The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will undertake a technology development project to improve the operating capabilities of Seasoar -- a widely used undulating towed vehicle that is used for making sustained measurements of physical, optical and other parameters in the upper 300-400 meters of the ocean at speeds of 8 knots. This SGER project will develop a set of engineering parameters to describe and evaluate the hydrodynamics and control of the towed vehicle in order to make its performance more reliable and predictable in a variety of sea states and scientific payload configurations. Design specifications and software will be made freely available to other groups using the Seasoar. As research interests become more focussed upon the spatial structure in the upper ocean, a sustained interest in using the Seasoar is anticipated.
