Three underwater robots monitor the environmental impact of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline crash

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Three underwater robots monitor the environmental impact of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline crash Three robots are monitoring leaks on Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic waters to track how the chemistry and biological life of the sea has changed over time, due to the large release of methane, according to a statement from the University of Gothenburg. Between 56 and 155,000 tons of methane leaked as a result of the broken Nord Stream pipelines, making it one of the highest methane emissions ever measured from a single site, according to NewScientist . Water data recording The robots are being monitored by the research vessel Skagerak and created with the help of the Ocean Sound Corporation (VOTO). The devices are controlled remotely and are scheduled to move around the sea and continuously record water data for the next 15 weeks. The robots can give us measurements over periods of time about how water chemistry and quality are affected by natural gas leaks, said oceanographer Bastian Quest from the University of Gothenburg. These robots are not entirely new, two of them have been around since March 2021 to measure water quality without stopping. The robots descend and then rise to the surface, where the latest measurements are sent to researchers via satellite. In addition, one of the three robots is equipped with a special sensor to be able to measure the change in methane content over the next 15 weeks. Quest added that one of the robots provided valuable data and a snapshot of the ocean's condition immediately after the spill occurred. "We receive continuous reports on the state of the water near the Nord Stream 2 leak. They are only published for this purpose," he said. "The point is, we get measurements from the water over a long period of time and over a larger area. We can estimate the time it takes for methane to disappear, and guess how the aquatic environment reacts over time." He noted that responses to environmental changes at sea are often delayed, and that "it may take days or weeks before we see a change." View towards Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline and the transfer station of the Baltic Sea Pipeline Link in the industrial area of ​​Lubmin How is water affected by leakage? Researchers are collecting important data from underwater robots that are usually deployed to measure salinity, temperature, oxygen content and the amount of chlorophyll. This information complements the picture of how the waters in the Baltic Sea function after the gas leak. Researchers are working on "strong scientific documentation" of the immediate and long-term effects of the Nord Stream gas leak. Last week, the US Navy said it would process sonar information provided by Sweden and Denmark to try to find out what happened in the Nord Stream attack.


Three underwater robots monitor the environmental impact of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline crash

Three robots are monitoring leaks on Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic waters to track how the chemistry and biological life of the sea has changed over time, due to the large release of methane, according to a statement from the University of Gothenburg.

Between 56 and 155,000 tons of methane leaked as a result of the broken Nord Stream pipelines, making it one of the highest methane emissions ever measured from a single site, according to NewScientist .

Water data recording
The robots are being monitored by the research vessel Skagerak and created with the help of the Ocean Sound Corporation (VOTO). The devices are controlled remotely and are scheduled to move around the sea and continuously record water data for the next 15 weeks.

The robots can give us measurements over periods of time about how water chemistry and quality are affected by natural gas leaks, said oceanographer Bastian Quest from the University of Gothenburg.

These robots are not entirely new, two of them have been around since March 2021 to measure water quality without stopping. The robots descend and then rise to the surface, where the latest measurements are sent to researchers via satellite.

In addition, one of the three robots is equipped with a special sensor to be able to measure the change in methane content over the next 15 weeks.

Quest added that one of the robots provided valuable data and a snapshot of the ocean's condition immediately after the spill occurred. "We receive continuous reports on the state of the water near the Nord Stream 2 leak. They are only published for this purpose," he said.

"The point is, we get measurements from the water over a long period of time and over a larger area. We can estimate the time it takes for methane to disappear, and guess how the aquatic environment reacts over time."

He noted that responses to environmental changes at sea are often delayed, and that "it may take days or weeks before we see a change."

View towards Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline and the transfer station of the Baltic Sea Pipeline Link in the industrial area of ​​Lubmin

How is water affected by leakage?
Researchers are collecting important data from underwater robots that are usually deployed to measure salinity, temperature, oxygen content and the amount of chlorophyll. This information complements the picture of how the waters in the Baltic Sea function after the gas leak.

Researchers are working on "strong scientific documentation" of the immediate and long-term effects of the Nord Stream gas leak.

Last week, the US Navy said it would process sonar information provided by Sweden and Denmark to try to find out what happened in the Nord Stream attack.
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