Sensor fouling prevention in an acoustic current meter, MAVS

Coatings to inhibit attachment of marine organisms to sensors were applied to acoustic velocity sensors and tested for seven months in near-surface waters in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and found to effectively prevent attachment of fouling organisms to substrates of ABS plastic, epoxy, urethane, and to a lesser degree to stainless steel. This treatment was effective longer than biocides generally have been in these conditions. The material in the coatings, silicone in some form, prevents the organisms from getting a tight grip and they either do not manage to settle or are washed off by natural low-velocity currents and waves in the mooring field in Eel Pond harbor.