Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site.... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

ASL Conducts Field Trials of Prototype
Autonomous Long Endurance Split-Beam Sonar

This milestone marks the first such deployment of the prototype instrument, as part of a collaboration between researchers at Memorial University, the DFO and ASL. By echoblue / 28 Feb 2023
Follow OS&T

ASL Environmental Sciences has completed field trials of a new prototype split-beam sonar in the Saanich Inlet, near the Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS), Sidney, BC.

This milestone marks the first such deployment of the prototype instrument, as part of a collaboration between researchers at Memorial University, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), and ASL.

The field testing was done from a small IOS launch with Dr. Stéphane Gauthier, Fisheries and Oceans research scientist, Dr. Len Zedel, Professor and Department Head of Physics and Physical Oceanography at Memorial University, and graduate student Axel Belgarde, also of Memorial University. ASL staff members Dr. Steve Pearce and Graeme Thompson participated in the study.

Split-beam echosounders use multiple receive channels to determine target location within the acoustical beam. Unlike ordinary single-beam echosounders, split-beam echosounders may determine not only the range but also the direction of arrival of incoming signals. This facilitates accurate measurements of target strength. When detecting fish over multiple pings, a split beam sonar may track the fish and estimate its swimming speed and direction.

Marine Environmental Sonar

Discover cutting-edge solutions from 5 leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT

ASL has extensive experience developing calibrated scientific hydroacoustic profilers. ASL instruments are known for their unmatched ability to collect long time series data, with typical deployments lasting 12 months. This new splitbeam echosounder prototype is designed to run autonomously for months at a time, allowing researchers to collect long time series data at the study site. Many researchers find such tools useful when studying fish behavior throughout changing seasons, or when deploying in remote environments.

The field trial for this new design was carried out February 1, 2023 (Figure 1) and the results are promising. As part of the system testing, two small spheres were lowered and raised through the water column to a maximum depth of 220m.

The following sample echogram shows these spheres over one of the trial casts:

Find suppliers & manufacturers of Environmental Sonar Technology >>

Posted by echoblue Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

Featured Content

New Hybrid USV to Integrate Autopilot Tech for Rim Driven Thrusters

The latest HydroSurv Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV), the REAV-47, pairs Dynautics’ custom autopilot system with rim-driven thruster propulsion for advanced marine survey missions

May 19, 2025
AGISTAR Launches Portable USV for Diverse Aquatic Operations

AGISTAR's new BX-USV II is a compact, modular unmanned surface vessel featuring a lightweight, inflatable design for single-person deployment, making it well suited to diverse aquatic missions even in shallow waters

May 14, 2025
Reducing Risk in Explosive Ordnance Disposal Operations with ROVs

Oceanbotics explores how naval mines threaten ocean operations—and how modern ROV technology is transforming underwater mine detection and disposal for safer missions

May 09, 2025
Saved!

Visit My Account to view and manage your saved content.

Just click the icon at the top-right of the screen.