Estimating the size of micro-plastics floating underwater using image processing of the photo-acoustic data received by a phased-array

Principle Investigator
Dr. Jean-Francois Bousquet, Dalhousie University, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Email: jbousquet@dal.ca
Website: https://www.dal.ca/faculty/engineering/electrical/faculty-staff/faculty-pages/bousquet-jean-francois.html

NRC Collaborator
Christophe Bescond ,Team Leader Energy, Mining and Environment

Project description

Marine pollution such as oil spills, diesel emissions and micro plastics are a major ecosystem threats, and can be very harmful to marine animals. To detect and characterize pollutants near the surface of the water, including oil and diesel that may be caught under the ice, there is significant interest in developing an instrument that can be deployed remotely and can return information in real-time, either through a wireless link or through a tether. The aim of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of applying existing technology in the areas of signal processing, underwater instrumentation, and underwater autonomous systems to demonstrate the feasibility of the system for different applications.

Requirements

This position requires a background in Electrical and Computer Engineering, with a focus on instrumentation and signal processing, as applied to ultra-sonic imaging techniques and robotic systems. The ideal candidate will have strong analytical skills, and can also support the deployment of the system in the lab and at sea.