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Papers by Kevin Hardy

Instrumentation for the Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate (ATOC) prototype Pacific Ocean network

'Challenges of Our Changing Global Environment'. Conference Proceedings. OCEANS '95 MTS/IEEE

Application of small, untethered Ocean Landers for Current, Wave, and Turbulence Measurements

2019 IEEE/OES Twelfth Current, Waves and Turbulence Measurement (CWTM)

Sensor miniaturization and low power drain, combined with the advancements in small, untethered f... more Sensor miniaturization and low power drain, combined with the advancements in small, untethered free descent/free ascent vehicles known as “ocean landers,” make near bottom and mid-water measurements of ocean dynamics to even hadal depths possible by any size research institution. This creates an opportunity for increased global scientific collaboration, including impacts of climate and environmental change in the most remote regions. Instrumentation that fit the size and weight constraints of a small ocean lander, such as Global Ocean Design's Nanolander, include Nortek ADCPs. Acoustic sensors noninvasively capture waves, currents, and turbulence spectrum, useful in studies of sediment transport and biomass in the water column. This information complements data from other environmental sensors such as a camera, CTD or DO sensor. Together, these sensor packages provide a multidimensional understanding of a site. This combined approach of miniaturized sensors and ocean landers provides researchers a cost-effective, easily deployable means to measure a wide variety of environmental conditions over any time period defined by experimental parameters. Scientists can follow their research, play a hunch, or respond to a time-critical event much more easily. Vessels as small as 18-ft have been used routinely to deploy Nanolanders to 1km.

Frontiers for Young Minds, 2022

Below the surface layers of the ocean, there are ecosystems full of undiscovered life. Scientists... more Below the surface layers of the ocean, there are ecosystems full of undiscovered life. Scientists love to ask questions like, “Who is there?” and “What are they doing?” An important question scientists are beginning to ask is, “How will these living things react to warmer waters, loss of oxygen, or pollution?” To answer these questions, scientists build equipment to observe life in the deep sea. We built an ocean lander named BEEBE, with a camera, sensors, and waterproof casing. BEEBE helped us study deep-sea ecosystems near the coast of California and learn about the animals that live there. We can use what we learned to recognize vulnerable communities and the threats some ocean animals face. An ocean lander like BEEBE can be a great tool to learn more about coastal, deep-sea ecosystems around the world!

Code and Data for Gallo et al. Characterizing deep-water oxygen variability and seafloor community responses using a novel autonomous lander

Data and code are provided to accompany the open-access manuscript: Gallo et al. Characterizing d... more Data and code are provided to accompany the open-access manuscript: Gallo et al. Characterizing deep-water oxygen variability and seafloor community responses using a novel autonomous lander. Biogeosciences. The following files are provided: Gallo_et_al_Final_Code.R contains the R script for the analyses Multiplot_Function.R contains the multiplot function which is used at times in the main script Gallo_et_al_BEEBE_Final.csv contains all of the oceanographic nanolander deployment data The following data files are used for the Nanolander community analyses: Comm_Dominants_Morethan1.csv contains the community matrix used for the nMDS analysis Community_Env_Matrix.csv contains the environmental matrix used for the nMDS analysis D4_Only_Community.csv contains the community matrix for Deployment 4 (D200-LJ-2) D4_Only_Env.csv and D4_Only_Env2.csv contain the environmental matrixes for Deployment 4 (D200-LJ-2) D6_Only_Community.csv contains the community matrix for Deployment 6 (D200-DM) D...

Selecting an acoustic release for a mooring or lander

OCEANS 2017 – Anchorage, 2017

Moorings with a subsurface float or a benthic lander with onboard positive buoyancy are often cou... more Moorings with a subsurface float or a benthic lander with onboard positive buoyancy are often coupled to a heavier expendable iron anchor to hold position on the seafloor. Releasing the weight is the critical first step of a mooring or benthic lander recovery. This paper describes a hierarchal selection process to identify the optimal acoustic release configuration for an application.

