Patent ID: 7690247

Claim:
An autonomous biobuoy for detecting characteristics of a marine biosphere, comprising: a housing comprising a dry water-tight compartment and a second compartment, wherein the second compartment is in fluid communication with the marine biosphere; a cap mounted to the top of the water-tight compartment, wherein the cap comprises a hollow chamber having an optical window into the water-tight compartment and at least one opening, wherein the opening is configured such that the chamber is in fluid communication with the marine biosphere; a detector assembly mounted to the housing, wherein the detector assembly comprises an electronics unit and the following sensors: a petroleum, oil and lubricant (POL) detector, a bioluminescence detector, a thermister, a transmissometer, a conductivity detector, a salinity detector, a global positioning system (GPS) unit, and a depth detector, each sensor configured to generate an output, and wherein the electronics unit is configured to transform the outputs of each of the sensors into a detector assembly output signal; and a transmitter-receiver mounted on top of the cap and operatively coupled to the electronics unit of the detector assembly, wherein the transmitter-receiver is configured to transmit the detector assembly output signal.