Environmental assessment and modeling of wastewater discharges using autonomous underwater vehicles bio-optical observations

Abstract

Around the world, the number of ocean outfalls discharging wastewater on coastal waters is already significant and is expected to grow. However, the environmental impact assessment of these structures is still difficult. In this paper we see how an autonomous underwater vehicle can be used for monitoring of sea outfalls, presenting the results obtained in a campaign, and the multi-wavelength optical sensors recently installed onboard which allow to obtain clear signatures of the particle field in order to quantify its components.