Studies on the impacts of climate change typically focus on changes to mean conditions. However, ... more Studies on the impacts of climate change typically focus on changes to mean conditions. However, animals live in temporally variable environments that give rise to different exposure histories that can potentially affect their sensitivities to climate change. Ocean deoxygenation has been observed in nearshore, upper-slope depths in the Southern California Bight, but how these changes compare to the magnitude of natural O 2 variability experienced by seafloor communities at short timescales is largely unknown. We developed a low-cost and spatially flexible approach for studying nearshore, deep-sea ecosystems and monitoring deepwater oxygen variability and benthic community responses. Using a novel, autonomous, hand-deployable Nanolander ® with an SBE MicroCAT and camera system, high-frequency environmental (O 2 , T , estimated pH) and seafloor community data were collected at depths between 100 and 400 m off San Diego, CA, to characterize timescales of natural environmental variability, changes in O 2 variability with depth, and community responses to O 2 variability. Oxygen variability was strongly linked to tidal processes, and contrary to expectation, oxygen variability did not decline linearly with depth. Depths of 200 and 400 m showed especially high O 2 variability; these conditions may give rise to greater community resilience to deoxygenation stress by exposing animals to periods of reprieve during higher O 2 conditions and invoking physiological acclimation during low O 2 conditions at daily and weekly timescales. Despite experiencing high O 2 variability, seafloor communities showed limited responses to changing conditions at these shorter timescales. Over 5-month timescales, some differences in seafloor communities may have been related to seasonal changes in the O 2 regime. Overall, we found lower-oxygen conditions to be associated with a transition from fish-dominated to invertebrate-dominated communities, suggesting this taxonomic shift may be a useful ecological indicator of hypoxia. Due to their small size and ease of use with small boats, hand-deployable Nanolanders can serve as a powerful capacity-building tool in data-poor regions for characterizing environmental variability and examining seafloor community sensitivity to climate-driven changes. 1 Introduction Natural environmental variability can affect the resilience or sensitivity of communities to climate change. Communities and species living in variable environments are often more tolerant of extreme conditions than communities from environmentally stable areas (Bay and Palumbi 2014). For example, in seasonally hypoxic fjords, temporal oxygen vari-Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union.

Periodograms are shown for each of the seven deployments. Periodograms are organized by deploymen... more Periodograms are shown for each of the seven deployments. Periodograms are organized by deployment and deployment depth from shallowest (top) to deepest (bottom), and deployment depths are indicated. The dominant period identified is indicated, which corresponds to the highest peak on the periodogram. Note the differences in y-axis scale, across the periodograms: shallower deployments have a larger amplitude signal than deeper deployments.

International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology, Jan 16, 2016

An obligately piezophilic strain was isolated from an amphipod crustacean obtained in the Challen... more An obligately piezophilic strain was isolated from an amphipod crustacean obtained in the Challenger Deep region of the Mariana Trench during the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition. The strain, MTCD1T, grew at extremely high hydrostatic pressures, with a growth range of 80-140 MPa (optimum: 120 MPa) at 6°C. Phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicates that it is closely affiliated with the genus Colwellia. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses revealed 95.7%, 95.5%, and 95.2% similarity to Colwellia maris ABE-1T, Colwellia piezophila Y233GT, and Colwellia psychrerythraea 34HT, respectively. The major cellular fatty acids were C16:1, C16:0 and C22:6 (DHA) and the sole isoprenoid quinone produced was ubiqinone-8. DNA G+C content was 48.6 mol%. The strain was positive for oxidase and catalase activities. Based on the results from this study, strain MTCD1T is a novel Gram-negative species of the genus Colwellia, and the name Colwellia marinimaniae sp. nov. (type s...

Enabling a new era of ocean discovery and research

OCEANS 2016 MTS/IEEE Monterey, 2016

Academic institutions, government agencies, and other NGO organizations can receive donated ship ... more Academic institutions, government agencies, and other NGO organizations can receive donated ship time for research, environmental monitoring, and equipment testing. The International SeaKeepers Society (ISKS) provides access to all the world's seas through its expanding DISCOVERY Yachts program.

