High Fidelity, Low Power Omnidirectional Hydrophone

Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc. (IOS) proposes to develop a highly reliable, high fidelity, fiber optic hydrophone-based sensor that will consume low power, and offer a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the frequency range desired for monitoring marine acoustics. There is a need to advance the state-of-the-are of low power, portable hydrophones for recording fish spawning calls. Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) mountable hydrophones that reject AUV motor noise are desired. If software to decode the location and size of fish is included to enable automatic source identification, the devices would be extremely useful for fish population monitoring and for understanding the effects of climate and environmental changes. Underwater monitoring systems are presently prohibitively expensive. There is a long-term reliability issue with them as well, as the electronic acoustic sensor are intrinsically prone to degradation from salt water, as metallic conduits are necessary. These sensors cannot offer long term reliability. In Phase I, IOS will demonstrate the feasibility of developing a cost-effective, battery operated hydrophone offering a SNR > 5.