USGS Scientists launching an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).

USGS Scientists launching an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV)

An AUV can provide high spatial resolution of water-quality characteristics; such as, temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, chlorophyll, and blue-green algae. The instrument can also provide bathymetry data, water velocity profiles, and side-scan sonar imagery.  All of these data are collected simultaneously as the self-propelled AUV runs its pre-programmed mission. The result is a snapshot of the characteristic of interest over a broad area at one point in time.