University of Rhode Island Professor Laura Van Uffelen has been awarded a three-year research grant of $929,000 from the Office of Naval Research, with the intent of researching how acoustic technology can lead to discoveries about the ocean’s interior.
Van Uffelen has been with URI for about 10 years and is an expert in underwater acoustics. The research being conducted aims to discover more about the interior of the ocean itself and how changes in temperature and salinity affect the way that sound travels through water.
The grant process began with writing a planning letter to the program manager of the Office of Naval Research. After ONR showed interest, the two worked together to develop a full proposal outlining the research goal and how she intended to carry it out.
Van Uffelen began her journey in acoustics as an undergraduate, drawn to music and looking to become an acoustic consultant.
“I wanted to combine my interest in music with my interest in engineering,” Van Uffelen said.
It wasn’t until her senior year of college that she discovered oceanography through an internship at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. From there, Van Uffelen earned her graduate degree in Oceanography. Van Uffelen encourages students who are interested in oceanography to get involved in internships as well as any experience available.
“Get your hands dirty, look for opportunities where you can,” Van Uffelen said.
The research project aims to discover more about Arctic waters specifically since they lack data there. The team intends to place instruments under the ice, according to Van Uffelen.
“If we can use sound the same way we use GPS, then we can take those measurements under the ice,” Van Uffelen said. “From there we can help incorporate that into oceanographic models, so that we can better understand oceanography in the Arctic.”
One of the many challenges faced with this research is the ability to get those instruments back, according to Van Uffelen. With this kind of research, there is always a high probability that such instruments will be lost, along with the data they collected.
The oceanic instruments being used in the research must have very low power, as they must be sent out on their own for weeks or even months in order to collect data, according to Van Uffelen.
Van Uffelen has taken a special interest in the Beaufort Sea, as there is a lot of Arctic melting happening in that area, as well as warmer water that comes in through the Bering Strait. These changes in temperature change the sound speed profile of the water, which is how fast sound travels from the top to the bottom of the ocean, which is what Van Uffelen’s team seeks to learn more about.
As the onboarding process for this research continues, Van Uffelen looks forward to conducting this exciting project funded by the ONR.
