Aiming at the real-time observation requirements in marine science and ocean engineering, based on underwater acoustic communication and satellite communication technology, a seabed real-time sensing system for in-situ long-term multi-parameter observation applications (SRSS/ILMO) is proposed. It consists of a seabed observation system, a sea surface relay transmission buoy, and a remote monitoring system. The system communication link is implemented by underwater acoustic communication and satellite communication. The seabed observation system adopts the “ARM + FPGA” architecture to meet the low power consumption, scalability, and versatility design requirements. As a long-term unattended system, a two-stage anti-crash mechanism, an automatic system fault isolation design, dual-medium data storage, and improved Modbus protocol are adopted to meet the system reliability requirements. Through the remote monitoring system, users can configure the system working mode, sensor parameters and acquire observation data on demand. The seabed observation system can realize the observation of different fields by carrying different sensors such as those based on marine engineering geology, chemistry, biology, and environment. Carrying resistivity and pore pressure sensors, the SRSS/ILMO powered by seawater batteries was used for a seabed engineering geology observation. The preliminary test results based on harbor environment show the effectiveness of the developed system.

The clay soil in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China is widely distributed and the groundwater table is shallow. In order to accurately analyze the distribution and assess the potentially harmful effects of the pollutants in this region, it’s necessary to study the diffusion rate and subsequent concentrations of organic pollutants. Our study area, located in Kunshan in the Jiangsu Province, represents a typical contaminated site consisting of a silty clay layer located in a shallow water table. Our model for the horizontal diffusion, vertical diffusion, and concentration distribution of organic pollutants through this clay layer over 30 years. The simulation results were compared to the measured horizontal distribution of the pollutant concentration at a depth of 2 m and the electrical resistivity tomography data reflecting the longitudinal changes in the polluted area. Our model generated accurate pollutant concentration and diffusion depth results, but the modelled horizontal diffusion distance of the pollution plume did not agree with observational data. After increasing the soil permeability coefficient at a depth of 2 m by a factor of 20,000, the numerical simulation results more closely match those of the measured results. Based on model results, we propose that the seasonal fluctuation of the groundwater table controls the vertical diffusion distance, and that the wide horizontal pollutant diffusion distance is a consequence of the sharp increase in the cohesive soil permeability (caused by repeated water gain and loss). GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT