An affordable and customizable wave buoy for the study of wave-ice interactions: design concept and results from field deployments

The interaction between waves and ice has a crucial impact on the seasonal change in the sea ice extent. However, our comprehension of this phenomenon is restricted by a lack of observations. In recent years, availability of the low-cost and accurate Inertial Motion Units has enabled the development of affordable wave research devices. Despite advancements in designing innovative open-source instruments optimized for deployment on ice floes, their customizability and survivability remain limited, especially in open waters. This study presents a novel design concept for an affordable and customizable wave buoy, aimed for wave measurements in marginal ice zones. The central focus of this wave buoy design is the application of 3D printing as rapid prototyping technology. By utilizing the high customizability offered by 3D printing, the previously developed solar-powered wave buoy was customized to install a battery pack. Preliminary results from field deployments in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans demonstrate that the performance of the instruments is promising. The accuracy of frequency wave spectra measurements is found to be comparable to that of considerably more expensive instruments. Finally, the study concludes with a general evaluation of using rapid prototyping technologies for buoy designs and proposes recommendations for future designs.

海浪与海冰的相互作用，对海冰范围的季节变化具有关键影响。然而，受限于观测数据的匮乏，学界对这一现象的认知仍存在诸多不足。近年来，低成本高精度的惯性运动单元（Inertial Motion Units）得以普及，推动了经济型海浪研究设备的研发进程。尽管针对浮冰部署优化的创新型开源仪器设计已取得进展，但这类设备的定制化能力与环境生存性仍较为有限，尤其在开阔水域中这一局限更为突出。本研究提出一种兼具经济性与定制化潜力的新型海浪浮标设计方案，旨在用于海冰边缘区的海浪观测。该浮标设计的核心思路是将3D打印作为快速原型制造技术（rapid prototyping technology）加以应用：依托3D打印所具备的高定制化特性，研究团队对此前研发的太阳能海浪浮标进行了适配改造，加装了电池组。在太平洋与北冰洋开展的野外部署初步结果显示，该仪器的性能表现喜人，其频率波谱测量精度可与造价高昂得多的专业仪器相媲美。最后，本研究对采用快速原型制造技术开展浮标设计的可行性进行了综合评估，并针对后续浮标设计提出了优化建议。