Wireless and autonomous: a new way to recover ocean data

Long-term observations of the deep ocean are essential for understanding how our climate is changing. Bottom pressure recorders provide critical measurements of ocean circulation, sea level and the movement of water masses, but accessing instruments deployed in remote parts of the ocean can be challenging. Data recovery typically requires vessels to reach individual monitoring sites, meaning observations can be constrained by availability, weather and the practicalities of coordinating offshore operations.

Wireless Interrogation of Seabed Pressure Arrays (WISPA) 

The WISPA project, delivered by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) through FMRI, is demonstrating a new way to recover oceanographic data. By combining seabed pressure sensors with autonomous, wave-powered surface vehicles, WISPA enables data to be collected wirelessly using underwater acoustic communications.

This approach has the potential to reduce operational costs and carbon emissions while making long-term ocean observing networks more resilient and responsive. By enabling more efficient recovery of data from seabed instruments, WISPA supports the continuous monitoring needed to better understand ocean circulation, climate variability and environmental change.

This is an incredible achievement. We believe this project is the first example of through-water communications of ocean climate research data to an autonomous vehicle, and instant transmission of data to shore.  It has never been more important to have accurate and up-to-date measurements about what is happening in our ocean, which is undergoing major and rapid changes in the face of climate change. While traditional ship-based observations provide the most reliable data, such scientific cruises take some time to organise, are expensive and produce a large carbon footprint. This Autonaut mission feels like a major milestone for oceanography as it opens up a new way of collecting more data, more regularly, which is key to improving climate predictions and helping us to prepare for what the future may hold.

Professor Mark Inall, Scottish Association for Marine Science

Transforming ocean data recovery

WISPA is demonstrating how autonomous technologies can transform the way scientists access long-term ocean observations. By proving that autonomous surface vehicles can recover data wirelessly from seabed pressure recorders, the project is reducing dependence on research vessels while maintaining access to critical climate observations.

Strengthening long-term climate monitoring

The project is supporting sustained monitoring of key indicators including ocean circulation, deep-ocean pressure and sea-level variability, providing datasets that improve understanding of large-scale climate systems such as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).

Enabling more sustainable ocean observing

Beyond its technical demonstration, WISPA is helping establish a more sustainable model for marine observing by reducing operational costs, lowering carbon emissions associated with research vessel deployments and increasing the flexibility of long-term monitoring programmes. These advances strengthen the UK's ocean observing capability while supporting future climate research, environmental management and evidence-based decision-making.