Frontiers in microbiology, 2016

Relatively few studies have described the microbial populations present in ultra-deep hadal envir... more Relatively few studies have described the microbial populations present in ultra-deep hadal environments, largely as a result of difficulties associated with sampling. Here we report Illumina-tag V6 16S rRNA sequence-based analyses of the free-living and particle-associated microbial communities recovered from locations within two of the deepest hadal sites on Earth, the Challenger Deep (10,918 meters below surface-mbs) and the Sirena Deep (10,667 mbs) within the Mariana Trench, as well as one control site (Ulithi Atoll, 761 mbs). Seawater samples were collected using an autonomous lander positioned ~1 m above the seafloor. The bacterial populations within the Mariana Trench bottom water samples were dissimilar to other deep-sea microbial communities, though with overlap with those of diffuse flow hydrothermal vents and deep-subsurface locations. Distinct particle-associated and free-living bacterial communities were found to exist. The hadal bacterial populations were also markedly...

Hadal landers: the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE ocean trench free vehicles

2013 Oceans San Diego, Sep 1, 2013

Unmanned free vehicles, using kerosene-filled envelopes for lift, have been used since the late 1... more Unmanned free vehicles, using kerosene-filled envelopes for lift, have been used since the late 1930's to deliver scientific instruments and samplers to the seafloor. Recent advances in glass spherical housings have provided a cost-effective option for operations into ocean trenches. During his 2012 DEEPSEA CHALLENGER Expedition, Explorer James Cameron pushed the design limits with both manned submersible and unmanned lander designs. This paper describes the unmanned lander design and operational experiences during that successful expedition.

Deep submersible light with pressure compensation

Undersea Free Vehicle and Components

Glass flotation and instrument housings for deep ocean exploration and research

2015 IEEE Underwater Technology (UT), 2015

Glass housings have been used since antiquity. Glass was the fabled hull material of choice for A... more Glass housings have been used since antiquity. Glass was the fabled hull material of choice for Alexander the Great's descent into the Mediterranean Sea in 332BC. Fishermen around the world have used glass fishing floats to support their nets since at least 1840, beginning in Scandinavia. Today, glass spheres find application in all the main classes of undersea vehicles: AUVs, Landers, ROVs, and manned submersibles. Glass housings, both borosilicate (Pyrex) and BK-7, possess advantages over other materials includinglower cost, corrosion resistance, optical clarity, an immense strength-weight ratio, the ability to drill and spotface for o-ring seal penetrations, and aninvisibility to radio frequencies and magnetic fields. A glass sphere has the dual advantage of being both buoyancy and a pressure resistant housing, making small and lightweight autonomous instrumentation packages possible. These in turn may be deployed from ships-of-opportunity operating from ports closer to the site of interest, lowering the cost of fieldwork. Glass is brittle and subject to damage from impact, so proper protection of exposed sealing surfaces and training of personnel on handling is required. Quality in all phases of production is crucial:superior raw materials, advanced manufacturing technology, expertise in processing, and precise quality control. VITROVEX® precision engineered glass spheres and cylinders made by Nautilus Marine Service (NMS) GmbH meet the extraordinary demands of oceanographers. They are available in different diameters and pressure ratings up to full ocean trench depth, to match different mission requirements. A large number of accessories, including swiveling sphere attachments, self-sealing vacuum ports, pressure switches, a portable deck purge box, an internal surface recovery beacon board, and more, simplify the use of VITROVEX®precision-engineered glass spheres in custom undersea vehicle development. The world of advanced applications will increase as designers adapt and build on the flexibility and cost effectiveness of precision-engineered glass housings.

