[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/EW-01-30-14-Ocean-Drones.mp3|titles=EW 01-30-14 Ocean Drones]
With the advance of science and technology, few corners of the Earth remain unexplored. But much of what goes on beneath the surface of our oceans remains a mystery.
An unprecedented scientific effort called “Gliderpalooza” is working to shed light on the ocean’s depths. The name refers to a fleet of ocean drones, also known as gliders, which have been deployed all along the Eastern Seaboard, from Georgia to Nova Scotia.
Drones have been used in ocean exploration for more than a decade, but never in as comprehensive and collaborative an effort as this. Sixteen research teams and government agencies from the U.S. and Canada have pooled their resources in hopes of gaining new insight into phenomena like deepwater currents, climate change, and the migration of fish.
Researchers are particularly interested in better understanding the seasonal “cold pool,” a body of water at the bottom of the Northeast Continental Shelf that remains unseasonably chilly even as surrounding waters warm in the spring and summer.
Gliders are a versatile and cost-effective way to explore the seas. While they carry a hefty price tag – costing $125,000 to $150,000 each – that is nothing compared to the cost of operating research vessels, which can run upwards of $100,000 for a single day.
In addition to the Eastern Seaboard, researchers also plan to explore the Western Pacific, where gliders could help forecast the kind of typhoons that have proven so deadly in Asia. Because a storm’s intensity is affected by ocean temperatures, the hope is that drones could predict the intensity before they strike land.
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Web Links
Ocean Drones Plumb New Depths
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/science/earth/ocean-drones-plumb-new-depths.html?ref=earth&_r=0
Gliderpalooza 2013
http://www.neracoos.org/gliderpalooza2013
Photo, taken on January 5, 2012, courtesy of NOAA’s National Ocean Service via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.