Did you catch GliderPaloosa 2013? No? Neither did I. It was easy to miss as it was almost entirely underwater. GliderPaloosa 2013 was an event held in September and October, sponsored by NOAA in cooperation with Dalhousie University, the University of Maine, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, which launched between 12 to 16 autonomous underwater robotic vehicles, also known as Slocum gliders, from Nova Scotia to Georgia. These gliders were deployed through the peak fall Atlantic storm season to collect data on ocean conditions, which will help improve scientists’ understanding of hurricanes and pave the way for future improvements in hurricane intensity forecasts. See also our recent post: Underwater Gliders Gather Data to Help Predict Hurricanes
These gliders, named after Joshua Slocum, the first person to sail single handed around the world, use buoyancy and gravity to glide up and down through the oceans, powered only by tiny pumps which move small amounts of water around to adjust the glider’s buoyancy. The gliders were conceived by Douglas C. Webb with the support of Henry Stommel and others. They are capable of extended independent underwater travel and data collection, surfacing periodically to transmit data to shore by satellite. Here is Doug Webb talking about Slocum gliders.