The Marine Institute’s SmartBay Observatory in Galway Bay, Ireland, is being brought ashore this week for essential maintenance.
The subsea observatory, located 1.5km off the coast of Spiddal, has been continuously monitoring the underwater environment over the past 15 months using cameras and sensors.
Data relating to the marine environment at the site is transferred in real-time from the SmartBay Observatory through a fibre optic telecommunications cable to the Marine Institute headquarters and onto the internet.
The data includes a live video stream, the depth of the observatory node, the sea temperature and salinity.
The observatory will be cleaned, all scientific instruments will be replaced and new underwater lamps will be fitted to improve high-definition camera footage.
Image: diver Mark Kerrigan prepares the observatory for recovery (MERC Environmental)
SmartBay spruce up
By EBS