Disposable portable buoy for data transmission between seafloor equipment and onshore laboratories

Communications between seafloor observatories and onshore laboratories are desired but difficult to achieve. Herein, we proposed and designed a disposable portable buoy that can be installed on a seafloor observatory to facilitate data transmission from the observatory to an onshore laboratory. The buoy receives data from the observatory through optical communication equipment on the seafloor. Once released, the buoy ascends to the sea surface and transmits data to the onshore laboratory using a satellite. The buoy comprises a carbon fiber cavity, employs an electromagnetic release mechanism, and can be deployed at an underwater depth of 4000 m. During numerical and experimental performance evaluations, the buoy accomplished reliable data transmission, release, and ascent within a high-pressure chamber. Finally, the buoy was integrated into a seafloor observatory in Qingjiang Lake, Hubei Province, China, and field-tested, demonstrating the feasibility of data transmission using the proposed buoy. •A compact design for a disposable and portable communication buoy is proposed.•Electromagnetic release mechanism with no moving parts is safe and reliable.•The electromagnetic force is optimized within the size restrictions.•Non-contact visible light data transmission simplifies the mechanical structure.