Voyage Number
IN2026_V05
Voyage Dates
Voyage Location
Chief Scientist
Prof Helen Pask
Institution
Macquarie University
Follow our 12-day voyage to the Coral Sea as RV Investigator tests new innovative ocean monitoring technology.
Voyage summary
RV Investigator will undertake a 12-day research voyage out of Brisbane into the Coral Sea to support the testing and development of innovative dual-use LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology.
The voyage will enable Macquarie University to advance development of a dual-use LiDAR system for remote sensing of subsurface properties in ocean waters. LiDAR uses pulses of laser light to remotely measure the environment around it. The technology is capable of being deployed from a boat, drone or plane and rapidly create 3D maps of nearby waters. The Macquarie University LiDAR system is currently at Technology Readiness Level 5 (TRL 5) and has undergone controlled testing, including at Macquarie University's Aquatic Centre. The ultimate testing ground for the LiDAR system is in clear ocean water.
This voyage will test the maximum depth range for the LiDAR and its application and performance in ocean waters.
This is the first project awarded sea time under the MNF's Stream 4 access pathway, which was created to promote development and innovation in marine research and industry technology.
There are 4 other projects on this voyage:
- Evaluation of novel LiDAR instruments (Prof Helen Pask, Macquarie University): deployment and testing of several additional LiDAR systems for data collection alongside the primary project.
- Globalising Marine Biodiversity Observations – GLOMBO (Dr Sahan Jayasinghe, CSIRO): integration of an autonomous environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling system into RV Investigator's underway seawater system.
- Argo float deployments (Dr Gabriella Semolini Pilo, CSIRO): deployment of Argo floats in support of the International Argo Float Program.
- Developing Jonathan: an on-vessel automated seabird detector (Carlie Devine and Dr Rich Little, CSIRO): development of an automated on-vessel seabird detector called 'Jonathan.'
The voyage has 28 science participants from 7 institutions and 20 ship crew from Cyan Vessel Operations.
Voyage outcomes
Voyage outcomes will be published approximately 3-6 months after the completion of the voyage.