optional extended body with 16 batteries)
• Storage of over 30 million readings internally
• True USB download speed
• Optional averaging and fast sampling up to 6 Hz
• Unique desiccant holder in the battery end cap

The RBRduo is available in four standard configurations:

• RBRduo T.D measures temperature and depth
• RBRduo T.DO measures temperature and dissolved oxygen
• RBRduo T.D |wave measures temperature and waves
• RBRduo T.D |tide measures temperature and tides

The RBRvirtuoso is available in the following standard configurations:

• RBRvirtuoso T measures temperature
• RBRvirtuoso D measures depth
• RBRvirtuoso DO measures dissolved oxygen
• RBRvirtuoso BPR bottom pressure recorder
• RBRvirtuoso D |wave measures waves
• RBRvirtuoso D |tide measures tides

The Delrin loggers can operate in up to 740m of water (deepwater Titanium still available), make up to 30 million readings, and be deployed for over 5 years on one set of batteries at 1 minute sampling intervals.

The new logger series are customizable, with the ability to be fitted with one or two of the following sensors/functions*: temperature, tide, turbidity, ORP, depth (pressure), wave, fluorescence, PAR, conductivity, dissolved O2, pH (* Contact RBR for sensor availability).

For further details, please contact us

TRIAXYS™ Wave Sensor Augments Marine Observing Program In Australia 

AXYS Technologies Inc. (AXYS), together with its Australian representative Metocean Services International Pty Ltd, have recently supplied Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) with a TRIAXYS™ Sensor to be used as part of Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS).

The TRIAXYS sensor is installed on the Southern Ocean Flux Station Weather Buoy (pictured right courtesy of http://imos.org.au/), designed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), located at -46.915; 142.217, south of Tasmania, in 4,323 metres of water.

The weather buoy was recovered in June 2011, retrofitted and upgraded to include the TRIAXYS wave sensor, and redeployed in late November, 2011. The TRIAXYS sensor gathers and sends directional wave data to IMOS via Iridium satellite telemetry. This wave data, along with other oceanographic and meteorological data, is available on the IMOS Ocean Portal website (http://imos.aodn.org.au/webportal), and is important in the development of a Southern Ocean climate record as well as for improving marine weather forecasting.

IMOS was established in 2007 under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), with initial funding of $50M and co-investment of $44M from partners. It has successfully deployed a range of observing equipment in the oceans around Australia, and is making all of the data freely and openly available through the IMOS Ocean Portal for the benefit of Australian marine and climate science as a whole. IMOS is supported by the Australian Government through the NCRIS and the Super Science Initiative.

CSIRO is Australia’s national science agency and one of the largest and most diverse research agencies in the world. It has more than 50 sites throughout Australia and the world delivering solutions for agribusiness, energy and transport, environment and natural resources, health, information technology, telecommunications, manufacturing and mineral resources.

Video footage of the buoy's deployment / recovery is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xamjQ9hgEpk

MSI Announces Its MSI/RBR Million Dollar Australian 

MSI is pleased to announce the sale of two RBR TWR-2050P Tide and Wave Recorders that, although a small sale on its own, is a significant milestone in terms of Australia. This sale, to the University of Western Australia (UWA) in Perth, takes MSI passed the $1 million dollar mark of RBR product sales in Australia since acquiring the agency

To commemorate the event, MSI presented Dr. Ryan Lowe (pictured) of UWA with a bottle of Single Malt Whisky from the Tasmanian Lark Distillery.

The Lark Distillery began producing award winning whisky in the mid 1980s using the pure mountain waters of Tasmania, premium quality Franklin barley and the fragrant Tasmanian highland peat. Through their dedication to time honoured principles of copper pot distillation and small barrel maturity, they have ensured premium quality whisky production in the finest Scottish tradition and now boast worldwide recognition.

Apart from being a product of Tasmania where MSI’s Australasian business is based, given that the Lark Distillery embodies the same high quality and attention to detail as MSI and RBR, the Directors of MSI thought that this was an ideal gift.

Dr. Lowe has a background in oceanography, environmental fluid mechanics, and environmental engineering, with his work focusing on studying complex (and often multidisciplinary) research problems in the coastal zone. His research requires him to employ a wide range of laboratory, field and numerical modelling approaches and the TWRs will be used to support this research. Dr. Lowe’s research has had a significant impact in the three key areas of Coral Reef and Coastal Hydrodynamics, Numerical Modelling of Waves and Coastal Circulation and Biophysical Interactions in Coastal Environments, with his recent work contributing to the understanding of key biophysical processes operating in pelagic shelf ecosystems, particularly along the Western Australian coast.

RBR is a world leader in underwater instrumentation for serious oceanographers, hydrographers, and water quality experts. "We are delighted with the level of enthusiasm that MSI puts into the relationship with us" said Greg Johnson, President of RBR. He continued: "The level of support that customers appreciate us for is due in no small part to our local agents, and MSI provides sales and support to Australian customers that is second to none".

The sale was actually made in June of 2011 but MSI decided to wait 6 months before announcing it to ensure all of the paperwork and contractual issues had been completed. This means that this milestone was passed in under 4 years since RBR seriously entered the Australian market with its appointment of MSI as exclusive Australian representatives. With the recent launch of new products such as the RBRduo, Mooring Line Modem and true USB connectivity, combined with MSI already selling in excess of $300k worth of RBR products since this milestone was passed 6 months ago, MSI is well on the way to being able to reward the next “Million Dollar Customer”.

RBR & MetOcean Assist in James Cameron's Record Dive 

RBR and MetOcean, two of the companies represented exclusively in Australia by MSI, recently announced their proud involvement in world renowned director James Cameron's record attempt to descend to the deepest known point on Earth.

Cameron (pictured left courtesy of http://news.nationalgeographic.com/) descended into the Mariana Trench through a joint expedition with National Geographic and Rolex, named “Deepsea Challenge.” Cameron's Expedition relied on a manned submersible and two unmanned free vehicles known as "landers". The landers made scouting dives for the submersible, and independent dives for scientific sampling and measurement.

Cameron's primary goal was to gain greater insight into the largely unexplored abyss at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, while bringing attention to the technologies now available to explore below 6000m. Cameron plunged to the depth of 35,756 feet (11,033 meters) to gather research samples for marine biology, geology and marine chemistry.

Onboard Camerons submersible was an RBR depth recorder, the DR-1050 (titanium), which the director was able to capture data on pressure to verify his record-breaking deep dive, and to correlate with high definition stereo images of the life forms and geologic features found at extreme depths.

Also onboard, MetOcean’s well-known product line of Beacons and Flashers, helped to bring James Cameron’s dream of reaching the deepest parts of Mariana’s Trench to reality. MetOcean created a custom Iridium glass sphere which was pressure rated to 11000m and 16.500 psi along with the NOVATECH strobe (ST-400A) and the NOVATECH Radio Flasher (RF-700A1).

For more information regarding the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER, visit

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/03/120326-james-cameron-mariana-trench-challenger-deepest-lunar-sub-science/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17436824

New Polar Network Business Directory 

MSI is a strong believer of being involved with local industry groups and professional bodies. One such group that MSI has been a member of since establishing in Australia is the Tasmanian Polar Network (TPN).

The TPN is a group of businesses and scientific organisations based in Tasmania, all with a common focus on serving commercial and scientific activity in the Antarctic, sub-Antarctic and Southern Oceans region.

At the recent Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting held in Hobart, Tasmania's Minister of Economic Development, Minister David O'Byrne, officially launched the latest edition of the TPN Business Directory.

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