COOL Instrumentation

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LEO-15 Undersea Node

What is a Node?

Rutgers University has two unmanned undersea research nodes that are deployed 9 kilometers off the coast of Brigintinne, New Jersey. These two nodes are part of a research site called LEO-15.

They are linked to the Rutgers Marine Field Station in Tuckerton, NJ, with an electro-optic cable that contains optical fibers to transfer information and copper wires to transfer power. This link provides a real-time connection between the undersea world off the coast of New Jersey and the Internet, providing scientists, engineers, and educators with realtime access to the sea. It permits them to monitor experiments and to alter their direction from essentially any classroom, office building, or laboratory in the world. The cable also provides continuous and ample electrical power, a luxury denied to experimentalists using traditional methods to study the ocean.

The LEO-15 Concept

To most Americans, the coastal ocean is one of our nation's most important natural treasures. Issues associated with its management are the subject of constant debate by the public, the media, and politicians. A common feature of these debates is the need for better information about the ocean environment. Until now, we have depended upon ships, satellites, and a few buoys for information. A major limitation is our inability to make frequent observations of ocean processes from one place in the ocean over long periods of time. LEO-15 is designed to address that limitation; it is on line almost continuously, providing scientists and engineers realtime data.