Scientists Introduce The Cell Phone Of Undersea Communications
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - 11:42
in Physics & Chemistry
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists and engineers have devised an undersea optical communications system that—complemented by acoustics—enables a virtual revolution in high-speed undersea data collection and transmission. Its developers are likening the new technology to the cell phone and wireless Internet access. Their report will be presented Feb. 23 at the 2010 Ocean Sciences Meeting in Portland Ore. Compared to communication in the air, communicating underwater is severely limited because water is essentially opaque to electromagnetic radiation except in the visible band. Even then, light penetrates only a few hundred meters in the clearest waters; less in sediment-laden or highly populated waters. read more