California is developing a smart mooring line to detect whale entanglements

Rep ese tative
Image
of
a
floati g
wi d
tu bi e
mo ito ed
by
fib e
optic
cables
i
deep
ocea
wate s
(AI-ge e ated
image)

Califo ia’s
push
i to
offsho e
wi d
e e gy
faces
a
p oblem
most
coastal
states
eve
had
to
solve.
The
state’s
st o gest
wi ds
sit
fa
f om
sho e
i
wate
too
deep
fo
tu bi es
fixed
to
the
seafloo ,
mea i g
a y
la ge-scale
p oject
has
to
ely
o
floati g
st uctu es
i stead.
Floati g
tu bi es
b i g
thei
ow
headaches,
si ce
co sta t
wave
motio ,
shifti g
tidal
loads
a d
lo g
dista ces
f om
la d
make
outi e
i spectio
a d
mai te a ce
slow
a d
expe sive.
Resea che s
a e
ow
t yi g
to
tu
o e
pa t
of
that
same
st uctu e
i to
the
solutio .
With
fu di g
f om
the
Califo ia
E e gy
Commissio ,
a
team
led
by
Law e ce
Be keley
Natio al
Labo ato y
is
developi g
a
sma t
moo i g
li e
fitted
with
fib e
optic
se so s
that
ca
mo ito
a
tu bi e’s
st uctu al
health
while
also
liste i g
fo
whale
calls
a d
detecti g
the
mome t
a
whale
becomes
e ta gled
ea by.

Why
floati g
wi d
tu bi es
eed
a
diffe e t
ki d
of
mo ito i g

Most
offsho e
wi d
fa ms
built
so
fa ,
i cludi g
those
alo g
the
Ame ica
Atla tic
coast,
sit
i
shallow
e ough
wate
to
use
fixed
bottom
fou datio s
a cho ed
di ectly
i to
the
seabed.
Califo ia’s
coastli e
offe s
o
such
optio
fo
much
of
its
st o gest
wi d
esou ce,
si ce
the
co ti e tal
shelf
d ops
off
quickly,
leavi g
floati g
platfo ms
as
the
o ly
ealistic
path
to
captu i g
that
e e gy.
Acco di g
to
Law e ce
Be keley
Natio al
Labo ato y’s
ow
accou t
of
the
p oject,
Califo ia’s
Pacific
wate s
ca
be
st o g
e ough
o ly
20
miles
offsho e
to
ge e ate
mo e
tha
double
the
e e gy
of
shallowe
sites,
but
the
depth
i volved
makes
floati g
systems
the
o ly
viable
choice
fo
much
of
that
pote tial.

Floati g
st uctu es
also
expe ie ce
fa
mo e
co sta t
motio
tha
fixed
o es,
which
complicates
both
thei
desig
a d
the
o goi g
task
of
keepi g
them
safe
to
ope ate.

How
fib e
optic
cables
ca
se se
st ai ,
vib atio
a d
sou d

The
tech ology
at
the
ce t e
of
the
p oject
elies
o
dist ibuted
fib e
optic
se si g,
a
method
that
se ds
light
dow
a
thi
glass-co ed
cable
a d
a alyses
how
that
light
scatte s
a d
etu s.
Acco di g
to
a
p oject
desc iptio
f om
the
Califo ia
E e gy
Commissio ,
this
app oach
allows
ope ato s
to
mo ito
vib atio ,
st ai
a d
tempe atu e
th oughout
a
st uctu e
co ti uously
athe
tha
elyi g
o
pe iodic
ma ual
i spectio .
The
same
cables
ca
also
pick
up
ambie t
u de wate
sou d,
i cludi g
whale
vocalisatio s,
mea i g
a
si gle
se si g
system
embedded
i to
a
tu bi e’s
moo i g
li e
could
simulta eously
t ack
the
health
of
the
st uctu e
itself
a d
mo ito
ma i e
life
movi g
th ough
the
su ou di g
wate .

What
ea lie
testi g
evealed
about
the
tech ology’s
se sitivity

This
is
ot
the
fi st
time
esea che s
have
tested
fib e
optic
se si g
o
offsho e
wi d
ha dwa e.
A
study
titled

St uctu al
health
mo ito i g
of
offsho e
wi d
tu bi es
usi g
dist ibuted
acoustic
se si g
(DAS),
published
i
the
Jou al
of
Civil
St uctu al
Health
Mo ito i g
a d
led
by
James
T.
Xu
alo gside
Be keley
Lab
scie tist
Yuxi
Wu,
tested
a
full-scale,
25-met e-tall
wi d
tu bi e
towe
o
a
shake
table
at
the
Pacific
Ea thquake
E gi ee i g
Resea ch
Ce t e
at
the
U ive sity
of
Califo ia,
Be keley.
Resea che s
subjected
the
towe
to
be di g
a d
multidi ectio al
shaki g
mea t
to
simulate
the
ki d
of
ocea -d ive
st ess
a
floati g
tu bi e
would
face,
while
fib e
optic
cables
i stalled
th oughout
the
st uctu e
t acked
how
it
defo med
u de
p essu e.
O e
of
the
study’s
clea est
fi di gs
was
that
the
se si g
system
p oved
se sitive
e ough
to
detect
loose
bolts
at
the
towe ‘s
joi t
co ectio s,
a
outi e
mai te a ce
issue
that
ca
othe wise
go
u oticed
u til
it
becomes
a
se ious
st uctu al
p oblem.

Why
the
moo i g
li e
itself
is
becomi g
a
se si g
device

Buildi g
o
that
ea lie
st uctu al
wo k,
the
sma t
moo i g
p oject
exte ds
the
same
u de lyi g
se si g
app oach
to
the
cables
that
a cho
a
floati g
tu bi e
to
the
seafloo .
Rathe
tha
fu ctio i g
pu ely
as
a
mecha ical
co ectio ,
the
moo i g
li e
becomes
a
active
mo ito i g
system
i
its
ow
ight,
co ti uously
epo ti g
o
both
its
ow
st uctu al
co ditio
a d
the
activity
occu i g
i
the
wate
a ou d
it.
The
Califo ia
E e gy
Commissio
has
ide tified
eal-time
e ta gleme t
detectio ,
st uctu al
mo ito i g
a d
e vi o me tal
acoustic
mo ito i g
as
the
p oject’s
ce t al
goals,
eflecti g
a
dual
pu pose
a ely
combi ed
i
a
si gle
piece
of
offsho e
ha dwa e.

What
this
could
mea
fo
whales
livi g
ea
futu e
wi d
fa ms

Whale
e ta gleme t
i
fishi g
gea
a d
othe
u de wate
li es
emai s
a
se ious
a d
closely
t acked
isk
i
ocea
co se vatio ,
a d
floati g
wi d
fa ms
i t oduce
yet
a othe
set
of
moo i g
cables
i to
wate s
whales
egula ly
pass
th ough.
A
se si g
system
capable
of
detecti g
both
a
whale’s
call
a d
a
physical
tug
o
the
li e
offe s
a
way
to
catch
pote tial
e ta gleme ts
as
they
happe
athe
tha
afte
the
fact,
givi g
ope ato s
a
cha ce
to
espo d
i
ea
eal
time.
Be keley
Lab
esea che
Yuxi
Wu,
who
has
led
ea lie
fib e
optic
testi g
o
tu bi e
towe s,
has
desc ibed
the
lo g-te m
goal
as
buildi g
what
amou ts
to
a
e vous
system
fo
offsho e
wi d
st uctu es,
o e
capable
of
epo ti g
o
its
ow
co ditio
co ti uously
athe
tha
waiti g
fo
scheduled
huma
i spectio .

Why
this
app oach
could
shape
futu e
offsho e
wi d
p ojects

If
the
sma t
moo i g
system
pe fo ms
as
i te ded,
esea che s
say
the
u de lyi g
co cept
could
exte d
well
beyo d
Califo ia’s
coastli e
to
a y
floati g
offsho e
wi d
p oject
ope ati g
i
wate s
sha ed
with
ma i e
mammals.
Bette
mo ito i g
of
how
these
st uctu es
i te act
with
the
ocea
a ou d
them
could
also
i fo m
how
futu e
wi d
fa ms
a e
sited
a d
ope ated
mo e
b oadly,
offe i g
egulato s
a d
develope s
mo e
di ect
evide ce
of
a
p oject’s
eal
e vi o me tal
footp i t
athe
tha
elyi g
o
pe iodic
su veys
alo e.
As
floati g
offsho e
wi d
moves
f om
ea ly
pilot
p ojects
towa d
la ge -scale
deployme t
alo g
the
Pacific
coast,
tech ology
capable
of
liste i g
as
ca efully
as
it
measu es
could
e d
up
shapi g
how,
a d
whe e,
these
tu bi es
a e
allowed
to
ope ate.
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