OCEANS 2015 - Genova, 2015

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) work by providing bacteria in anaerobic sediments with an electron ac... more Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) work by providing bacteria in anaerobic sediments with an electron acceptor (anode) that stimulates metabolism of organic matter. The buried anode is connected via control circuitry to a cathode exposed to oxygen in the overlying water. During metabolism, bacteria release hydrogen ions into the sediment and transfer electrons extra-cellularly to the anode that eventually reduces dissolved oxygen at the cathode, forming water. The open circuit voltage is approximately 0.8 v. The voltage between electrodes is operationally kept at 0.4 v with a potentiostat. The current is chiefly limited by the rate of microbial metabolism at the anode. Earlier work in shallow sediments of San Diego Bay showed that the most important environmental parameters that control fuel cell power output in San Diego Bay were total organic carbon in the sediment and seasonal water temperature. Parameters that we dismissed as unimportant were dissolved oxygen levels, light level, and initial sediment bacterial populations. Parameters whose affect we could not separate were total organic carbon and grain size. Current MFC work includes extension of microbial fuel cell tests to the deep sea environment (>1000 m) and, in parallel, testing microbial fuel cells in the laboratory under deep sea conditions. One question we are asking is whether MFC power output from deep water sediments re-pressurized and chilled in the laboratory comparable to those measured in situ. If yes, mapping the power potential of deep sea sediments may be made much easier, requiring sediment grabs and lab tests rather than deployment and retrieval of fuel cells. Another question we are asking is whether in situ temperature and total organic carbon in the deep sea sediment can predict MFC power. If yes, then we can make use of the large collection of publicly available, deep sea oceanographic measurements to make these predictions, foregoing expensive work at sea. These regressions will be compared to those derived from shallow water measurements. In order to meet these goals we are pursuing a field effort to (1) deploy a microbial fuel cell in progressively deeper water, (2) record in situ power and temperature over several weeks, and (3) retrieve the fuel cell along with sediment samples for analysis. We are also pursuing a laboratory effort to (1) build a matching microbial fuel cell in a pressure vessel capable of matching the pressure and temperature of deep water, (2) capable of flushing the fuel cell with oxygenated water under pressure to allow equilibrium power production, and (3) stock the pressure vessel with deep water sediment in order to take measurements analogous to those in the field. The current progress and results from this work at SPAWAR are presented.

A deep ocean data recovery module

'Challenges of Our Changing Global Environment'. Conference Proceedings. OCEANS '95 MTS/IEEE, 1995

Page 1. A DEEP OCEAN DATA RECOVERY MODULE Peter F. Worcester, Kevin R. Hardy, David Horwitt, and ... more Page 1. A DEEP OCEAN DATA RECOVERY MODULE Peter F. Worcester, Kevin R. Hardy, David Horwitt, and Douglas A. Peckham Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California, San Diego La Jolla, CA 92093-0225, USA ...

Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 2015

Deep-sea trenches remain one of the least explored ocean ecosystems due to the unique challenges ... more Deep-sea trenches remain one of the least explored ocean ecosystems due to the unique challenges of sampling at great depths. Five submersible dives conducted using the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible generated video of undisturbed deep-sea communities at bathyal (994 m), abyssal (3755 m), and hadal (8228 m) depths in the New Britain Trench, bathyal depths near the Ulithi atoll (1192 m), and hadal depths in the Mariana Trench Challenger Deep (10908 m). The New Britain Trench is overlain by waters with higher net primary productivity ($ 3-fold) than the Mariana Trench and nearby Ulithi, and receives substantially more allochthonous input from terrestrial sources, based on the presence of terrestrial debris in submersible video footage. Comparisons between trenches addressed how differences in productivity regime influence benthic and demersal deep-sea community structure. In addition, the scavenger community was studied using paired lander deployments to the New Britain (8233 m) and Mariana (10918 m) trenches. Differences in allochthonous input were reflected in epibenthic community abundance, biodiversity, and lifestyle representation. More productive locations were characterized by higher faunal abundances ($ 2-fold) at both bathyal and hadal depths. In contrast, biodiversity trends showed a unimodal pattern with more food-rich areas exhibiting reduced bathyal diversity and elevated hadal diversity. Hadal scavenging communities exhibited similar higher abundance but also $ 3-fold higher species richness in the more food-rich New Britain Trench compared to the Mariana Trench. High species-and phylum-level diversity observed in the New Britain Trench suggest that trench environments may foster higher megafaunal biodiversity than surrounding abyssal depths if food is not limiting. However, the absence of fish at our hadal sites suggests that certain groups do have physiological depth limits. Submersible video footage allowed novel in situ observation of holothurian orientation, jellyfish feeding behavior as well as lifestyle preferences for substrate, seafloor and overlying water. This study documents previously unreported species in the New Britain Trench, including an ulmariid scyphozoan (8233 m) and an acrocirrid polychaete (994 m), and reports the first observation of an abundant population of elpidiid holothurians in the Mariana Trench (10908 m). It also provides the first megafaunal community analysis of the world's deepest epibenthic community in the Mariana Trench Challenger Deep, which was composed of elpidiid holothurians, amphipods, and xenophyophores.

