Nortek Signature 100s Deployed to Monitor De Soto Canyon Ecosystem

Nortek engineers joined University of South Florida researchers in August 2026 to recover and redeploy two Signature 100 acoustic Doppler current profilers in the De Soto Canyon area off the Florida Panhandle. The instruments support a research project studying ocean circulation, zooplankton, and the habitat of the critically endangered Rice’s whale. The work is funded through Florida’s RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence Program, set up after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

 

The Research Program

 

The Deepwater Horizon spill highlighted how little was known about many Gulf ecosystems and the need to protect them. The RESTORE Act of 2012 directed funding toward Gulf Coast recovery. That led to the Florida RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence Program, known as FLRACEP, hosted by USF’s Florida Institute of Oceanography. Since 2015, the program has funded more than 30 projects covering fisheries, ecosystem monitoring, mapping, and ocean observing technology.

In June 2025, FLRACEP announced more than US$4 million in awards for four projects studying the De Soto Canyon and connected ecosystems. One of these is the project titled “Rice’s Whale Ecology, Associated Ocean Circulation and Habitat”, known as REACH. It is led by USF scientists, including Dr. Ana Carolina Peralta, Dr. Yonggang Liu, and Dr. Frank Muller-Karger. NOAA Fisheries welcomed the research as important for understanding why the region is a hotspot for the whales.

 

Why De Soto Canyon Matters

 

De Soto Canyon lies south of the Florida Panhandle, where the continental shelf drops away steeply into deeper water. This sharp change in depth drives currents and upwelling that make the area unusually rich in marine life. It is also the core habitat of the Rice’s whale, a baleen whale recognized as a separate species in 2021. The species is found mainly along the shelf break in waters 100 to 400 meters deep.

The US Marine Mammal Commission estimates the Rice’s whale population at around 51 animals, making it one of the most endangered large whales in the world. Threats include vessel strikes, underwater noise, and the effects of energy development. Protecting the species depends on understanding what makes its habitat suitable, especially prey availability. The REACH project aims to link ocean physics to the food supply that sustains the whales.

 

The Instruments and Methods

 

The research team uses a combination of surface and subsurface moorings carrying sensors, including CTDs, echosounders,s and current profilers. These include Nortek’s Signature 100 ADCPs, which have a built-in scientific echosounder. The team also uses towed hydrophone arrays to listen for fish and whales, collects water samples, es and carries out CTD casts. Together, these methods provide a detailed picture of the canyon's physical and biological conditions.

The Signature 100 can measure current velocities through a profile of more than meters while also recording echosounder data. The echosounder reveals zooplankton and sometimes larger animals in the water column. Jay Law, head of operations for USF moorings, said the instrument’s dual role as current meter and echosounder is critical for a project combining physics, biology and chemistry. The instruments had been deployed for nearly six months, recording hourly current data and three echograms every six seconds.

 

Read More: https://oceaneconomist.com/articles/philippines-bamboo-coastal-flood-protection

 

Linking Physics and Biology

 

USF researchers feed data from the current profilers and other sensors into high-resolution numerical models of ocean circulation on the northern West Florida Shelf. They then examine how physical processes influence the abundance and distribution of zooplankton, which is central to defining the whales’ habitat. Peralta said one hypothesis being tested is that zooplankton communities differ between sampling stations. She said those differences may relate to circulation patterns and to water masses that act as microclimates for marine life.

Peralta said being able to measure water movement and capture echograms from the same instrument helps the team understand the area’s biological dynamics. Combining these data streams can show how currents gather or disperse the prey that whales feed on. Such insight could support more targeted protection measures, for example in shipping or development planning. The project’s findings are intended to support management decisions for the species.

 

Industry Support at Sea

 

Nortek’s Jeremiah Ness and David Velasco joined the August cruise to help recover and redeploy the instruments. They assisted with instrument setup and data analysis while the science team carried out other work. Velasco said having Nortek experts on board frees researchers to focus on other parts of a busy cruise. He said the company is happy to support projects that contribute to healthy ocean ecosystems.

Law praised Nortek’s willingness to send technicians to sea to ensure the first recovery and redeployment went smoothly, and the team obtained the data it needed. Close collaboration between instrument makers and researchers can reduce the risk of data loss during complex mooring operations. It also helps scientists make full use of advanced instruments. Nortek has supported USF in the field before, including an earlier project tracking pollution in Tampa Bay.