Date: October 11, 2018​

​Location: Tibetan Plateau (Qihu Lake, Jialong Cuo Lake, Galong Cuo Lake)​​

​Project Background​

In October 2018, a six-person expedition team comprising surveyors from ​OceanAlpha, the ​Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the ​University of Zurich (Switzerland)​​ embarked on a challenging mission to Tibet. Their objective was to systematically survey three previously unmeasured ​plateau glacial lakes​ – ​Qihu Lake, ​Jialong Cuo Lake, and ​Galong Cuo Lake​ – to determine their ​depth profiles, calculate ​water storage capacity, and assess potential ​hazard levels.

​Challenges of High-Altitude Surveying​

The expedition faced extreme environmental conditions:

• ​Average altitude:​​ 4,500 meters
• ​Daytime temperature:​​ ~7°C
• ​Nighttime temperature:​​ ~-10°C
• ​Logistical constraints:​​ Limited transportation (manpower and horses only)
• ​Power limitations:​​ Heavy generation equipment impractical; reliance on limited battery resources

OceanAlpha engineer Huang Cheng noted: “The high altitude, large temperature variations, and heavy workload presented significant physical challenges. The remote locations of these icy lakes required careful planning and resource management.”

​Survey Execution with SL20 USV​

The team deployed the ​OceanAlpha SL20 Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV)​​ to conduct autonomous bathymetric surveys:

​Qihu Lake (7,400m altitude)​​

• • Base station antenna positioned at 6m height for optimal communication
  • ​0.02 km²​ autonomous survey completed
  • Survey route carefully planned to maximize data quality

​Jialong Cuo Lake (4,300m altitude)​​

• • ​0.5 km²​ autonomous survey executed over two days

​Galong Cuo Lake (5,070m altitude)​​

• • ​5 km²​ autonomous survey completed – the largest survey area of the expedition

​Advantages of USV Technology in Harsh Environments​

The ​SL20 USV​ demonstrated significant advantages over traditional survey methods:

• ​Transportability:​​ Compact and lightweight design enabled transportation by ​horse or manpower​ to remote lake locations
• ​Operational Efficiency:​​ Continuous autonomous operation reduced surveyors’ exposure to harsh conditions
• ​Safety Enhancement:​​ Remote operation from the lakeshore base station minimized risks associated with:
  • Working on unstable ice surfaces
  • Potential falls into dangerously cold water
  • Exposure to high-altitude environments

“The unmanned boat’s flexibility in transportation and continuous operation significantly improved our survey efficiency while reducing risks to personnel,”explained Huang Cheng. The ​SL20 USV​ allowed the team to gather critical hydrographic data in one of the world’s most challenging survey environments while maintaining safety and operational efficiency.