Advances in low cost marine technologies

In order to realize prevention and ecological risk analysis systems, the world environmental policy (UNEP, IMO, etc) is implementing complex decision systems based on economically sustainable activities including forecasting models, satellite images and sustainable observatory networks. The oceanographic measurement networks play a key role both for satellite data calibration and mathematical models validation and feeding as well as to support the early warning systems for environmental pollution control and prevention. The high costs of offshore mooring systems and traditional oceanographic cruises have suggested the use of VOS (Voluntary Observing Ships) to obtain affordable data. Moreover, marine coastal areas can be monitored using small measure platforms integrating "on demand" the various measuring systems (meteorological stations, water samplers, automatic chemical analyzers, in situ and pumped oceanographic probes, etc). For this purpose a big effort has been dedicated to the design, development and realization of new oceanographic devices. This paper shows the advances in new technological devices: the TFLAP (Temperature Fluorescence LAunchable Probe) and the Automatic Multiple Launcher for expendable probes, to be used by VOS in open seas, and a coastal buoy to be moored near Civitavecchia, as a starting point of integrated coastal monitoring networks. The described devices proved to be a cost effective solution to the need of modularity, flexibility, real time observing systems. © 2011 WIT Press.