MacArtney’s German subsidiary, MBT GmbH, has manufactured a turbidity monitoring buoy, which is intended for deployment for accompanying environmental monitoring during dredging.
Being deployed as a surface buoy, the compact sized, autonomous buoy system intended for determining turbidity in coastal water areas consists of a yellow buoy corpus made from durable GRP, a turbidity sensor, a rechargeable battery pack and a data logger with integrated Inmarsat modem.
To fulfill safety regulations, the buoy is equipped with a white flashing LED light being automatically switched on under low light conditions.
The system is capable of 14 days of autonomous operation before the batteries need recharging or replacing.
The sensor is protected by a cage firmly attached to the buoyant body. The buoy is equipped with an “AQUAlogger 210 TYT” turbidity sensor provided with 4 measuring ranges selected automatically.
To avoid biological growth on the optical window, the instrument is equipped with an antifouling wiper.
The buoy and the data acquisition system has an open architecture that allows for integration of other types of sensors like CTDs, fluorometers, etc.