Deep Ocean Visualization Experimenter (DOVE): low-cost 10 km camera and instrument platform

Oceans '02 MTS/IEEE

Recent developments in the manufacture of borosilicate glass housings offer scientific investigat... more Recent developments in the manufacture of borosilicate glass housings offer scientific investigators and ocean engineers the opportunity to go &amp;quot;deep and cheap.&amp;quot; The 17-inch OD spheres, manufactured By Schott Glasswerks in Jena, Germany, provide ample interior space and positive buoyancy. The clarity of the glass and manufacturing tolerance control make the housings useful for photographic imaging. Other sensors suites may

T7 - End User Application of Underwater Cable and Connectors

Oceans 2007, 2007

UhdowtWauz ca1bles cdhd connectors ptoVide sytem flbkblijty,CS dO6 service, dh tfhb desig cidVdht... more UhdowtWauz ca1bles cdhd connectors ptoVide sytem flbkblijty,CS dO6 service, dh tfhb desig cidVdhtdoesfbt 0hndbtsd equipm (D t. Th is oneboy Shbt bourse Will hb1p ondAisors identify Cdh pri6titi2e critical dlecisions thdct Will load1 tb fh8e b6st connector dhd dbld system The fhdit d6fihod dooitdCtibh. Lbddez in undbrvdfte cdblesg connedf6tO dhd f Stihd Wi II roeS hf str idhff6 Wdrd fuill dCy~session tb hbl1p bboth bhdAAese and m0hufctUetors dthieve suctbt8 by soedklho the some ldndLjdg6. Attendees lbdVO With d Wbrking khmki1dde dhd dbility tb soocify LjhtdeStor tdblb and connectors fbr thbit harsh Onvironmht dpoiictitibite lbdthing ff6m experiences ih thb fdbtbry dnd fiid. Course notes will bO provided dhd tbchAnicdl reference r-ndeNdl vvill b5e prvidled tb dil dtthdees on CD.

Oceanography, 2003

May 1902: Baker invites Ritter to establish his marine laboratory in San Diego. Ritter replies th... more May 1902: Baker invites Ritter to establish his marine laboratory in San Diego. Ritter replies that an effort is being made to raise money in Los Angeles for a laboratory in San Pedro. Ritter returns to San Pedro for the summer laboratory. January 26, 1903: Baker again invites Ritter to establish a permanent laboratory in San Diego. February 2, 1903: Ritter writes to Baker that the laboratory can be established in San Diego if funds can be raised locally to support the summer work. March 15, 1903: Baker calls on newspaper magnate E. W. Scripps to solicit a contribution. Scripps says that he doesn't believe in giving to charity but is glad to help anybody who is trying to do something constructive and scientific. Scripps contributes 500andrecommendsthatBakercalluponhisphilanthropicsister,EllenBrowningScripps.March19,1903:EllenBrowningScrippscontributes500 and recommends that Baker call upon his philanthropic sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. March 19, 1903: Ellen Browning Scripps contributes 500andrecommendsthatBakercalluponhisphilanthropicsister,EllenBrowningScripps.March19,1903:EllenBrowningScrippscontributes100 toward Ritter's San Diego laboratory. March 23, 1903: E. S. Babcock, manager of the Hotel del Coronado, writes to UC President Benjamin I. Wheeler offering use of the hotel's boathouse as a laboratory during the summer. March 27, 1903: Ellen Browning Scripps and her sister Virginia Scripps attend Ritter's lecture on marine life and meet him for the first time. June 22, 1903: Ritter and his colleagues and students begin working at the Hotel del Coronado's boathouse.