About iMarl
iMARL the “Insitu Marine Laboratory for Geosystems Research” is a network of various types of ocean floor located sensors, hosted by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS). It comprises of broadband Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBS), hydro-acoustic sensors, and sensors for measuring absolute water pressure and temperature. Instruments capable of detecting tsunamis also forms part of the infrastructure. The sensor pool is largely mobile and can, in principle, be deployed anywhere around the world.
Louise Collins
Primary contact and Co-ordinator
lcollins-at-cp.dias.ie
David Craig
Technical Lead
davcra-at-dias.ie
Chris Bean
Project PI
chris.bean-at-dias.ie
Martin Möllhoff
Data Management
martin-at-dias.ie
Why iMARL
- Advanced Ocean Monitoring: Deployed on the sea floor using sea-bed landers to provide continuous, high-quality data.
- Comprehensive Detection Capabilities:
- Can detect offshore earthquakes and storms.
- Can monitor ocean noise levels and biologically generated acoustic signals (e.g., from cetaceans).
- Environmental and Scientific Impact:
- Helps quantification of natural resources.
- Supports natural hazard estimation and early warning research.
- Provides in situ monitoring for earthquake, environmental, and climate baseline studies.
- Contributes to understanding and managing marine noise pollution.
Instruments
OBS Network
17 x K.U.M. NAMMU OBS
6d6 Datalogger:
- Four Simultaneous Channels Three seismic + 1 hydrophone channel
- Resolution: 32-bit @ 250 samples per second (sps)
- Dynamic Range: 142 dB
Seismometer: Nanometrics Trillium Compact (120-second)
Total Power Consumption: 300 mW total
OBS Network
17 x K.U.M. NAMMU OBS
6d6 Datalogger:
- Four Simultaneous Channels Three seismic + 1 hydrophone channel
- Resolution: 32-bit @ 250 samples per second (sps)
- Dynamic Range: 142 dB
Seismometer: Nanometrics Trillium Compact (120-second)
Total Power Consumption: 300 mW total
1 x Gurlap Aquarius+ OBS
- Broadband Seismometer: Digital feedback tri-axial, flat response (120s–100Hz), operates at any angle
- Position Tracking: 3-axis magnetometer and MEMS accelerometer for seabed orientation
- Data Transmission:
- Sensor and health data sent from seabed post-installation
- Up to 9000 bps acoustic communication to surface
- Tilt Tolerance: 180°
- Storage: Dual redundant 128 GB Micro-SD cards
- Deployment Capability: Operates at depths up to 4000 m for up to 18 months
- Recovery System: Acoustic burn-wire release with satellite tracking and LED strobe light for retrieval
- Location alerts via email, SMS, and/or webpage
- Power Supply: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack, supports 18-month deployments (1-hour recharge per 1-month use)
1 x Gurlap Aquarius+ OBS
- Broadband Seismometer: Digital feedback tri-axial, flat response (120s–100Hz), operates at any angle
- Position Tracking: 3-axis magnetometer and MEMS accelerometer for seabed orientation
- Data Transmission:
- Sensor and health data sent from seabed post-installation
- Up to 9000 bps acoustic communication to surface
- Tilt Tolerance: 180°
- Storage: Dual redundant 128 GB Micro-SD cards
- Deployment Capability: Operates at depths up to 4000 m for up to 18 months
- Recovery System: Acoustic burn-wire release with satellite tracking and LED strobe light for retrieval
- Location alerts via email, SMS, and/or webpage
- Power Supply: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack, supports 18-month deployments (1-hour recharge per 1-month use)
10 x ORCA Hydroacoustic Recorders
- Depth rated to 3000m
- 5 input channels
- Flexible sampling rates
- 10x HTI-04-PCA/ULF Broadband Hydrophones
- Bandwidth: 0.01 Hz to 8 kHz
- Sensitivity: -194 dB
- 10x GTI-M14-600 Medium/High Frequency Hydrophones
- Bandwidth: 2 Hz to 50 kHz
- Sensitivity: -165 dB
10 x ORCA Hydroacoustic Recorders
- Depth rated to 3000m
- 5 input channels
- Flexible sampling rates
- 10x HTI-04-PCA/ULF Broadband Hydrophones
- Bandwidth: 0.01 Hz to 8 kHz
- Sensitivity: -194 dB
- 10x GTI-M14-600 Medium/High Frequency Hydrophones
- Bandwidth: 2 Hz to 50 kHz
- Sensitivity: -165 dB
5x RBRquartz³ BPR Absolute Pressure Sensors
- Depth rated to 6600m
- High resolution – 10ppb (sampling at 1Hz sampling rate)
- Up to 16Hz sampling rate
- Rechargeable Li-Ion deep-water PowerPacks from SubCtech for long term deployments
5x RBRquartz³ BPR Absolute Pressure Sensors
- Depth rated to 6600m
- High resolution – 10ppb (sampling at 1Hz sampling rate)
- Up to 16Hz sampling rate
- Rechargeable Li-Ion deep-water PowerPacks from SubCtech for long term deployments
