Collaborative Sampling and Imaging of Phytoplankton Communities by Two Long‐Range Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Using Acoustic Tracking and Messaging

ABSTRACT Collaborative operation of multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) can effectively achieve scientific goals that are hard to achieve by independently operated vehicles. Some science payloads are large, expensive, and need to be installed in the vehicle's nose cone. A vehicle can only carry one such payload. This specialization leads to heterogeneous fleets of vehicles that must work collaboratively to investigate unique oceanographic features using complementary payloads. We present a method of using acoustic tracking and messaging between two long‐range AUVs (LRAUVs) with different payloads for collaborative sampling and imaging of phytoplankton communities. The sampling vehicle acquires water samples from the peak chlorophyll layer. The imaging vehicle acoustically tracks the sampling vehicle and takes microscopic images of the surrounding water column to provide contextual optical evidence. Each vehicle transmits acoustic messages to inform the other vehicle about distance or mission status. In this collaboration, acoustic tracking and messaging enable co‐located synchronized sampling and imaging. The method was used in phytoplankton studies in Monterey Bay, California, in August 2024.