A new way to monitor previously hidden, but disruptive, deep ocean currents in near-real-time has been proven, thanks to a recently completed uncrewed technology collaboration in the US Gulf of Mexico.
In a science-industry first, marine technology companies Sonardyne and SeaTrac Systems used advanced sensors and uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) to deliver science-ready deep ocean current data on the Gulf’s Loop Current System, direct to scientists’ desks in near real-time.
The project, commissioned and in collaboration with the University of Rhode Island (URI), opens the door to reliable, on-demand and sustained high-resolution observations of powerful and dynamic ocean systems, without the need to send people offshore.
In turn, this boosts scientists’ ability to improve predictive models, helping industry and science understand and mitigate the hazards posed by disruptive deep ocean currents, like the Loop Current System.
The project was completed during Fall 2025 and funded by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Gulf Research Program.
“Sustained deep-ocean measurements remain rare despite their importance,” says Randy Watts, Professor of Oceanography, URI. “This project demonstrates how commercially available instruments and uncrewed vehicles can deliver science-ready data in strong current systems – overcoming the dual challenges of station-keeping where most USVs fail and cost-effective deployment without expensive research vessels.”
“With SeaTrac, we’ve proven that long-term, persistent monitoring of powerful and dynamic ocean systems with USVs instead of traditional vessels is now a reality,” says Michelle Barnett, Business Development Manager for Ocean Science at Sonardyne. “Remote-commanded systems can reliably deliver the high-quality oceanographic data researchers and industry need, when they need it with lower operational costs than traditional vessels.”
“This mission has demonstrated a new global precedent for using USVs to make critical, sustained ocean data accessible, consistently – with zero crew risk, zero emissions and a repeatable approach we can scale to other regions,” adds Hobie Boeschenstein, Director of Operations and Business Development at SeaTrac.
The collaboration used Sonardyne’s advanced Origin 65 seabed acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) and SeaTrac’s SP-48 USV to gather near-real-time current profile data from the Loop Current System.
Over 18 months, four Origin 65s and five pressure inverted echosounders were deployed in 1800 - 3200 m water depth, in the heart of the LCS, 200 nm off the coast of Louisiana.
Origin 65 is a 4100 m-rated, low frequency, deepwater profiling ADCP. It can profile up to 800 m range in time-aligned, high resolution and also comes with pressure inverted echo sounder (PIES) functionality.
Thanks to Origin 65’s integrated Edge processing capability and acoustic modem, data could be acoustically harvested from the surface by SeaTrac’s remotely piloted USV, using a Sonardyne HPT 7000 transceiver.
The solar and battery powered SP-48 was tasked with navigating variable ocean currents and weather conditions in the Gulf to reach the sensor locations and harvest the data. It was then able to send the science-ready data to shore through its dual iridium and Starlink satellite links, which also enabled high-data rate and real-time communications back to shore.
In total, three deployments covering more than 30 days, the SP-48, which can sustain 2 to 3 kt operations and sprints up to 5 kt, covered around 1500 nm. During this time, more than 135 GB of high-resolution ocean currents and related parameter data at up to 800 m above the bottom were harvested.
Going forward, data gathered during the mission will improve models that forecast currents such as topographic Rossby waves, providing critical insights for science and safety in the region and opening new avenues for future research.
The project demonstrates a scalable model for autonomous ocean observation around the world.
This includes showing how marine autonomy can deliver near real-time data to enhance the prediction of – and safety against – disruptive deep currents such as topographic Rossby waves, which can threaten offshore infrastructure, while also improving scientific understanding of ocean circulation and climate processes.
“Completion of this project marks another successful demonstration of USVs in offshore data collection and marine science,” Boeschenstein said.
“Deploying advanced technologies like those from SeaTrac and Sonardyne is key to deepening our understanding of the world’s oceans. There is still so much to explore, and our teams are proud to help scientists safely reach and study some of the most challenging marine environments on Earth.”
Image: An SP-48 in the US Gulf of Mexico.