An affordable and customizable wave buoy for the study of wave-ice interactions: design concept and results from field deployments

作     者：Kodaira, Tsubasa Katsuno, Tomotaka Nose, Takehiko Itoh, Motoyo Rabault, Jean Hoppmann, Mario Kimizuka, Masafumi Waseda, Takuji 

作者机构：Department of Ocean Technology Policy and Environment Graduate School of Frontier Sciences The University of Tokyo Kashiwa Japan Institute of Arctic Climate and Environment Research Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology Yokosuka Japan IT Department Norwegian Meteorological Institute Oslo Norway Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung Bremerhaven Germany Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology Tokyo Japan 

出 版 物：《arXiv》 (arXiv)

年 卷 期：2023年

核心收录：

主　　题：3D printing 

摘      要：In the polar regions, the interaction between waves and ice has a crucial impact on the seasonal change in the sea ice extent. However, our comprehension of this phenomenon is restricted by a lack of observations, which, in turn, results in the exclusion of associated processes from numerical models. In recent years, availability of the low-cost and accurate Inertial Motion Units has enabled the development of affordable wave research devices. Despite advancements in designing innovative open-source instruments optimized for deployment on ice floes, their customizability and survivability remain limited, especially in open waters. This study presents a novel design concept for an affordable and customizable wave buoy, aimed for wave measurements in marginal ice zones. The central focus of this wave buoy design is the application of 3D printing as rapid prototyping technology. By utilizing the high customizability offered by 3D printing, the previously developed solar-powered wave buoy was customized to install a battery pack to continue the measurements in the high latitudes for more than several months. Preliminary results from field deployments in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans demonstrate that the performance of the instruments is promising. The accuracy of frequency wave spectra measurements is found to be comparable to that of considerably more expensive instruments. Finally, the study concludes with a general evaluation of using rapid prototyping technologies for buoy designs and proposes recommendations for future designs. Copyright © 2023, The Authors. All rights reserved.