Sensor-Float 1 deployment at Lizard Island as part of the Facility for the Automated Intelligent Monitoring of Marine Systems - FAIMMS

A round 1.4m yellow buoy has been deployed in the southern part of the main lagoon of Lizard Island to the south-east of Palfrey Island.

The buoy is configured as a sensor-float with a Campbell Scientific logger, spread-spectrum radio and 2.4/5 GHz 802.11 wireless for communicating with the base station (located at the workshop near the Research Station) a surface mounted (60cm under the water surface) thermistor and an inductive modem to support a range of inductive sensors, initially this will be a SeaBird SBE39 measuring temperature and pressure (depth) and a SeaBird SBE37 measuring conductivity (salinity), temperature and depth.

As of August 2010 the inductive sensors are just located in the area around the buoy, it is intended at a later date to re-position these southwards on the external reef slope to give a profile of water outside the lagoon.

The unit will be serviced every six months and will be used in the future for attaching new sets of sensors.