Observer/AMAR G4 Passive Acoustic Monitoring System for Autonomous Maritime Observation

The features of a new generation of Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) electronics, algorithms, and associated software are described. JASCO’s “Observer/AMAR G4” is a family of components configured to deliver a wide spectrum of functionality to users and researchers. The capabilities of the Observer/AMAR family of components are described via a walkthrough of recent Observer/AMAR glider deployments and trials, with a focus on functionality, collected data, and lessons learned. The trials include an Observer-based Slocum glider (Teledyne Webb Research) deployed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Atlantic Canada, in search of endangered North Atlantic right whales. Installations and test deployments in Seaglider (Kongsberg) on the west coast of Norway and in SEAEXPLORER (ALSEAMAR) on the south coast of France are also described. The development and the beneficial capabilities of these novel systems are described, as well as the results from these trial deployments.